Brave New World

When I saw this television film back in 1980, I was captivated--so captivated that I almost immediately went out and read the source material, the Aldous Huxley novel. I loved the book and its prescient look at the future of mankind and now, decades later, I decided to watch this television adaptation once again. Well, I sure was surprised, as I really didn't love the film nearly as much as I once did--much of it due to the really annoying way that John the Savage talked. I found it wearisome after a while hearing him talking in Shakespearean lingo...something not as ever-present in the book. Much of it could be because it was so obvious since the film was a bit overlong. As for the rest of the story, it generally was well done at showing the vacuousness of the future engineered society--and the use of drugs, genetics and sex to keep everyone dumb and happy. It does look a tad dated but overall it's still much better than the ultra-bland later Leonard Nimoy version of the story. And, the story itself is so good even a lower-budgeted TV version like this one is worth your time.

If you are interested in seeing it, the film (and the worse Nimoy version) are available to watch on YouTube.

I don't know what the above person is saying. The television 1980 version of the book is not as bad as they said but it is a good representation of the book. It was so good that I brought a DVD copy of that TV movie!! The acting is OK. The production and special effect is adequate for at TV movie. The story is 3/4 accurate. The 2000 version version of the book for a lack of a better term is lame. Even Leonard Nimoy, Spock, couldn't help this truly lame version. The 1980 version gave us an pessimistic and dark look of the future showing test tube conception as well as the bleak viewpoint of natural conception and falling in love in a world of no love.

This is naturally a low-budget TV version, but it's long enough to go into the themes of the book in some depth, and follows the plot and dialogue accurately enough. It gives the impression of a theatre version really, with the cheap sets and costumes: or maybe the original Star Trek is closer to it, with the pyjamas. So you never forget that it's an adaptation of a novel; which I realise must be a problem for those expecting Blade Runner or something. I thought everyone did a commendable job on this given the limitations of the budget, and while it's not great cinema, it captures the spirit of Huxley's work, and in particular it was nice to hear the Shakespeare quotations very nicely done.

As has been noted by others there are two versions of this movie. The uncut version was presented in a two-part mini-series on the BBC. That's the one you want to watch. In America, NBC cut the mini-series down to fit into one movie. In my opinion, the BBC version is superior and worth seeking out. As of this review, the BBC 2-part version is available on YouTube.

The production value is what you would expect from a made for television movie of the era, however, I think it's fairly good for a television production from this era. If you enjoyed Huxley's book, you'll enjoy the BBC version as well. I find it far superior to the 1998 version of Brave New World.

This 1980's interpretation of Brave New World, despite the wobbly sets, despite the Buck Rogers style acting, despite the made for television feel, this is an awesome movie. How accurate this movie is to it's source I have yet to discover, but as a sci-fi movie which depicts society, and culture it is perfect, this movie is truly inspiring.

As I have mentioned despite this movies more obvious faults, there is essentially a strong narrative running through this movie, the characters are all believable, well played and fitting with the irony of the culture that they represent. One of the most subtle scenes is when John Savage is told he can have what ever he wants to eat by pressing a button on the machine, and he presses the button about four times, then when he is asked why he has ordered so much food, his reply is 'I don't know'. The subtlety of this scene played out in such a extravagant setting is a good example of how well the director and the actors understand Huxley's world. Clearly this movie was made for TV and feels like a mini space drama, but the genius of Huxley's vision is evident on screen.

Trying to recreate Huxley's Brave New World is akin to creating a land of Oz governed within Stalinist Russia, I'm sure many directors would find it near impossible to effectively portray the right amount of comedy, tragedy and realism in a adaption of Brave New World, and here we have a fine example of how it can be done.

Undoubtedly a good watch, for those who have both read the book, and those who haven't and of course for those who enjoy Science fiction, this is a forgotten movie classic to be enjoyed, so I urge for those who know of its where abouts to go see.