Me and the Big Guy
Encyclopedia
Me and the Big Guy is a 1999 short film that satirizes Nineteen Eighty-Four
by way of lampooning the fact that Big Brother is watching everyone, even those he'd rather not.
, this short film follows the life of unnervingly happy-go-lucky Citizen 43275-B (played by Michael Naughton), who despite the oppressive totalitarian regime and Thought Police
looks ever forward to returning home and telling 'The Big Guy
' (played by Dan Kern) on the telescreen
about his work-day.
In much the same manner as an imaginary friend
acts, 'The Big Guy' never responds until he finally becomes fed up with Citizen 43275-B and declares that he does not like being called 'The Big Guy' - but this intervention serves only to worsen Big Brother's predicament, as 43275-B enthusiastically hugs the telescreen and goes on to "amuse" him through a variety of ways: sock puppets, Boggle
, hide and seek
, one-sided pillow fight
s, and knock-knock joke
s.
As this further frustrates him, Big Brother finally announces the true nature of himself and society by telling 43275-B:
Big Brother eventually shuts off the telescreen in disgust and frustration. After several minutes, Citizen 43275-B realizes that the telescreen is not coming back on. He then retrieves a hidden cache of a notebook, pen and reading glasses, and begins to write his own guide to revolution. The appearance in the opening scenes of a volume entitled "RE-EDUCATION
MANUAL" on 43275-B's bookshelf, references to a "re-education lectures," and the fact that he has a diary already set aside, all imply that this is not his first attempt, and suggests his behavior was deliberate.
and Big Brother of Nineteen Eighty-Four
, there are some other references. 43275-B gets chocolate rations, the intercom says the flour ration was lowered by 9% (as the book says the ration was lowered), two members of the thought police
arrest 43275-B's neighbour, a loudspeaker announces the executions of 30 political prisoners and 43275-B keeps a journal like Winston Smith
does.
, the satirical novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin
that provided much of the inspiration for Nineteen Eighty-Four features a narrator, "D-503", who through much of the story truly believes in the virtue of his utterly regimented, totalitarian state. Much of the comic tension derives from D-503's horror at his own emerging desire to shatter the order of the "perfect" society which is the only world he has ever known.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
by way of lampooning the fact that Big Brother is watching everyone, even those he'd rather not.
Plot
Directed and written by Matt NixMatt Nix
Matthew E. "Matt" Nix is an American writer, producer, and director. He is best known for creating the USA Network television series Burn Notice and the now defunct cult favorite Fox series The Good Guys.-Biography:...
, this short film follows the life of unnervingly happy-go-lucky Citizen 43275-B (played by Michael Naughton), who despite the oppressive totalitarian regime and Thought Police
Thought Police
The Thought Police is the secret police of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals, using psychology and omnipresent surveillance from telescreens to monitor, search, find and kill...
looks ever forward to returning home and telling 'The Big Guy
Big Brother (1984)
Big Brother is a fictional character in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. He is the enigmatic dictator of Oceania, a totalitarian state taken to its utmost logical consequence – where the ruling Party wields total power for its own sake over the inhabitants.In the society that Orwell...
' (played by Dan Kern) on the telescreen
Telescreen
Telescreens are most prominently featured in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although notably they have an earlier appearance in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times...
about his work-day.
In much the same manner as an imaginary friend
Imaginary friend
Imaginary friends and imaginary companions are a psychological and social phenomenon where a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in the imagination rather than external physical reality. Imaginary friends are fictional characters created for improvisational role-playing. They...
acts, 'The Big Guy' never responds until he finally becomes fed up with Citizen 43275-B and declares that he does not like being called 'The Big Guy' - but this intervention serves only to worsen Big Brother's predicament, as 43275-B enthusiastically hugs the telescreen and goes on to "amuse" him through a variety of ways: sock puppets, Boggle
Boggle
Boggle is a word game designed by Allan Turoff and trademarked by Parker Brothers, a division of Hasbro. The game is played using a plastic grid of lettered dice, in which players attempt to find words in sequences of adjacent letters.-Rules:...
, hide and seek
Hide and seek
Hide-and-seek or hide-and-go-seek is a variant of the game tag, in which a number of players conceal themselves in the environment, to be found by one or more seekers.-Variants:Numerous variants of the game can be found around the world...
, one-sided pillow fight
Pillow fight
A pillow fight is a common game mostly played by young children in which they engage in mock physical conflict, utilizing pillows as weapons....
s, and knock-knock joke
Knock-knock joke
The knock-knock joke is a type of joke, probably the best-known format of the pun, and is a time-honored "call and answer" exercise.It is a role-play exercise, with a punster and a recipient of wit.The standard format has five lines:...
s.
As this further frustrates him, Big Brother finally announces the true nature of himself and society by telling 43275-B:
Big Brother eventually shuts off the telescreen in disgust and frustration. After several minutes, Citizen 43275-B realizes that the telescreen is not coming back on. He then retrieves a hidden cache of a notebook, pen and reading glasses, and begins to write his own guide to revolution. The appearance in the opening scenes of a volume entitled "RE-EDUCATION
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
MANUAL" on 43275-B's bookshelf, references to a "re-education lectures," and the fact that he has a diary already set aside, all imply that this is not his first attempt, and suggests his behavior was deliberate.
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Besides the obvious telescreenTelescreen
Telescreens are most prominently featured in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although notably they have an earlier appearance in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times...
and Big Brother of Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
, there are some other references. 43275-B gets chocolate rations, the intercom says the flour ration was lowered by 9% (as the book says the ration was lowered), two members of the thought police
Thought Police
The Thought Police is the secret police of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals, using psychology and omnipresent surveillance from telescreens to monitor, search, find and kill...
arrest 43275-B's neighbour, a loudspeaker announces the executions of 30 political prisoners and 43275-B keeps a journal like Winston Smith
Winston Smith
Winston Smith is a fictional character and the protagonist of George Orwell's 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. The character was employed by Orwell as an everyman in the setting of the novel, a "central eye ... [the reader] can readily identify with"...
does.
We
WeWe (novel)
We is a dystopian novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin completed in 1921. It was written in response to the author's personal experiences during the Russian revolution of 1905, the Russian revolution of 1917, his life in the Newcastle suburb of Jesmond, and his work in the Tyne shipyards during the First...
, the satirical novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Yevgeny Zamyatin
Yevgeny Ivanovich Zamyatin was a Russian author of science fiction and political satire. Despite having been a prominent Old Bolshevik, Zamyatin was deeply disturbed by the policies pursued by the CPSU following the October Revolution...
that provided much of the inspiration for Nineteen Eighty-Four features a narrator, "D-503", who through much of the story truly believes in the virtue of his utterly regimented, totalitarian state. Much of the comic tension derives from D-503's horror at his own emerging desire to shatter the order of the "perfect" society which is the only world he has ever known.
Cast
- Citizen 43275-B - Mike Naughton
- Big Brother - Dan Keon
- Stormtrooper #1 - James Jacobus
- Stormtrooper #2 - Sterling Wolfe
- Neighbor - Tom Wheatley
- Voice - Esmé Nix