1984 (1956)
Director: Michael Anderson
Notable Cast: Edmond O’Brien, Jan Sterling, Michael Redgrave, Donald Pleasence

The first film adaptation of 1984 was a British production released in

1956, directed by Michael Anderson and starring Edmond O'Brien, 

Jan Sterling, Michael Redgrave, and Donald Pleasence. The 1956 film

remained faithful to the themes and story of the novel, but made many

changes to plot points and characters, combining, rearranging, and 

replacing elements of the novel in order to make a clearer storyline. 

Additionally, the characters of O’Brien and Goldstein are renamed 

O’Conner and Calidor. While well-received, this movie never became 

a hit.

1984 (1984)
Director: Michael Radford
Notable Cast: John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton

The second film adaptation was released in the actual year 1984, 

directed by Michael Radford and starring John Hurt, Richard Burton, 

and Suzanna Hamilton. This adaptation remained more faithful to the 

plot of the novel, although it diverged significantly in its ending. In the

film, Winston’s confession is broadcast publicly after he is released 

from the Ministry of Love. While the film—like the novel—ends with

Winston encountering an image of Big Brother, the film seems to 

indicate that the image instills shame, regret, or grief in Winston, while

the image in the novel instills love for Big Brother. Like its predecessor,

this adaptation was well-received, but not a major hit.