“Cinema will never have finished with George Orwell! »

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MAINTENANCE. British historian David Ryan sheds light on the considerable influence of the novelist and his works on cinema and his vision of the future.

Interview by Florence Colombani

1984, by Michael Anderson, first adapted to the cinema in 1956. The book, published in 1949, was already successful on radio and television.
© Rue des Archives/Everett

Published on 08/11/2022 at 12:30 p.m.
– Modified 15/11/2022 at 5:00 p.m.

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« IIt would be fun to count the occurrences of the adjective “Orwellian” in articles on science fiction films! remarks David Ryan, the author of George Orwell on Screen and Fellow of the Orwell Society. As soon as it is a dystopia, we are entitled to it. It’s almost a reflex among the critics! What would George Orwell have thought of this writing habit, he who was briefly (from October 1940 to August 1941) film critic for the review Time and Tide ? “He didn’t have a high idea of ​​this job which, moreover, he didn’t really like. he was particularly strict with Hollywood productions which he considered vulgar. Basically, he didn’t really like the cinema. » A paradox because the cinema loves Orwell with passion, as David Ryan explains to us here.

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