Rudolph Cartiers Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954), adapted by Nigel Kneale from George Orwells novel, is a stark and chilling vision of totalitarian control. Peter Cushing delivers a haunting performance as Winston Smith in this British television landmark, a Political Drama and Dystopian Thriller whose impact was so powerful it shocked 1950s audiences and defined televised science fiction for decades.

George Orwells enduring dystopian masterpiece is brought vividly to life in this celebrated BBC production.

Adapted by Nigel Kneale (The Quatermass Experiment), Nineteen Eighty-Four broke new ground for television drama when first broadcast in 1954. Featuring a stunning central performance from Peter Cushing as the doomed Winston Smith, this highly influential small screen landmark has been newly restored by the BFI using original film materials from the BBC archive

One of the most requested BBC productions its presented here for the very first time on Blu-ray and DVD and released to coincide with Kneales centenary. Experience Orwells haunting vision of a world dictated by tyranny and propaganda; Big Brother is watching.

Från IMDB:
In a society that has eliminated many imbalances, surplus goods, and even class struggle, there are bound to be deviates; Winston Smith is one of those. He starts, due to his inability to doublethink, with thoughtcrime. This is in a society that believes the thought is as real as the deed. Eventually, he graduates through a series of misdemeanors to illicit sex and even plans to overthrow the very government that took him in as an orphan.

Extras

Presented in High Definition and Standard Definition

Newly recorded audio commentary on Nineteen Eighty-Four by television historian Jon Dear, host of Nigel Kneale podcast Bergcast with Toby Hadoke and Andy Murray

Nigel Kneale: Into the Unknown (2022, 72 mins): writer