1984 Certificate: 
- Duration:
- 95 mins
- Year produced:
- 1985
- Director:
- Michael Radford
- Cast:
- John Hurt
- Richard Burton
- Cyril Cusack
Few stories have taken hold of our imaginations so much as writer George Orwell’s legendary novel, 1984 – a chilling tale of a futuristic Britain in the grip of a regime known as “Big Brother” that keeps the population in place with a mixture of constant propaganda and, when they decide it’s necessary, torture and violence. This excellent movie version came out in the year the novel was set, but although on the face of it the story it tells might now be in the past, it in fact remains every bit as relevant now as it did then - as a warning of is always just around the corner if we are not vigilant ourselves. Star John Hurt gives a brilliant performance as Winston Smith, the mild-mannered clerk from the “Ministry of Truth” who rebels against the state.
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Fascinating facts
Film's Executive Producer secured the film rights to the famous George Orwell novel from Orwell's widow, Sonia Brownell, shortly before she died in 1980. It took a lot of persuading before Mrs. Orwell eventually agreed to allow him to produce the film only under the stipulation that no futuristic sci-fi special effects be used to tell the story.
The location of “Victory Square” in 1984 is actually Alexandra Palace in North London - it had been gutted in a fire several years earlier, and without a roof gave the appearance of an open-air arena.