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From: anton@ucbvax.ARPA (Jeff Anton)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: _1984_  (spoiler)
Message-ID: <8224@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 16-Jun-85 14:59:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8224
Posted: Sun Jun 16 14:59:04 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 17-Jun-85 04:43:15 EDT
References: <2107@ut-sally.UUCP>
Reply-To: anton@ucbvax.UUCP (Jeff Anton)
Distribution: net
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 56

In article <2107@ut-sally.UUCP> kelvin@ut-sally.UUCP (Kelvin Thompson) writes:
>
>                               _1984_
>
>                          by Kelvin Thompson
>
> _1984_ is a bad, utterly depressing, anti-humanist movie.  The producer
> of the movie has claimed that at its heart the movie is a love story, but
> in truth it is a relentless attack on the nobility of the human
> condition.
....
> relationship is that they live in a futuristic, totalitarian society
> which forbids love.  (It is unfathomable why the movie is entitled
> _1984_, when it is so obviously set in the future.)

This reviewer seems to have never heard of George Orwell or his
*time-less* story of love destroyed by a totalitarian goverenment.
I would still tend to agree with the producer that *at its heart* it's
a love story.  Love stories often end in a not-very-happy way
because love is damaged by events.  1984 presents a case where love
is outlawed and enforced by highly skilled secret police and propeganda.
The flavor is not saddness toward the couple but anger at the system,
a very different love story.

As to the title, the book was written in 1948 and assumed a nuclear
war occered in the 1960's.  As a title, 1984 becomes frightening because
the time span is short (from when the book was released) and if one
believed that such things could happen then one would be scared of
the future for oneself or one's children.  My current feelings are
that although we are past the year 1984, we are not past the possibility
of such a world.  And also, perhaps, that we have now reached the point
where a nuclear war is not at all survivable; meanning the world
Mr. Orwell presents can not happen because the war that would create
that world would be too complete with it's destruction.  Or perhaps this
concept certain individuals have about a limited nuclear war will
build the 1984 scenario.

But at the moment I'm more concerned that Mr. Thompson's education
never mentioned Mr. Orwell.  For me, I have read 1984 as an assignment
three times: once in 8th grade, 11th grade, and in Freshman
composition.  I have a difficult time believing that a person could
reach grad school and not have heard about this book.

But since this is net.movies I must say that I think the movie is close
to what Mr. Orwell may have wanted us to visualize.  Maybe the problem
with the movie is that it's too harsh.  As a book we can put it away
for a day or not try to visualize what it happening.  As a movie
we have to face it and follow it.  If you go to the movies to escape
from your day to day life, don't see this film.  You will want to
stick with your own reasonably happy life.
-- 
C knows no bounds.
					Jeff Anton
					U.C.Berkeley
					ucbvax!anton
					anton@berkeley.ARPA