Luis Velez Blog 2

The main aspects a movie needs in order to be attractive includes the setting, characters tone and the use of sound effects, since a movie lacking these details is doomed and has no opportunity to succeed. For many people it is more interesting to see old movies, in this case the review is on the 1984 adaptation produced by Festival Films in 1953. This particular movie was the first movie ever made about the 1984 novel. We also go over songs that are inspired on the 1984 novel.

            This adaptation does a good job demonstrating the every day life of Winston and other party members. Probably as anyone reads the novel, they imagine how the scene would look like in the real world, but it is not until you see this adaptation that one can really understand the entire situation of the plot. This movie was produced around 65 years ago, so the graphics are not the best. The visual graphics of the movie are black and white with a very low level of clearness. Even though the visual images are not the best if they are compared to what movies look like today, they did tremendous job presenting every aspect necessary. The characters are portrayed very unique from one another, and that helps the viewer appreciate each of them as individuals. Their personality is defined in the same way along the movie.

            The movie seems as if it was a tremendous movie, when it first came out, but today, it seems as a very low budget adaptation, since the graphics are very gray and not even many shadows are seen. One of the most fundamental aspects that enhance the movie is the usage of music and sound effects in specific moments or scenes. The use of sound effects really helps understanding the mood in different scenes. The scene were Winston and Julia kiss in the secret room, contains some suspense, and overall tension that could never be understood if it was not portrayed with some music and the sound effects it has.

            The tone in the characters voice is unique to each of them, which clearly depicts traits that are particular to some of them. The use of different tones maintains the readers attention without getting lost. It is a key aspect in developing every scene were each character plays a particular role. The tones main influence in this movie is determining what is the mood in each scene. As you see the movie you can tell and almost feel as if you are living the monotony of the life inside the party. The daily life inside the party is clearly showed, with a depressing, sense of inferiority and oppression. This adaptation is definitely loyal to the novel. This movie is the perfect construction of an adaptation, since it includes every main detail that is though or discussed in the novel.

            The theme of oppression and brain washing are extremely present in the adaptation. It is experienced in different scenes. You can see how the party members are so respectful and obedient to the higher members. Winston for example at one point shows his amusement towards Julia’s action of contra banding a little chocolate. Winston is shocked because he rapidly starts thinking about the consequences that it could have and the norms that are being broken. One of the aspects that the movie best portrays is the repetitiveness of Winston’s life and how controlled it was by the party. At every moment they are following rules and making decisions that are opposite to what their instinct tells them. The movie itself serves as a perfect example of what life under a totalitarian and oppressive government is. What really sets apart this adaptation is the link between a characters tone, music directed to him and the portraying of different scenes. It really shows that the visual has not to be perfect for the movie to be prosperous, instead much simpler details are what really enhance the movie. Winston and every party member is presented with the same clothe, and this detail demonstrates the boredom and unattractive restricted life that the party was promoting. It is an absolute sense of monotony.

            There are also many songs that make reference to 1984 directly and indirectly. These songs, such as Rage Against the Machine, Eurythmics, Subhumans and others are mostly arguing about different situations were citizens have been abused by a higher lever organization. Not only social, but most likely political issues were rebellions and organized propaganda has been done in order to provoke something else. All the songs portray a situation were the power organization takes a decision over the poor regular citizens and give them no option rather than just following instructions. In the song Eurythmics, the norm changes, since this song is just the repetition of a single phrase of the book in different tones and rhythms in order to just make reference to the novel and its theme. These songs are a very good resource to understanding the novel. The songs use direct quotes from the novel such as “ignorance is strength” to increase the validity of the message the are sending. They are a contrast with the line of thought of the novel and other irony aspects surrounding it. The songs are a very different way of portraying a novel, but they certainly can contain what is necessary to offer comparisons and other perspectives of it. Songs mainly demonstrate a broader sense of straight forward rebellion and frustrations of citizens that in this case allude to Winston and other Party members. There is no doubt that adaptations are a very good source for anyone to understand any novel better. At the same time, songs are useful to help transmit a message of specific theme, but in a totally different way than an adaptation although they both work well.