“1984” by George Orwell and its fi lm adaptation: artistic statements in times of war

Abstract

Among the forms of artistic representation, cinema seems to base itself on three distinct
models: theatre, for its acting; painting, for the importance of the images; and literature, as a main
source used in its creations. The aim of this article is to compare the dystopian novel 1984 (2005),
written by the English novelist George Orwell and its homonymous fi lm adaptation, produced in
1984. It will demonstrated how the warfare fears that surrounded both productions – in the case of
the literary work, the post-World War II terror; and in the case of the fi lm, the danger of the Cold
War – contributed in the creation process and acceptance of such works. Furthermore, the article
discusses how the movie deals with dream/delusion as a way of escaping from reality, in a different
way from the literary work, and what the effects produced with such modifi cation are, for the fi lm
as well as for the viewing audience.
Keywords: 1984; George Orwell; Cinema; Compared literature; Artistic representations.