Analysing dystopian film - intro.

This lesson we began to analyse a dystopian film clip - the clip being the famous 1984 Apple Macintosh advert.

First we discussed "1984". I told you a bit of background information about the famous novel "1984" written in 1949 by George Orwell (Eric Blair).

The novel is set in the eponymous year and focuses on a repressive regime. The story follows the life of a civil servant called Winston Smith who grows disillusioned with his meagre existence and begins a rebellion against the system that leads to his arrest and torture.

"1984" is one of the most famous novels of the 20th century and you can see it's influence throughout British society:

Big Brother: The (in)famous reality TV show "Big Brother" is based on the concept of the all-seeing dictator know as Big Brother within the novel. Big Brother keeps an eye on the citizens of Oceania through large screens which display his image and which also act as video cameras. These screens are situated throughout Oceania and the citizens are reminded of the constant surveillance through the slogan: "Big Brother is watching you".

Room 101: The late-night talk show hosted by Paul Merton on the BBC in which celebrities try and have the objects that they hate the most confined to room 101 is similarly based on a concept contained within "1984". Room 101 in "1984" is a torture chamber situated in the Ministry of Love in which prisoners are subjected to their worst nightmares - nightmares that the Party knows about by means of their constant surveillance and the thought police.

Thought Police: A saying that has come into popular use within the UK post-9/11. The Thought Police are the secret police of Oceania in "1984". It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals, using psychology and omnipresent surveillance from telescreens to find and eliminate members of society who are capable of the mere thought of challenging ruling authority.

Then we began to look in detail at the Apple advert. Each of you were given an information sheet on the advert, including a scene-by-scene analysis and a set of questions. You viewed the advert and then began to answer the questions.

Apple "1984" Advert