REVIEWED BY-KIT GAVIN DIRECTED BY-MARK L.LESTER CAST-PERRY KING, MERRIE LYNN ROSS, TIMOTHY VAN PATTEN, RODDY MCDOWALL, STEFAN ARNGRIM, MICHAEL J.FOX and AL WAXMAN. SOURCE-PVB DVD (FRANCE) PAL REGION 2
REVIEWED BY-KIT GAVIN DIRECTED BY-MARK L.LESTER CAST-PERRY KING, MERRIE LYNN ROSS, TIMOTHY VAN PATTEN, RODDY MCDOWALL, STEFAN ARNGRIM, MICHAEL J.FOX and AL WAXMAN. SOURCE-PVB DVD (FRANCE) PAL REGION 2
CLASS OF 1984 is a film set in the future (having been made in and around Toronto in 1981), portraying a frightening, depressing and unsafe vision of events to come. The title comes from the novel 1984 by George Orwell, which reflected an unsafe nihilist society. The future is always seen as a threat, the theme song by Alice Cooper are the words hissed to Andy Norris (Perry King) by his foe and antithesis Stegman (Tim Van Patten) "I am your future" which is hissed with spite, intent and malice. Most of the otherwise suave Stegman’s vocabulary is course, vulgar and expletive filled to correspond with his violent, sadist nature but those words carry a particular air of menace.
The film concerns the clash between authority and anarchy. The teachers are not encouraged to teach nor is teaching encouraged within the school. The only reason the school exists is largely as a front for students and teachers to conform to society’s requests of them. The teachers for the need to have a paying 9 – 5 job, and the a sizable number of students to keep within the law by attending school, rather than to genuinely learn and to forward themselves. However the adherence to the law stops there as the high school kids become involved in prostitution, drug abuse, carrying weapons, vandalism, etc. It is all a front. Society is collapsing – that is the message conveyed by the film. At one point, one of the students, high on drugs climbs a flag pole and calls to his friends whilst clutching the American flag. Perhaps acting as a metaphor, the flag gives way, tears and the student falls to his death. This perhaps is a refection by Lester once again as to how the nation is collapsing.
CLASS OF 1984 owes some it’s inspiration to the earlier BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, from 1955 – a film about classroom violence between teachers and students. Another obvious inspiration behind the film is that of A Clockwork Orange, the film as opposed to the Anthony Burgess penned novel. A bleak sexually charged future. Stegman however is not Alex, and the revolt in ORANGE is against society and authority as a whole. Though both films are violent, Kubrick’s film is made up of stunning visuals, and the raison d’etre behind the film is not to glorify violence nor to excite curiosity in it. There are no moral messages in 1984. Authority and the perpetrators of violence are not running parallel to each other, like two magnets. In CLASS OF 1984 from time to time those boundaries get broken down, with authority rebelling – such as when McDowell holds his biology class at gun point and later tries to avenge his animals, and Norris’ breaking into and wanton destruction of Stegman’s car – and ultimately his later decimation of the entire gang.
Authority means very little in the film, and control by the forces of "good" is limited and is frequently vanquished. Authority is mocked and frequently has it’s "hands tied". The police can do nothing, even when proof is presented to them, the principal refuses to help and to the frustration of the teachers tend to hold his belief in the lies of the students than the honesty of the truth bearers, the innocent.
At one point in the film when Norris arrives at Stegman’s apartment to talk with his widowed and doting mother, Stegman is seen watching violent imagery on television with his indifferent bubble headed parent more concerned with the parking fines he has been accruing and whether the outfit she is wearing looks attractive. It is a perverse joke, perhaps, on the part of the film makers – that the most savage nd dangerous of the gang is relaxing, a spectator to on-screen violence. Is his gleeful viewing of what is happening on screen suggesting that he is insensitive to the violence, or perhaps it is his viewing of these images that provoke him into violence. Is a wry joke being played with the viewer here? In the United Kingdom, the film was considered too strong – and was heavily cut for it’s cinematic release and then later rejected outright for home video release in 1987 – a decision which has not reversed since then.
Director Lester excelled in action movies making one of the most popular action movies with Arnold Schwarznegger COMMANDO, and would also make CLASS OF 1999, a pseudo sequel to 1984. He earlier had touched upon the horror genre with FIRESTARTER. The "sequel" 1999 lacked the strength of 1984, as it was more sci-fi orientated with robot teachers, wheras the earlier production had attempted for a more comtemporary, realistic and gritty horror. There are moments of unpleasant but never un-necessary violence which add to the film. The killing of the animals in the biology lab, the gang rape of Andy Norris’ pretty pregnant wife Diane (Merry Lynn Ross) which triggers the beast within her husband for revenge against Stegman and his gang. The horror that they have perpetrated against nice guy Mr Norris has the viewer sympathising with him and wanting him to dispose of the gang members in savage and cruel ways, befitting their previous cruel behaviour. Early on in the film, Diane shows Andy stuff she has bought for their yet unborn child (73 days old) and the viewer knows or at least is put on his guard that something chilling is going to happen to shatter this ideal of the attractive young couple in love expecting their first child.
Interesting too, is the casting where the gang members are all portrayed as punks, Patsy (Canadian scream queen Lisa Langois) with her dyed pink hair, the swastika T-shirts, etc yet they are lead by a suave, good-looking leader, with talent and ability and intelligence. The gang members look on in amazement as he hammers out a perfect concerto on the piano, as he is far above their base level. His mother and other teachers realise his potential yet his violent streak prevents him from achievement.
The acting and performances are well played with an air of reality about them. The Norris’ are likeable as is the quirky Roddy McDowell character. Stegman and his gang are repellent and the viewer cannot feel any simpatico for the characters. Other characters are incidental, doomed to be victims, lambs to the slaughter – such as an early appearance by Michael J Fox as one of the students who ends up knifed in the school canteen. Another factor, which to extent dates the feature, is the rock score. However this adds to the violence, the anger and the tension in the feel of the movie. There are some moments of orchestrated music which add to the atmosphere such as when Norris breaks into the car and smashes it into the walls of the garage in revenge. The film, though it does no tricks and plays cards in terms of photography is nicely and well shot by a competent if perhaps unadventurous director, but it would be unfair to complain and criticise.
In summation, the film is entertaining, it is not a film that one can enjoy. The film is atmospheric, claustrophobic and well made. There is a black, somewhat campy humor about the film and the situations but it suits the film otherwise it would be a very bleak experience indeed. The most horrific events happen off screen and are implied – such as the butchering of the animals and when Diane is raped we see her on the bed but her clothes are not torn off to show needless nudity. The feel has a lurid trashy appeal, and is certainly not going to appeal to everyone – certainly not a dating movie. It certainly is exploitation, yet it doesn’t have any pretentions to be otherwise and not try to be moralising or justified.
The film has recently been re-released in France on DVD as CLASS 1984 through PVB. The picture quality is perfect to my eye and I couldn’t notice any damage or grain. There are unobtrusive French subtitles underneath the picture which cannot be removed. Amusingly enough, the French translations of what is being said on screen are sometimes wildly off the mark. Extras are minimal – some brief bios and some images from the film. Despite the extras being minimal – and the titles, foreword and afterword (the only time the picture quality changes) being in French – I still recommend this to anyone with an interest in exploitation, just before PC started to creep in and rear it’s ugly head.
Story: 4 BITCH SLAPS Picture: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS Audio: 3 BITCH SLAPS Extras: 2 BITCH SLAPS Overall: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS
