Review: “1984” by George Orwell – Michael Radford (John Hurt) – Michael Anderson (Edmond O’Brien)

PODCAST:

Listen to the podcast here (click to play/right click and select “save target as” to download):

S2E11 – 1984*

 

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

Ryan: 5 Stars “…Ages like a fine wine with a dark, full-bodied harbinger of doom, increasing with relevance as each year goes by…”

Wilk: 5 Stars “…A great book that paranoid losers think is a gospel…”

Rick: 5 Stars “…The modern revelation turned reality...”

John Doyle a/k/a Dole (Special Guest): 5 Stars “…Big brother is still watching us to this day and his real name is Mark Zuckerberg, Goldstein is alive and well as well and his name is Julian Assange…”

(Click the links to read full written reviews on Goodreads.com – Dole’s link goes to his band’s webpage)

 

SUBJECT MATTER:

Book: “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell

“Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions—a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.” (from Amazon.com)

 

 

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Film: “1984” by Michael Radford (John Hurt)

“The classic George Orwell story set in a world where absolute conformity in action, word and thought including loyalty to Big Brother is demanded.” (from Amazon.com)

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Film: “1984” by Michael Anderson (Edmond O’Brien)

“George Orwell’s landmark novel is the basis of this eerie, darkly satiric tale whose futuristic world is divided into three sections following an atomic war. London, capital of the Oceania sector, is where Edmond O’Brien is a clerk for “Big Brother,” the totalitarian government that keeps a close watch with all of its subjects. When O’Brien carries on a forbidden love affair with Jan Sterling, officials try to brainwash the couple into abandoning their free will. With Donald Pleasence, Michael Redgrave; directed by Michael Anderson (“Around the World in 80 Days”)” (from Amazon.com)

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Play: “1984” by Hallie Gordon (Mathew Abraham)

“Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth located in the nation of Oceania, part of a vast empire in a constant, shifting war against other superstates. Dissent is not tolerated (not even in thought), and Winston and his fellow citizens are under perpetual electronic surveillance by their ever-watchful ruler Big Brother. When Winston falls in love with a co-worker, their illegal affair pushes them to rebel and face the darkest and most dangerous corners of the regime. On the heels of last year’s gripping Animal Farm, Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece in a multi-media production that is a haunting, shockingly timely look at a future that seems disturbingly present. ” (from Steppenwolf.org)

Ryan, Rick & Dole at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater for the play. (Photo: Erika Doyle)

 

SHOW NOTES:

1984. Kirk Gibson brings home the World Series title to the Detroit Tigers. Mancow Muller wasn’t bothering anyone. And life was alright. Alright until you read “1984”.

We read the book and suffered though the movie.  We all liked the book. I made the point it was fiction and well written but not an accurate predictor of 1984. Good discussions all around and one of our better episodes.

Do yourself a favor. Listen.  Write a review. And clean yourself up because there is no deodorant in outer space!!!!

-Wilk

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

The beginning of the show starts with a short song composed and performed by Dole called “War is Peace”. This piece was inspired by 1984 and comprises lyrics from the book. We want to thank Vickie Dillon from A.M. Heath Literary Agency for working with Dole to secure permission to utilize the lyrics and allow us to incorporate the song into the podcast.

CREDITS FOR “WAR IS PEACE”: Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (Copyright © George Orwell, 1948). Reproduced by permission of Bill Hamilton as the Literary Executor of the Estate of the Late Sonia Bownell Orwell. Music, melody and sound recording by John Doyle (Copyright © John Doyle, 2015). Reproduced by permission of John Doyle.

 

 

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.