7:15 pm | (1984) | R | 1 hr 53 min | Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Romance
April 4th is the day George Orwell’s protagonist Winston Smith begins rebelling against his oppressive government by keeping a forbidden diary. The Rosendale Theatre is participating with a nationwide group of independent art houses in the screening of the movie 1984. Over 140 art house movie theatres across the country in 124 cities and in 41 states, plus four locations in Canada are participating. A statement issued by Art House Convergence members, Adam Birnbaum and Dylan Skolnick, of Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, NY said, “Orwell’s novel begins with the sentence “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Orwell’s portrait of a government that manufactures their own facts, demands total obedience, and demonizes foreign enemies, has never been timelier. We hope you will join us in taking a stand for our most basic values: freedom of speech, respect for our fellow human beings, and the simple truth that there is no such thing as “alternative facts.” By doing what we do best, showing a movie, we believe our cinemas can initiate a much needed community conversation at a time when the existence of facts and basic human rights are under attack.”
1984 stars John Hurt as Winston Smith, a drone in a totalitarian state, Oceania, dominated by the supreme figurehead, Big Brother. Attempting to break out, he has an affair with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), a rebellious sensualist, but then has to deal with O’Brien (the great Richard Burton, in his final screen role), a powerful tool of the state.
Nineteen Eighty-Four popularized the adjective Orwellian, which describes official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of recorded history by a totalitarian or authoritarian state. Many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Room 101, telescreen, 2 + 2 = 5, and memory hole, have entered into common use since its publication in 1949.
Orwell’s novel received a spike in sales first in 2013 when National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden invoked George Orwell and warned of the dangers of unchecked government surveillance. Another spike in sales came after the presidential election of Donald Trump in January, 2017.
To read more about the National Screening Day and participating cinemas across the US and Canada click here: unitedstateofcinema.com