Reviews

It's easy to understand why so many viewers hated this movie. It goes against everything the media and entertainment industries (The same thing?) have put forth regarding the Vietnam War since the 1960s. ...Vietnam was a bad war, America was wrong, etc., while the North Vietnamese and VC were just peace/freedom loving folk...

What was so wrong about trying to stem the tide of communism, or to prevent south Vietnam from falling to the communist north? "The Green Berets" made the case that it was a noble goal, and brave Americans worked hard to achieve it.

This is not the best war movie, or even the best Vietnam war movie out there. Mel Gibson's "We Were Soldiers" is far superior in that it is less overtly political, much more realistic, and still shows a positive view of the American effort in southeast Asia. Check it out.

The Green Berets: 5.5 of 10

The 20th anniversary of this film has put it into rotation on some cable networks, so a fresh and different review seems in order.

I'm having trouble understanding where some of the other reviewers on this site are coming from. Some seem to be complaining that the film didn't entertain them properly, while others slam the book on which the film was based. Incredibly, others contort their thoughts to find parallels between the fictional world of 1984 and real life 2004, particularly real life US society. This must be an important work of art, otherwise it would be ignored. So, having said that, here's my review:

1984 is not a work of 'Science Fiction.' It is political/psychological fiction. We are introduced to a world some 20 years into a socialist revolution. (The book places the revolution at about 1965.) The landscape and scenery is almost shockingly bleak, but evidence of a great, productive society once existing there is visible. Somehow I was able to perceive that I was looking at a future London, England. (The book clues you in on the location. The English accents also help! It's hard to explain this perception, but anyone who's been to England surely must feel it.) After many years of war, society has been reduced to a subsistence level. Everything is in short supply, but constant news updates proclaim great improvements in the quality of life. All of Oceania lives under the constant threat of defeat in a war with its sworn enemy 'Eurasia.'

Propaganda is constant and relentless. A news blurb informs the public that a victory in some battle has brought the war against 'Eurasia' close to an end. The same message is repeated at the end of the film, but the enemy has changed to 'Eastasia.' The most important theme of the book and film lies here. It doesn't matter who Oceania is at war with, or whether or not the war is even real. The population must believe the war is real, thus their suffering is necessary for victory to be realized. Thus, the elite 'Inner Party' can exert power over the populace and remain in control. The main character asked the key question when he said 'I understand the 'How' but I don't understand the 'Why.' It's all about power and control….

The main character is complicit in this vast fraud in a small way, and grows disillusioned. He is compelled to have a forbidden affair with a young woman, and to join a rebellion against his world. You can feel the tension develop as he continues to have hope for the future. The viewer knows he will be caught, and eventually, he is. The final act of the film details how he is brought back into line with the party. His mind is destroyed and rebuilt, so he will believe anything the party tells him.

Like Big Brother, the Soviet Union used propaganda and force to maintain control. Look at any of the current documentaries of North Korea and you hear a constant voice over loudspeakers. How much do you want to bet those announcements are of how much grain was produced, or how the standard of living has risen? Meanwhile everybody is starving. 1984 was and is a powerful and accurate portrayal of the ultimate socialist society. As we look back from 2004, the parallels with the Soviet Union, Red China and North Korea are plentiful.

How some reviewers on this site see Big Brother in modern American society I'll never know. The term 'Big Brother' must be one of the most mis-used themes in literary history. Using video cameras to monitor high crime areas is not big brother…nor is protecting freedom by aggressively pursuing those who seek to do it harm. What is 'Big Brother-esq' is presenting loose theories as fact, like in the film 'JFK' , or using movies to change public perception about a past war, like has been done over and over again with the Vietnam war. Remember, Big Brother is a socialist, just like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Kim Il Jong, Pol Pot…………..

Finally, regarding 1984 as a 'Movie.' Well, don't watch it to get revved up for a Saturday night out. It's meant to be an intellectual challenge, not a simplistic action adventure or sappy romantic drama. It does what any truly great movie does… it transports the viewer into another reality, and leaves him/her wanting more answers. 1984 is masterful in its ability to provoke thought, and in providing the viewer a chance to see what such a world would be like without having to experience it first hand.

I say 10 out of 10. It's not my favorite movie of all time, but surely is on the list. I'm confident this review will be roundly bashed by any further reviewers, but hopefully some will appreciate this point of view.