Despite the director's careful attempt to visually re-enact some of Orwell's descriptions as faithfully as possible, the overall result lacks the complexity, as well as the directness that made the book such a compelling, guttural and chilling work. First, there is no real sense of the omnipresent eye of Big Brother. In the novel the surveillance system is so terrifying and suffocating that the characters are for most of the time tense and never really shake it off (and we along with them). Second, the subtle concept of doublethink, which is at the core of the Party's ideology is completely absent. It is doublethink that distinguishes Orwell's futuristic regime from a 1930s-style totalitarian system. Director Michael Radford's cinematic Oceania seems to belong to the latter category. Thirdly, the bright synth sounds of the Eurythmics are utterly incongruous to the story's mood (perhaps they are more fitting for a film like Chariots of Fire). Additionally, there is an aura of mystery in the film which is very un-Orwellian, caused by the fact that not many concepts and themes shown make sense if you haven't actually read the book (like the concept of newspeak or the significance of the glass paperweight with the coral). If you have read the book, then there is absolutely no point in watching this film. It is much better to trust the director in your head. If you insist in seeing how cinema can capture the spirit of 1984 - that brutal but simultaneously insidious and subtle tyranny - watch masterpieces like Fahrenheit 451 (1966), THX-1138 (1971) and Clockwork Orange (1971).
