Semiotics:
- Use of light and dark during scenes to illustrate Winston’s struggle for truth in a world of ‘Untruth’. Light is used to emphasise the loveliness of the fields and nature but is also seen to be used deceptively through the constant uncomfortable light in the torture rooms.
- Crossing arms over their heads, a symbol for Oceania, shows their conformity.
- In the announcements the Party use a “cancer” metaphor for Goldstein and the Brotherhood
- Big Brother’s face is present in nearly every scene either on the telescreens or as a poster and intimates the oppressive nature of ‘His’ regime. He is made almost God-like through the repetition of his image.
- Eyes watching are a symbol seen throughout the film. Either they hint at the rebellion of certain characters, connecting them because eyes cannot lie or to highlight the constant surveillance. There is even a POV shot looking out of the telescreen to impress this.
- The monotonous grey and dilapidated buildings have implications of jails/prisons and can be seen as a metaphor for the character’s imprisonment.
- The red ‘V’ for Victory is the symbol of Ingsoc., The Party, and can be seen on posters, flags and gin bottles, constantly presenting a false ideology to the society.
- Glasses, worn by principal characters O’Brien and Winston, are supposed to make you see clearly. This idea presents the debate as to which of these characters sees the truth as they act as foils for one another.
- There is a motif of mortality, introduced and repeated by Winston who signs his first diary entry “from a dead man”. This foreshadowing is used to create tension but could also imply that the characters are not alive, not living, they merely exist in the world (although O’Brien believes that even that is not the case).
- The numerous ‘Newspeak Dictionaries’ should be enhancing communication but actually it is being reducing it because of the Party’s sinister motive of reducing words.
- Acts to dehumanise can be seen and heard presented through announcements, for example control of natural impulses like sex. This then becomes an act of anarchy.
- Julia’s handwritten note and Winston’s diary highlighting their wish to communicate and connect. They are also symbols of rebellion of thought and feeling.
- The coral paperweight, which is an object meant just for beauty alludes to the perception of the beauty of the past (before Big Brother). The coral is suspended, unchanging in glass, potentially a metaphor for Julia and Winston’s fragile state as they try to exist outside of the Party. Nothing about the ‘new’ world is real, but the old object Winston explores is presented through the senses and makes them seem more real to him. This interest in the ‘Old’ world is a form of rebellion and so in some ways the coral is a symbol of this rebellion. Later in the film it is smashed when Julia and Winston are caught.
- There is a Chess board around which Winston sees those who are already beaten by society sitting around it (later he would find himself in that very place. This highlights the unwinnable nature of the game the Party plays and that all the characters are just pawns with no actual control.
Anarchy and rebellion are not overtly seen in ‘1984’ because it is not particularly physical; the battle for freedom is mainly on an emotional and psychological level.
Gang culture and graffiti:
- There is a mob mentality displayed by the masses due to their indoctrinated of hateful ideas leaving them incapable of free thought.
- One moment the crowds are riled into hate – shouting and displaying violent emotions, almost animalistic in their actions and then, the next they are chanting in rapture the word “Big”, praising Big Brother (cultish). These extremes of emotion are dictated by the speeches.
- The unity of the masses is highlighted visually by the timed marching and uniform dress code which further presents the oppression.
- There is not graffiti despite the dilapidated appearance of the city but Big Brother’s posters appear everywhere.
- There is constant radio and screen announcements used to incite hatred (It is even named the ‘2 Minute Hate’. The main aim of these speeches and, indeed, the telescreens are to show propaganda videos and inspire love for Big Brother and patriotism.
Thank you very much!!!, you helped me a lot with my test of the film and novel 1984 :)
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