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1984

Play trailer 1:11 Poster for 1984 R 1984 1h 55m Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 32 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell's classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.

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1984

1984

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Critics Consensus

1984 doesn't fully emerge from the shadow of its source material, but still proves a solid, suitably discomfiting adaptation of a classic dystopian tale.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Attanasio Washington Post 01/02/2018
Nodding to the movie's bleak mood, Burton bleakens himself; robbed of the pleasures of the grand, show-offy way he could use his voice, the mischievous twinkle of his eye, you feel cheated. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
3.5/4
Michael Radford's brilliant film of Orwell's vision does a good job of finding that line between the "future" world of 1984 and the grim postwar world in which Orwell wrote. Go to Full Review Michael Clark Epoch Times 06/18/2024
4.5/5
Frequently and incorrectly labeled as “sci-fi,” “1984” is pure New World Order dystopia, a situation that sadly is finding renewed interest among many of the globe’s current two-legged, all-compliant sheep. Go to Full Review Quentin Crisp Christopher Street 05/07/2024
The film is faultlessly acted by the entire cast and the settings are perfectly photographed in the kind of lighting that prevails on Waterloo or any of the main-line railway stations in London. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 01/21/2024
5/5
‘…the word Orwellian is now misused to mean any future that doesn’t reflect the speaker’s own wishes, but that’s not the highly specific message of the book or film, and in terms of predicting the feel of the future Orwell and Radford got it dead right. Go to Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 04/14/2023
While Radford never fully captures the devastating ordeal of mental and physical torture of Orwell’s novel, it is an admirable effort and a fine film in its own right... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Caleb C. @RT01788518 Apr 5 99/100 best movie I’ve watched, I’ve read the book and watched the movie three times See more Simon T @Bucksplit Mar 1 John Hurt is ideal casting here. His trademark haunted melancholy as the conflicted Winston Smith raises Michael Radford's already superlative adaptation to even greater heights. Production design, cinematography, music all contribute, and Richard Burton's final performance, all silky understatement and pedestrian cruelty, is a magnificent swansong and perfect counterpoint to Hurt. Their climactic encounter in the infamous Room 101 is terrifying. See more Allison C @Allison229 Feb 7 Just Amazing so ahead of its time!!!!. Love anything by George Orwell ❤️ 💕 Amazing acting from an amazing cast. See more André Ferreira F @andre_f Dec 15 Nunca li o livro, por isso a minha opinião pode mudar no futuro. O filme cria muito bem o ambiente opressivo e autoritário que pretende transmitir, porém por vezes parece que se distancia demasiado do público. (avaliação: 6.5/10) See more Igor S @Igor_Sena Dec 8 Sadly, this movie is more relevant now than ever. It drills its story into your mind, the same way that the propaganda in the movie does to the characters. What's so frightening about it, is the harsh, cold truth it depicts: that not only so much of its content has always been true throughout history; but those who rule over us are happy to continue to treat us, the people, not just like sheep, but like grains of dust in their cleaning of what makes us human. Hopefully, in reality, the human spirit is not so easy tamable. Otherwise, we are lost... See more Chris H @RT60525826 Sep 15 For me, this is the definitive film adaptation of Orwell's novel. Stunning performances by John Hurt and Richard Burton glue you to the screen. See more Read all reviews
1984

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Radford

Director

John Hurt

Winston Smith

Richard Burton

O'Brien

Suzanna Hamilton

Julia

Cyril Cusack

Charrington

Gregor Fisher

Parsons

Movie Clips

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1984

1984: Official Clip - It Creeps Up on You 1984: Official Clip - It Creeps Up on You 2:13 1984: Official Clip - O'Brien Tortures Winston 1984: Official Clip - O'Brien Tortures Winston 2:13 1984: Official Clip - Your Kind is Extinct 1984: Official Clip - Your Kind is Extinct 2:11 1984: Official Clip - Corrupt to the Core 1984: Official Clip - Corrupt to the Core 2:12 1984: Official Clip - Victory is Not Possible 1984: Official Clip - Victory is Not Possible 2:54 1984: Official Clip - Caught in the Bedroom 1984: Official Clip - Caught in the Bedroom 0:57 1984: Official Clip - Vision of the Future 1984: Official Clip - Vision of the Future 2:55 1984: Official Clip - Two Minutes Hate 1984: Official Clip - Two Minutes Hate 2:13 1984: Official Clip - Winston is Tested 1984: Official Clip - Winston is Tested 2:11 1984: Official Clip - A Small Effort of Will 1984: Official Clip - A Small Effort of Will 2:13 View more videos

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1984

1984: Teaser Trailer 1984: Teaser Trailer 1:11 View more videos
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1984

1984 (1984) 1984 (1984) 1984 (1984) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell's classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.
Director
Michael Radford
Producer
Simon Perry
Screenwriter
George Orwell, Michael Radford
Distributor
Atlantic Releasing Corp.
Production Co
Paramount, MGM
Rating
R
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 14, 1984, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 6, 2013
Runtime
1h 55m
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