Nineteen Eighty-Four
1984 · 1h 53m · Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Watch it tonight if you want your soul crushed by dystopian perfection—this is one of cinema's most faithful and harrowing adaptations of Orwell's masterpiece, with John Hurt delivering a career-best performance of quiet desperation. It's bleak, brilliant, and absolutely essential viewing, but fair warning: this isn't comfort food, it's a punch to the gut that lingers long after the credits roll.
Plot
Winston Smith 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 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
Cast: John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton, Cyril Cusack, Gregor Fisher