First Big Brother was watching us. Now we're all watching 'Big Brother'. Inspired by George Orwell's classic novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', here's our selection of the best films about state surveillance and reality TV, from The Lives Of Others and The Matrix to The Year Of The Sex Olympics
Big Brother Movies Pictures
1984: Big Brother is watching
1984
Alongside Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' (scheduled to be filmed in 2011 by Ridley Scott), George Orwell's 1948 novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is the principle satire of the twentieth century. In this powerfully bleak adaptation, a whippet-like John Hurt stars as unwitting enemy of the state Winston Smith, who is eventually crushed by sinister official O'Brien (Richard Burton in his final film role). It's easy to forget now just how much of this story has been assimilated into our language: Newspeak, Doublethink, Room 101. Director
Michael Radford's adaptation recreates the chilly, grey, nightmarishly oppressive tone of the book, and the crumpled John Hurt never looked more vulnerable. Even with the outmoded design, it's a compellingly grim vision of the future. Shame about the dated-the-day-it-was-recorded Eurythmics soundtrack, mind.
