Ray Bradbury's classic novel gets adapted for the screen by the celebrated filmmaker Francois Truffaut, in his only English-language effort. It depicts a slightly futuristic Earth where collecting and reading all printed reading material is banned. Naturally, some people choose to think for themselves and break the law. Oskar Werner plays Guy Montag, a fireman, and in this future Earth society, firemen don't douse burning buildings (most buildings in the future are supposedly fireproof): they burn all the books they find. Ultimately, it is a young woman, schoolteacher Clarisse (the luminous Julie Christie), who forces Montag to reexamine how he approaches his job and life. Up to now, Montag has always been a "toe the line / maintain the status quo" kind of guy - at least in public.
An intelligent, provocative, and fairly involving story, Bradbury's story gets a respectable adaptation by Truffaut, who also co-wrote the script. Key to making it work is the fact that Montag is a curious and likeable chap who doesn't exactly take a lot of convincing to open his mind. Christie is fantastic in what is actually a dual role, as she also plays Linda, Montags' highly conformist wife. The supporting cast is equally strong, with Cyril Cusack standing out as the Captain, whose dismissal of the volumes around him and Montag makes for some very entertaining dialogue. Bee Duffell has a memorable small role as an older woman who insists on going down along with her vast library. One of the most intriguing touches is the late mention of a woodsy civilization Clarisse knows about, in which human beings *completely* absorb the contents of the books they read, and in essence *become* the books. (There's a touching bit of business where a dying grandfather carefully recites a book for his grandson.)
The Captains' whole diatribe hinges on the idea that, in this future, everybody is to be thought of as equal, and those who read for pleasure and knowledge supposedly, automatically start thinking of themselves as "superior". So there are certainly some very interesting concepts in play here. Of course, the central idea of this film remains unfortunately relevant today, with some individuals wanting to ban any reading material they deem "problematic".
Enhanced by excellent photography by Nicolas Roeg and typically striking music by Bernard Herrmann, "Fahrenheit 451" is good entertainment for viewers who want stories with substance.
Appropriately for the story, the brief opening credits are not shown on screen, but rather spoken.
Seven out of 10.
An intelligent, provocative, and fairly involving story, Bradbury's story gets a respectable adaptation by Truffaut, who also co-wrote the script. Key to making it work is the fact that Montag is a curious and likeable chap who doesn't exactly take a lot of convincing to open his mind. Christie is fantastic in what is actually a dual role, as she also plays Linda, Montags' highly conformist wife. The supporting cast is equally strong, with Cyril Cusack standing out as the Captain, whose dismissal of the volumes around him and Montag makes for some very entertaining dialogue. Bee Duffell has a memorable small role as an older woman who insists on going down along with her vast library. One of the most intriguing touches is the late mention of a woodsy civilization Clarisse knows about, in which human beings *completely* absorb the contents of the books they read, and in essence *become* the books. (There's a touching bit of business where a dying grandfather carefully recites a book for his grandson.)
The Captains' whole diatribe hinges on the idea that, in this future, everybody is to be thought of as equal, and those who read for pleasure and knowledge supposedly, automatically start thinking of themselves as "superior". So there are certainly some very interesting concepts in play here. Of course, the central idea of this film remains unfortunately relevant today, with some individuals wanting to ban any reading material they deem "problematic".
Enhanced by excellent photography by Nicolas Roeg and typically striking music by Bernard Herrmann, "Fahrenheit 451" is good entertainment for viewers who want stories with substance.
Appropriately for the story, the brief opening credits are not shown on screen, but rather spoken.
Seven out of 10.