July 2023 Recommended Reading and Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

July brings the heat of summer, but with wildfires up in Canada severely affecting the air quality, that may not be such a good thing this year, so many of you will probably be spending a lot of time indoors. What I have may not be the most inspiring material (I'm not intentionally insinuating anything), but I think it's still worth checking out.

Reading: 1984 (1949) by George Orwell

Orwell's final novel is one of the 20th century's most recognizable works of fiction, codifying both the term "Orwellian" for dystopias and the language of Newspeak for popular culture. Set in an alternate 1984 in which the world is dominated by massive dictatorships, the story is set in a severely run-down England - rechristened Airstrip One - where a government worker named Winston Smith is led to question the ruling Party and enter into a forbidden relationship with a like-minded associate, unaware of the extent to which the Party can go to enforce conformity. A masterpiece of satire, science fiction, and politics, the book has become a rallying cry for calling out government overreach around the world, although Orwell's personal politics may have been misunderstood (he was a democratic socialist).

Mass Market: https://www.amazon.com/1984-Signet-Classics-George-Orwell/dp/0451524934/
Trade 1: https://www.amazon.com/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0452262933/
Trade 2: https://www.amazon.com/1984-George-Orwell/dp/0452284236/
Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/1984-George-Orwell/dp/1328869334/
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/1984-George-Orwell-ebook/dp/B003JTHWKU/



Viewing: 1984 (Michael Radford, 1984)

Released to coincide with the year of the book's setting, this big budget feature film is quite faithful to Orwell's novel, portraying the misery and grunginess of Airstrip One as well as the casual insanity of the Party, without compromising the ending for Hollywood cheer. John Hurt is the everyman Winston Smith, and screen legend Richard Burton makes his final film appearance as the Inner Party member O'Brien. There's a sexual element that may make some viewers uncomfortable (it's definitely an adult movie), but it's an altogether great film that should probably get more attention than it has.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/1984-Criterion-Collection-Richard-Burton/dp/B07QLNX236/
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Criterion-Collection-Blu-ray-Richard-Burton/dp/B07QLNVTMV/
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/1984-John-Hurt/dp/B00993I6D2/


I'm glad to get this on time for once. Stay safe out there - don't spend any more time outdoors than you have to!