GEORGE ORWELL: 2 + 2 = 5 (A-minus) - This examination of the work of George Orwell -- which remains persistently prophetic in its warnings of totalitarianism -- is another powerful but overstuffed documentary from Raoul Peck, who previously splashed the screen with the written works of James Baldwin in 2017 with "I Am Not Your Negro."
Peck blends old film footage with modern clips that puts Orwell's polemics -- mainly "1984" and "Animal Farm" -- in perspective, and he threads the two-hour presentation with dispatches from a tuberculosis clinic where Orwell spent many months in his final years. Peck emphasizes that condition with sounds of wheezing on the soundtrack, and by the end of the film it is obvious that it is western democracy that is gasping for its last breaths as much as the subject was in the 1940s.
Reminders of World War II-era repression, as echoed in the dictatorial regimes of today, abound throughout the film. Peck provides a seamless blend of news events spanning from 100 years ago to today. We watch modern slaughter in Ukraine and Gaza and elsewhere, and we are treated to excerpts of speeches by Nobel peace laureate Maria Ressa of the Philippines, which are particularly poignant. The sense of urgency is unrelenting throughout the film
But like with "Negro," it is difficult to absorb it all. The viewer must contend with an onslaught of images, along with narration of Orwell's writings, plus text flashing on the screen identifying people and events. At times it is all too much to take in, and like with "Negro," it makes you want to just go read the source material.
Three is an overemphasis on 1984 (including movie clips from the 1950s version and the 1980s version), and Animal Farm is slighted -- reduced to more of a visual element than its substance. Peck does do a fine job of humanizing his subject. He goes back several times to a photo of an infant Orwell (born Eric Arthur Blair) in the arms of his dark-skinned nanny in India at the dawn of the 20th century, and he gives credit to Orwell, a privileged Eton graduate, for his empathy toward oppressed peoples.
There is a quote from Orwell addressing the dichotomy within the man, calling himself both a snob and a revolutionary. The film wraps with a quote attributed to Orwell toward the end of his life (living on the Scottish island of Jura) -- "All that matters has already been written" -- but you get the sense that Peck here has just scratched the surface. To the library we go.
BONUS TRACK
Our title track, completely unrelated, from the Violent Femmes:
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