Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954)

Starring Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Yvonne Mitchell, Donald Pleasence, Arnold Diamond
Directed by Rudolph Cartier
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In a rebuilt society after an atomic war, a government worker risks his future by embarking on a forbidden affair with a lovely associate and seeking to join a rebellion against their leaders.

A powerful adaptation of George Orwell's landmark novel, this telefilm boasts a faithful script from writer Nigel Kneale, and excellent performances from all of its cast, including a showcased role for Peter Cushing that likely started him down a path to stardom.  Orwell's source material remains timely to this day, and despite the limitations of adapting it in the 1950s, the production still has the power to impress and horrify.  As Winston Smith, Orwell's beleaguered hero, who despises the controlling government of "The Party," and its ever present figurehead, "Big Brother," Cushing has our sympathy right from the start as a quiet unassuming type hungry for companionship.  When he attains that with Mitchell, who is also very good in projecting a wonderful vivaciousness, we feel his joy as we would ourselves.  When walls begin to close in around him, and Morell takes center stage in another compelling performance, the degradation Smith goes through and Cushing's reactions to it are quite literally heartbreaking.  With many long speeches, the film does drag a bit, and I couldn't help wishing that there were more of a score, rather than just snippets of music from John Hotchkiss as transitions between scenes.  Regardless, the picture is a masterwork in my opinion, and worthy of preserving for future generations.