Nineteen Eighty Four in other media

Updated on Jan 09, 2024

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George Orwell's dystopian political novel Nineteen Eighty-Four has been adapted for the cinema twice, and for the radio and television at least twice.

"1984" (1956)

The first feature-length adaptation titled, "1984" was released in 1956, featuring Edmond O'Brien as protagonist Winston Smith, with Donald Pleasence as Mr Parsons, Jan Sterling as Julia, and Michael Redgrave as General O'Connor.

1984 (1984)

The second feature-length adaptation titled, 1984, which was released in 1984, is a reasonably faithful adaptation of the novel, and was critically acclaimed. Many of the film's scenes were shot on the actual dates mentioned in the novel. For example, the scene in which Winston Smith writes the date "April 4, 1984" in his diary was filmed on April 4, 1984. The film's soundtrack was performed by the band Eurythmics, and a single taken from this, "Sexcrime (1984)", was a hit in several countries. The film is notable for containing Richard Burton's last performance.

Me and the Big Guy (1999)

Me and the Big Guy is a 1999 short film that parodies Nineteen Eighty-Four by Matt Nix.

1984 (2017)

In March 2012, it was announced that a consortium of Hollywood production companies including Imagine Entertainment was set to reboot, and make another feature film based on the novel. Reportedly the consortium has secured rights from Orwell's estate. However, no further developments were revealed for some time. In November 2015, Paul Greengrass was attached to direct, with Scott Rudin and Gina Rosenblum producing, and James Graham writing the screenplay. Rudin and Greengrass had also previously worked together on Captain Phillips. Michael De Luca will oversee production of the upcoming 1984 film, for the studio.

CBS's Studio One: 1984 (1953)

The first television version of Nineteen Eighty-Four appeared in CBS's Studio One series in 1953. In it American actor Eddie Albert played Winston Smith and Canadian Lorne Greene played O'Brien.

Sunday Night Play: 1984 (1954)

The second television version was adapted by Nigel Kneale for the BBC as a Sunday Night Play in 1954 starring Peter Cushing as "Smith", André Morell as "O'Brien" and Yvonne Mitchell as "Julia". The same script was remade in 1965 for the BBC 2's Theatre 625 series.

The World of George Orwell: 1984 (1965)

Kneale's 1954 adaptation was produced again by the BBC, with some modifications in 1965. Starring David Buck, Joseph O'Conor, Jane Merrow and Cyril Shaps, it was broadcast in BBC2's Theatre 625 anthology series as part of a season of Orwell adaptations sub-titled The World of George Orwell, on 28 November 1965. Long believed lost, on 12 September 2010 it was announced in various media outlets that a copy had been located at the American Library of Congress, although an approximately seven-minute segment in the middle was unrecoverable from the NTSC video tape recording. It was recovered amongst a horde of over 80 lost British television episodes dating from 1957 to 1970.

NBC: 1984 (1949)

The first radio broadcast of Nineteen Eighty-Four was a one-hour adaptation transmitted by the United States' NBC radio network at 9pm. on August 27, 1949 as number 55 in the series NBC University Theater, which adapted the world's great novels for broadcast; it starred David Niven as Smith.

NBC: 1984 (1953)

Another broadcast on the NBC radio network was made by The Theatre Guild on The Air on Sunday April 26, 1953 for The United States Steel Hour starring Richard Widmark as "Smith" and Marian Seldes as "Julia".

BBC: 1984 (1965)

In the United Kingdom, the BBC Home Service produced a 90-minute version with Patrick Troughton and Sylvia Syms in the lead roles, first broadcast on October 11, 1965.

BBC: 1984 (2005)

In April and May 2005, BBC Radio 2 broadcast a reading of the novel in eight weekly parts.

BBC: 1984 (2013)

As part of the 2013 The Real George Orwell season, BBC Radio 4 will broadcast a two-part adaptation starring Christopher Eccleston as "Smith", Pippa Nixon as "Julia" and Tim Pigott-Smith as "O'Brien" on February 10 and 17.

Theater adaptations

The novel has been adapted for the stage several times, including by playwrights Alan Lyddiard and Michael Gene Sullivan. In 1976, a theater version of "1984" was produced in Teatar &TD, from Zagreb, former Yugoslavia. The performance, which also included CCTV monitoring system, was adapted and directed by Nenad Puhovski. It created some political controversies, but was never banned.

A 2013 adaptation by Robert Icke and Duncan MacMillan for the Headlong theater company, which took the novel's Newspeak appendix as its starting point, has toured the UK extensively, as well as played commercially in the West End; a Broadway version is scheduled to open on 22 June 2017 at the Hudson Theatre.

Operatic adaptation

The opera 1984 was composed by Lorin Maazel and directed by Robert Lepage. The libretto is by Tom Meehan, who worked on The Producers, and JD McClatchy, professor of poetry at Yale University. The opera premiered on May 3, 2005 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Ballet adaptation

In 2015 Leeds-based Northern Ballet commissioned choreographer Jonathan Watkins to create a ballet version of the George Orwell novel. In 2016 the ballet was filmed for television and streaming online by The Space and it was broadcast on BBC Four on 28 February 2016. Music for the production was by Alex Baranowski, sets & costume designs were by Simon Daw, and lighting was by Chris Davey (which was nominated for a Knights of Theatre Award).