George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Graphic Novel Adaptation

George Orwell was a socialist, who wrote the most insightful and devastating critique of socialism in the history of English literature. He was complicated. Nevertheless, reports the upcoming animated adaptation of Animal Farm will be reconceived as a satire of corporate capitalism is frankly Orwellian. It is like transmuting Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale into an indictment of radical feminism. Happily, this graphic novel adaptation gets Animal Farm right. Socialism is hypocritical, wasteful, oppressive, and often alarmingly violent in Christina Dumalasova & Katerina Horakova’s faithful adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, illustrated by Michael Purmensky, which goes on-sale this coming Tuesday.

If you do not the story of Animal Farm you truly need to read this graphic novel—or better yet, Orwell’s original novella. Regardless, it allegorically represents the Russian Revolution, when the animals of Manor Farm rise up against their abusive drunkard farmer, Mr. Jones.

Inspired by the venerable boar Old Major, the revolution initially appears to be a smashing success. However, once Old Major dies, a power struggle emerges, between two pigs, the earnest Snowball and the Machiavellian Napoleon. Frankly, Snowball might not fully realize he and Napoleon are rivals, until it is too late. Regardless, Napoleon and his sycophant pigs soon consolidate power, with the help of the attack dogs they raised from puppies.

Instead of finally enjoying some rest, the animals find themselves working even longer hours—except the pigs, of course. This seems to contradict the Revolutionary Laws painted on the barn wall, but every time the animals check, they find a mysterious new addendum to explain it away.

Honestly, Dumalasova and Horakova do both Orwell and readers full justice. Their adaptation brilliantly exposes the methods of totalitarian regimes, as well as the ruinous economic implications of socialism. Orwell always described himself as a “democratic socialist” with the emphasis on the democratic, but he constantly cautioned socialism without democratic safeguards would inevitably descend into totalitarianism. Seeing Orwell’s words so vividly illustrated can only inspire skepticism of and aversion to the crooked ideology it ruthlessly satirizes.

Indeed, socialism often gets called out throughout the graphic novel. It also fully explores the corrosive consequences of propaganda. Unlike the 1954 animated film, Purmensky’s animals are never cute. Yet, some, like tireless Boxer the horse, are invested with such dignity, the tragedy of their fates hits even harder.

Annika: The 1984 Episode

The very idea of re-writing Orwell’s 1984 is Orwellian, but that is the current woke state of publishing. The plan is to tell the story from Julia’s perspective, to reflect contemporary feminist theory. If they stay true to Orwell, it should be almost exactly like Winston Smith’s story, except Julia has the added irony of belonging to the Party’s “Junior Anti-Sex League,” which strived to make their dystopian society celibate and genderless (thereby rendering the new “angle” moot). Apparently, DI Annika Strandhed understands 1984 better than Orwell’s heirs, but she does not always emphasize the most important parts in the latest episode of Annika, premiering tomorrow night on PBS.

As a detective with the Scottish Marine Homicide Unit, Strandhed is summoned to remote Jura Island in the Hebrideans, where George Orwell wrote 1984. Unfortunately, she is not thrilled to be ferried in aboard a chopper. Her team says she is afraid of heights, but she really has a fear of falling from a great height, which is only rational. Regardless, an unknown male was found floating in the river encased in a solid block of ice, so he is either dead or the Thing from Another World.

Of course, he was murdered and the jokey tattoo on his butt will make the identification easier. If he was killed on tiny Jura it will greatly reduce the potential suspects. It is one of the least populated islands in the Hebrideans, especially if you factor out the shrinks attending a convention, awkwardly including Jake Strathern, Strandhed’s daughter’s former analyst, who is now using them as a case study.

Strandhed’s initial thoughts on 1984 focus on the ways the Ministry of Love forces dissident prisoners to face their greatest fears. For most readers, the corrupting power of propaganda and newspeak are more significant. However, her thoughts eventually shift to the omnipresent surveillance. Ironically, surveillance footage provides a big break in the case, so quiet little Jura has its share of Big Brother as well.

On-Stage: George Orwell’s 1984

Skip the Watchmen and go straight to the source. Every subsequent depiction of future totalitarian dystopias has borrowed heavily from the concepts and vocabulary of George Orwell’s 1984. Though thematically similar to Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We, Orwell’s 1984 coined terms like “Big Brother,” “Thought Crime,” and “Newspeak” that continue to profoundly influence our political discourse. In addition to being a chilling cautionary tale, George Orwell's 1984 also happens to be a compelling story, which transitions surprisingly smoothly to the stage in a production of British theater director Alan Lyddiard’s adaptation mounted by the Godlight Theatre Company, which officially opened at the 59E59 Theaters last night.

Winston Smith is an everyman, a modest cog-in-the-wheel working in Minitrue, Oceania’s Ministry of Truth (meaning censorship and disinformation), where non-persons are deleted from the historical record to serve the interests of the party. Weary of the constant surveillance and incessant propaganda, Smith is already a criminal, consciously guilty of “thought crime” by virtue of his disillusionment.

There is little opportunity for meaningful human interaction in drab, regimented Oceania, where children are encouraged to inform on their parents and two-way telescreens are omnipresent. However, Smith’s mundane existence is jolted by two extraordinary occurrences. O’Brien, a senior party member exchanges a meaningful glance with Smith, stirring memories buried deep within Smith’s unconscious of a dream long forgotten. Soon thereafter, Julia, one of his particularly zealous colleagues, surreptitiously slips him a note, which simply says: “I love you.”

The Godlight production is officially licensed by the Orwell estate, so despite some condensing for dramatic purposes, it is faithful to the spirit and overall storyline of his novel. That means all events inexorably lead to Room 101. Despite knowing what is in store for Smith there (as everyone should), it is still very disturbing to watch, thanks to the creative staging of director Joe Tantalo and production designer Maruti Evans. While 59E59’s Theater C is an intimate space, they convincingly convey the surreally dehumanizing environment of Oceania.

Most impressive is Gregory Konow’s performance as Smith. At first blush, he seems like the wrong physical type, not being the gaunt Englishman, like John Hurt or Peter Cushing, who we have come to expect in the part. However, he really fleshes out the humanity of the character, expressing the loneliness and vulnerability of the lowly Minitruth drone. He is nicely balanced by Dustin Olson as the coldly calculating O’Brien, who makes his final words with Smith far more frightening than his torturous actions. In fact, the entire production is quite well cast (although the attractive vinyl-clad actresses playing the four telescreens barking orders at Oceania’s citizens might not represent such an unpleasant prospect to some in the audience).

George Orwell’s 1984 is a true masterpiece, which everyone should read. The Godlight’s impressive production remains completely engrossing for those familiar with the novel, and ought to be both accessible and absorbing for those walking in cold. Now open, its limited run at the 59E59 ends April 19th.