If I had to pick my favorite novel of all time, it would probably be “1984“. I, like most people, picked up George Orwell‘s tale of a totalitarian government in high school, and I was hooked from the famous opening line:
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.
If that does not get you hooked, I don’t know what can. Orwell’s view on a state of constant surveillance is so specific that the two previous film adaptations, Michael Anderson‘s in 1956 and Michael Radford‘s in 1984 (starring John Hurt), have struggled to fully capture it. They are not terrible movies, by any means, but they are working with such a dense, patient source material I think is very difficult to translate.
[amz asin=”0451524934″ size=”small”]Well, Big Brother is going to get another chance to scare people on the big screen. Deadline is reporting Paul Greengrass, who just signed on for another Bourne movie with Matt Damon, will take his stab at this masterpiece.
I wish Greengrass the best of luck with this. His frenetic style is not one I would equate with Orwell’s much slower sensibility, but it could make for an interesting juxtaposition. I am generally a fan of Greengrass’ films, so I hope he can do the material justice.
I will leave you with a powerfully depressing (but beautifully written) excerpt from the book.
Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love, or friendship, or joy of living, or laughter, or curiosity, or courage, or integrity. You will be hollow. We shall squeeze you empty and then we shall fill you with ourselves.
Original report from Deadline.
