THX-1138
THX-1138 was assigned without choice to be a
magnum manipulator. He works alongside hundreds of people building policeman. THX-1138
was born and raised for this job like an animals breed for consumption. As
THX-1138 is working he hears a voice announce an accident “destroyed 63 person,
giving them a total of 242 lost to our 195,” Although an explosion just killed
over 200 people no one seems to be affected.
THX 1138 goes to an Omni
chapel to receive religious guidance from an automated voice with a picture
resembling Jesus. "My time is yours
go ahead" Ohm is really a tape recording which shows us that even their
god has no humanity. The face on the wall is always the same, emotionless and inhuman. My only guess is that you must be on drugs to talk to a picture on the
wall with a recorded robot voice. This kind of confession without a real person
is contrasting to a real religion that actually has a real person to talk to.
When THX goes home he
watches holographic television. He flips through the channels while sitting in
a chair, one of the few events that the viewer can relate to. He also watches a
police man rhythmically beating a man as entertainment. This shows us that he
has no emotion or sympathy for other people. He watches a hologram speaking
random complex words without context and pornography as well.
THX visits the chapel
again and tells the voice that he doesn’t know what’s happening to him. The
voice just repeats what it always says as a generic response to everything,
“let us be thankful that we have commerce, buy more, buy more now, buy, and be
happy.” This is another indicator of how this society is controlled. The religious
figures are telling people to buy more like a major company would. This is what
makes this society even worse in the fact that their own religious icons are
nothing but a tape recording with useless advice. A normal person who is not
forced to take sedatives would know something is wrong with this situation.
THX passes out in front LUH and she reveals
that she only wanted him to care for her to love to love her.
In the shot above Lucas
uses a close up to capture the emotion of THX and LUH. It is forbidden to have
sexual contact at any time. People are only allowed to live together as
roommates in this dystopian world.
1984
The opening shots of
1984 are of the people of Oceania watching a propaganda film about who their
enemy is and who they should be aligned with. Images of war are collage
together to produce freighting images of death and destruction. During the film
the people of Oceania rise out of their seats to yell and scream at their enemies.
They also stand in awe of their Big Brother leader.
In the movie 1984
Winston lives in a country called Oceania. In this country all individuals are
stripped of their rights. In the year of 2050 society should be prosperous and
thriving but not in Oceania. The people of Oceania live in conditions similar
to prison. Everyone is being monitored by Big Brother and the Thought Police.
Everyone seems to be brainwashed into loving Big Brother and everything Big
Brother tells you to do.
Among everyone in
Oceania Winston and Julia choose to love each other even though it is
forbidden. They refuse to let the government decide what they should eat and
who they should love. Winston and Julia
begin a secret affair afraid that Big Brother will find out. They are caught by
the thought police who arrest thought criminals for being individuals and
disobeying the laws of Big Brother including having sex.
Winston and Julia are
captured by the thought police and taken to the Ministry of Love. This is where
they are tortured by electric shock and questioned to measure their sanity.
Winston is asked what two plus two is and he answers four. They shock him
because they tell him it is wrong. Two plus two does not equal four it equals
whatever they say it does.
Winston is taken to
room 101 where his greatest fear comes to life. He is strapped to a chair and
has a cage of starving rats placed on his head. The rats are fighting each
other and are quite vicious. Only a thin sliding door is separating the rats
from Winston's face. Winston finally demonstrates that he is sane without
knowing. Winston screams not to do it to him but to Julia. This scene is lit
very dramatically with heavy shadows. The room is dark and not very welcoming,
a perfect place for inducing fear into the people of Oceania. In room 101 your
greatest fear comes true and in this case Winston’s greatest fear is rats. He
remembers when he was young and he came home expecting to see his family but
all was left was rats and he never seen them again.
In the end Winston
ultimately gives in to “sanity”. He gives up any love for Julia as seen in the
final scenes as they sit in a café shop. He explains that he has committed
thought and sex crimes. Julia leaves like they are no longer romantically
involved. The effects of torture and room 101 have left Winston obedient and
complacent. Winston gives up his right to be an individual because in Oceania
there is no such thing as individuality.
Science, Politics, and Utopia in
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four
“the belief that
science and rule by scientists can provide the solution to all of mankind’s
problems.” Tony Burns
Scientists are always
looking to solve humanities problems with science and technology. Tony describes
this belief as “naive or overoptimistic” in which some cases is true. Science
in THX 1138 is used to control and imprison people with surveillance and police
robots. In 1984 technology is used to spy on everyone and make sure they are
not committing thought crimes. In today’s world technology is also monitoring
and compiling information on millions of people through social networking and
search engines like Google and Internet Explorer. Science has benefits but it will
always be used to keep order and obedience.
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