Nineteen Eighty-Four

Adapted as a TV-play by Nigel Kneale, George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece no longer seems like the work of a cautionary Sci-fi tale what with the war between Russia and Ukraine verging on a new ‘Cold War’ scenario, not to mention a nuclear threat courtesy of Russia’s increasingly totalitarian regime. First broadcast in 1954, Kneale’s adaptation starring Peter Cushing in one of his finest performances as the doomed Winston Smith and also featuring André Morell as the deceiving O’Brien.

Most of us will be familiar with the movie version of 1984 (appropriately released in that year) starring John Hurt as Winston Smith; therefore it’s all the more interesting that we can watch this newly restored TV-play from 1954 on Blu-ray or DVD and even digital platforms like iTunes and Amazon Prime. Of course, one must bear in mind that compared with the later version; the 1954 offering seems perhaps a little rudimentary with its financial limitations (apart from a few exterior scenes filmed around Muswell Hill it was recorded in a studio) and grainy b/w. But that’s hardly the point. The point is that Nigel Kneale’s classic production remains as powerful and as relevant as it was back then, after all, author George Orwell, a democratic socialist, felt inspired to write his controversial cautionary tale in 1949 following the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as the totalitarian regime in Nazi Germany and in Stalinist Russia. But never has Orwell's vision of a totalitarian surveillance state come as close to the present day as now thanks to President Putin proving that the masses are once again being oppressed and controlled what with state television justifying the invasion of Ukraine and bending the facts – in the film’s case it’s a mysterious leader referred to as 'Big Brother'. Of course, Orwell’s novel is not about Russia, but – after civilisation has been ravaged by war - three new power blocs named Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia now rule the roost so to speak. ‘Airstrip One’ (formerly the UK and now ruled by ‘The Party’) is a province of Oceania, one of these three totalitarian super-states. It’s in Airstrip One that central character Winston Smith (Peter Cushing) lives and works for the 'Ministry of Truth' in London, however, this seemingly non-descript ‘Everyman’ secretly opposes the totalitarian system and keeps a hidden diary in which he scribbles his feelings. Yes, Winston must hide his diary for displaying emotions is also forbidden: Big Brother (who can only be seen via a screen) and the ‘Thought Police’ are monitoring everything. Pretending to be a pillar of totalitarian society, Winston constantly harbours rebellious thoughts but feels isolated in his predicament.

The situation changes unexpectedly when fellow party member Julia (Yvone Mitchell)
one day slips him a note with the words "I love you" while lunching in the canteen. After a hesitant start (until now Winston had assumed Julia works as a spy) the two strike up a secret romance despite the danger of being tracked down by the 'Thought Police' – yes, feelings and emotions are also forbidden in this controlling society. The rule for party members states that sex is strictly for procreation and not for pleasure. In order to continue with their love, both Winston and Julia enjoy secret rendezvous’ in the nearby countryside before renting a room above Mr. Charrington’s (Leonard Sachs) ramshackle antiques shop – a secret hideout of course. Their happiness is short-lived however when Winston makes a fatal mistake in seeing an ally in the strange O’Brien (André Morell) – an Inner Party official who seems part of an underground resistance movement called the ‘Brotherhood’ formed by Big Brother’s political rival (and thus ‘traitor’) Emmanuel Goldstein (Arnold Diamond). The fact that author George Orwell decided to make the character of Emmanuel Goldstein a Jewish one seeing how the Jews were persecuted by Hitler’s totalitarian Nazi-regime during WW2 was a smart move. Unfortunately for Winston, his earlier suspicions that Julia might be a spy couldn’t have been further from the truth for it is O'Brien who actually works for the State as does antique shop owner Mr. Charrington! When Julia and Winston are arrested it is primarily the latter who is subjected to months of torture and brainwashing by O'Brien in the notorious Room 101 in which Winston finds himself subjected to a brutal 're-education' programme (learning, understanding and accepting). In addition, a more personal hell awaits every rebellious person in said room because individual phobias are part of this re-education program and in Winston's case it's… rats!

When the BBC broadcast NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR shortly before Christmas 1954 it caused an almighty uproar as many viewers considered the whole thing too disturbing and too shocking, especially given that fact that it was Christmas season during which British viewers were perhaps more accustomed to seasonal fare such as the 1952 film ‘The Holly and The Ivy’ or ‘Scrooge’ (1951) starring Alastair Sim! The tabloids had a field day too, however, when the TV-play was repeated the following week the general response was somewhat more positive. With it’s slogans ‘War Is Peace’ and ‘Freedom Is Slavery’ viewers were in for a truly thoughtprovoking experience while watching ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’. Nigel Kneale was of course ideally suited to adapt the novel for TV, seeing how his Jewish wife had fled Nazi Germany. Austrian Rudolph Cartier skilfully steered Cushing, Morell and Mitchell through a paranoid and claustrophobic abyss which brought out the best and most intense performances from all three leads.

Bonus material includes audio commentary, the 20-minute BBC archive clip ‘Late Night Line-Up’ from 1965 in which actors recall the controversy the film caused, ‘The Ministry of Truth’ - a conversation between BFI's Dick Fiddy and TV historian Oliver Wake, a portrait of Nigel Kneale, photo archives, original screenplay in PDF format and an illustrated booklet (exclusive to the first pressing only).