Big Brother, Big Sister, and an Ant Farm

Jason Pyles Movie Critic

O Masterpiece
O Excellent
O Rental
X OK
O Mediocrity
O Avoid

Watching a scorpion battle fire ants is far more entertaining than any Godzilla-versus-Mothra scuffle. I learned this odd tidbit by accident while living in Arizona. Once I captured a scorpion for a pet and confined it within a box that had an artificial desert habitat.

Assuming I knew what was best for my contained pet, I collected six red fire ants for the scorpion's food and unleashed them into its box. Within minutes, the fire ants' venomous bites overcame my scorpion, but only after it ripped two ants in half with its pinchers and stung two others to death.

It turns out I did not know what was best for my scorpion. Indeed, my interference and controlled environment were ultimately the arachnid's demise. This story illustrates how there is something detrimental about the loss of one's autonomy, a truth that author George Orwell attempted to convey.

After World War II, Orwell published an infamous novel titled 1984, which has been adapted to film at least twice. This ever-relevant cautionary tale portrays a stark picture of a bleak nation called "Oceania," which is hopelessly subject to totalitarianism (or, a form of government where rival parties are prohibited and each individual must be subservient to its reign).

Notably, the most recent motion picture adaptation of 1984 was filmed at the same time and place Orwell initially envisioned in his novel: London, England, from April to June 1984. In this version, John Hurt plays Winston Smith, a disenchanted proletarian whose job it is to "fix" history by rewriting newspaper articles and eliminating individuals' photographs to reflect the history that "The Party" wishes Oceania's downtrodden citizens to remember.

The Party is led by Big Brother (Bob Flag); the man's whose all-seeing eyes continually gaze upon the proletariat, with the assistance of his Inner Party goons' constant, intrusive surveillance. Indeed, "Big Brother is always watching."

But amid his misery, Smith encounters Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), a free-spirited rebel who seeks to have him enjoy the hard-to-find or forbidden fruits banned from Big Brother's perfect society: sugar, white bread, jam, milk, coffee and sex. 1984 follows Smith's dangerous, secret rebellion with his newfound lover.

Overall, this film version of 1984 is merely OK, though it does feature an unforgettable scene involving two rats. Its sets are reminiscent of Soylent Green (1973), another thriller where the establishment fiercely protects unsavory secrets. And for younger movie fans, V for Vendetta (2005), which also cast John Hurt, owes much to 1984, even down to the big red "V," which is not for "vendetta" but for "victory."

1984 ranks amid a significant list of books and movies that warn against strict overseers who oppress in the name of protection. M. Night Shyamalan's The Village (2004) shows us a community of people whose innocence is lost by an obsessive attempt to protect it. And Peter Weir's The Mosquito Coast (1986), starring Harrison Ford, gives us a father whose coercion repeatedly endangers the lives of his family members.

And now, here we are, 24 years after this film was made (59 years after 1984 was published), and it still behooves us to heed Orwell's warning signs. Significantly, this film keeps mentioning "bugs," supposedly referring to actual insects. But if we're careful-thinking proletarians, these references might alert us to our own bugs, such as governmental wiretapping and “warrant-less” surveillance, all in the name of protection, or a better world.

There has been much ado and controversy surrounding the infringement of U.S. citizens' privacy rights. Some say laws have already been broken; others disagree, citing the Fourth Amendment. None of us wants to be that trapped scorpion, under the watchful eye of someone who may or may not know what's best for our well-being. And at the same time, we don't want invading red fire ants to sneak-attack us in our natural habitats.

With the upcoming presidential election, it seems imperative that we try to discern the true balance between our candidates' plans for our protection and plans for our privacy. After all, we don't want a Big Brother or a Big Sister...or an ant farm.

Directed by Michael Radford
John Hurt / Richard Burton / Suzanna Hamilton
Drama | 113 min.
MPAA: R

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