Sunday, November 25, 2007

1984

I recently read '1984' (by George Orwell) for the second time and it's just as fantastic as ten years ago when I first read it!
How nerve-wrecking and horrible is the story of Winston and Julia!!

But I was very surprised to see the screen-adaptation that was made of it in 1984! On Youtube you can see the movie, directed by Michael Radford. Some commentators there claim the movie equals the novel in it's suspense, drama, and say the acting is superb..!?
I on the other hand dreaded the movie, because its impact on me could not equal that of the novel at all! It felt more as if the movie was an incredible waste of time.

The book is testimony of Orwell's superior skill in portraying human emotions, and even more so, in creating an excruciating atmosphere of confoudment in the characters thoughts. As readers we can FEEL what Winston feels and understand the horror of Big Brother; it is as if we were there in Oceania with him.
The filmmakers answer this by casting lame actors lacking any character! Seeing the movie, instead of identifying with Winston, I find I develop a repulsive feeling for the actors.

How would Orson Welles do as a director for '1984'?

1 comment:

david said...

Hey Abraham!

Eens in de zoveel tijd kom ik langs voor een update van je werk en 't blijft leuk! Mooi om lijnen in je werk te ontdekken :) Ik houd van je werk.

1984 -> geniaal boek idd. de film laat ik aan mij voorbijgaan (als je stardust ook erg goed vond zal ik wellicht hetzelfde over deze film gaan denken). orson welles is de regisseur bij uitstek van dit boek, al was het alleen maar omdat de overeenkomsten in namen een zeker noodlotdenken inspireren..

Go well, groeten, david