Film review ‘Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5’
A review by Orwell Society member John Boaler
Orwell our contemporary
This documentary film explores and illustrates Orwell’s observations on the nature of political power and language.
It sketches some of Orwell’s experiences including his time as a policeman in Burma, as a volunteer in Spain, and his retreat to Jura, but it is not a film biography.
The focus is on Orwell’s writings about and against totalitarianism and nationalism. It is narrated throughout by Damian Lewis, speaking as Orwell and quoting Orwell’s words.
The film is interleaved with clips of dictators and despots, from Franco to Putin, and scenes of violent political repression, mass rallies, public executions, book burnings etc.. It also uses clips from film and TV adaptations of Nineteen Eighty-four and Animal Farm. This juxtaposition of fiction and reality demonstrates how well Orwell understood the abuses of political power.
Perhaps the most telling quotation in the film is Orwell’s observation “The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history” – words which have a very contemporary resonance. Orwell wrote them in 1942 and they were the foundation of his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. Today it is increasingly difficult to establish ‘objective truth’ when so many commentators on politics are wholly partisan. The film shows Trump claiming he won the 2020 Presidential election and how many MAGA supporters believe this.
There is a clip of Benjamin Netanyahu protesting that ‘Israel yearns for peace’, followed by the slogan War is Peace. I saw this film on the day 254 deaths were being reported in Lebanon.
Orwell alerts his readers to the dishonesty of political language and the film gives many examples of this eg ‘collateral damage’ and ‘pacification programme’ – both dating back to the Vietnam War.’ We are reminded of Putin’s ‘special military operation’ to protect the Ukrainians and ‘denazify’ them. In just the last few weeks we have heard Trump describe the US attacks on Iran as ‘an excursion’.
Orwell Society members are probably familiar with his letter to Francis A. Henson, an American trade unionist, answering questions about Nineteen Eighty-Four. These words are read towards the end of the film: “My …novel is NOT intended as an attack on Socialism, or on the British Labour Party (of which I am a supporter) …I do not believe that the kind of society I describe will arrive, but I believe…that something resembling it could arrive…The scene of the book is laid in Britain in order to emphasize that the English-speaking races are not innately better than anyone else and that totalitarianism, if not fought against, could triumph anywhere.”
I found ‘Orwell : 2 + 2 = 5’ a very powerful film which illustrates just how perceptive Orwell was about totalitarianism. 80 years on we are seeing fascism rise across Europe and the USA. It is time to revisit Orwell’s writings on this.
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‘Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5’
Director: Raoul Peck
Now on release in selected cinemas throughout Britain, and available on some streaming services
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An excellent sumary John.
Members, if the film is being shown near you, I recommend that you go to see it.
The film was made with the support of The Orwell Estate and Richard and one of the main Producers is Johnny Fewings a member of The Orwell Society. I helped in a small way, by answering their questions.
An extremely powerful film that was reasonably well attended at an independent cinema in Redhill, Surrey. No one just upped and left at the end which was a respectful moment. How right he was and how well this reminder has been crafted.