Abstract
"Appropriately grim, well-cast version of the Orwell classic, with Hurt as the government functionary who illegally falls in love, Hamilton as his bedmate, and Burton -- excellent in his final feature -- as the party official who somehow seems human even when feeding his victims' faces to the rats. Superior to the 1956 version, though the oppressive gloominess of the second half does wear you down. Seedily impressive production design." [description taken from Leonard Maltin's 2000 Movie & Video Guide]
