Brave New World (1980)

The Worst Film Ever

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I watch it like once a month. Very well acted and perfectly cast. Its also a great drama, comedy, romance - and has a clever sense of self awareness. I always find new things in it whenever I watch - very thoroughly done. I can quote this movie almost line for line, "but everything is perfect now, and everything will always be perfect, so why does it matter when things weren't perfect?" I haven't read the book, so I don't know how much of the dialogue is drawn from it - but I love the dialogue. So simple and naive. I like how there are no "good guys" in this story, its just a character study. John Savage wasn't anymore more moral at the end of the day then the people in the perfect society were. He was naive too in his own way. He was kind of the opposite of the Ford worshipers - they suppressed their emotions and he was carried away by his... I also like the idea of trying to build a perfect society - this story is as close to a "Utopian" scifi as I've ever seen. Even though it is ultimately dystopian, it is not as bleak as dystopian stories usually are. I feel like the major flaw in this dystopian society was hierarchy. This is the tragic flaw of the otherwise perfect little social experiment they had going - is that it was ultimately still based on hierarchy and dominance and submission within its roles - just more refined and sleek so it wasn't as obvious and noticeable as other dystopian fantasies. This mini series is painfully underrated. One of my favorite movies/mini-series ever! S

I have to say I'm surprised at the number of people here who loved this adaptation of Aldous Huxley's masterpiece. Although it was true to the basic storyline, they strayed so far from the mood and tone of the novel.The production design was quite simply wrong. This is a society of people (the Alphas and Betas at least) who frolicked in luxury. They weren't confined to the indoors or lived within a warren of pipes and tubes and industrial architecture. Huxley went to great lengths to describe an environment replete with spas, golf courses, towering apartment buildings with comfortably furnished rooms, floodlit buildings, the skies dotted with personal transports, expensive clothing of silks, brocades, velvet (always thrown away rather than mended -- "The less stitches, the more riches!"). These people socialized, danced, played games, dined out, indulged in their "soma holidays" as well as their vacations and weekend excursions all over the world.Huxley was creating a juxtaposition of opposing themes -- all of that luxury and yet no free thought, no philosophy, no love, no personal loyalties.None of that is adequately conveyed in this adaptation.Further, the way the characters in this movie spoke so frankly about the structure of their society would never have happened. They would not be so self-aware of what their lives were like versus how different it used to be. Only the very higher-ups had such awareness and even they kept that awareness hidden.Taking John Savage's back-story from the middle of the book and placing it at the beginning as part of the linear story was a needless distraction, not to mention insulting to the viewer by "dumbing down" the series of events.Bud Cort was perfectly cast but his portrayal invited too much sympathy. He was an outcast yes because of his physical shortcomings but his character was written to be very reactionary to that, resentful of those around him. He was selfish and bitter, and later even vain in his triumph of discovering the savage.Nor was he the tragic romantic hero who sought out his individual love as depicted in this movie. His character sought acceptance by a society of Alpha Pluses who turned their noses at him. He wanted to be handsome and dashing and take as many women as he liked -- all that was denied him by "too much alcohol in his blood surrogate" while bottled.I could go on, but my point is to not cite differences. All movie adaptations differ from their source material. The trick is make the best possible interpretation of the novel while still holding true to the basic themes expressed by the author, maintaining the integrity of his story, characters and artistic intent.This movie did none of that. It was Buck Rogers in scope, caliber and execution. I was thoroughly disappointed.

As others have said, this 1980 version of "Brave New World" is far superior to the 1998 version. But what nobody has mentioned, probably because they aren't even aware of it, is that the 1980 film exists in 2 different versions.This was originally produced as a 2-part mini-series, running 4 hours (including commercials). But at the last minute, NBC chopped it down to fit into a 3-hour time slot. Allowing for commercials, this means that more than half an hour was removed. When it was later aired on the BBC in England, it ran in its original full length, 2-part form.There are many collectors offering copies of this movie via the IMDb message boards, or eBay. Before buying, I suggest you ask which version they have. (I can personally recommend the copy offered by "deaks".)

Aldous Huxley would be ENRAGED that his WONDERFUL literary work has been defiled in such a manner. This is a disgrace. A horrible mini series and is the worst adapation of a book I have ever seen!!!