Today's Film: Equilibrium

Check out some information about this film at IMDB.

Equilibrium was the breakout role for Christian Bale, who would later become Bruce Wayne/Batman in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. 'Equilibrium' is maintained via brainwashing and a ubiquitous drug called Prozium--the result? Emotions have been outlawed and obliterated. Preston (Bale) is the long-arm of the law, tasked with the destruction of the last vestiges of the 'feeling'.

Equilibrium
Starring Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Sean Bean, William Ficthner, Emily Watson and Angus Macfadyen
Directed by Kurt Wimmer

Trailer


Featurette


Synopsis (from IMDB):

Reading Question: Where Winston and Julia Meet

"Winston was in Victory Square before the appointed time. He wandered round the base of the enormous fluted column, at the top of which Big Brother's statue gazed southward toward the skies where he had vanquished the Eurasian aeroplanes (the Eastasian aeroplanes, it had been a few years ago) in the Battle of Airstrip One. In the street in front of it there was a statue of a man on horseback which was supposed to represent Oliver Cromwell. At five minutes past the hour the girl had still not appeared. Again the terrible fear seized upon Winston. She was not coming, she had changed her mind! He walked slowly up to the north side of the square and got a sort of pale-coloured pleasure from identifying St. Martin's Church, whose bells, when it had bells, had chimed 'You owe me three farthings.'" (Orwell, 1984)

This passage is describing a famous landmark in London called Trafalgar Square. Read about it! This is an important example of literary symbolism!

For your reading question, please answer the following questions in short paragraph form: What is Trafalgar square famous for? Why does Winston see a prisoner there in 1984? Who was Oliver Cromwell? What does Oliver Cromwell represent to Winston and Julia's 'rebellion'?

Reading Question for Brave New World & 1984

Please answer the following response question by commenting on this post. You may comment by clicking the link where it says the number of comments (for example: 0 comments) immediately underneath the relevant post.

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's 1984 are often compared as two-sides of the same coin--they both represent future 'utopias' run by totalitarian governments, with many of the things we take for granted in today's world absent, outlawed, banned, or otherwise taboo. Both texts treat sexuality as a tool to control society: to encourage frivolity and disconnection in Brave New World or for the purposes of basic procreation and nothing else in 1984.

Please answer the following several questions in one combined paragraph-length response. What is the effect of sexual repression on Winston? Use specific examples, describing his relationship with Katherine and also Julia. How is sexual repression administered by society? Are there laws about it? What does this do to Winston's self-esteem? Describe what Winston would find to be the "norm" of his society.