SusannahFahrenheit 451
April 29th 2007 03:52
FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966)
Starring: Oskar Werner, Julie Christie
Directed by: Francois Truffaut
Based on the novel by Ray Bradbury, (the title comes from the temperature at which books burn) this is another classic dystopian story adapted for the big screen. This time it is a simultaneously retro and futuristic society, where the job of fireman is not to put out fires (all buildings are now fireproof) but to burn books. The rationale being that books are bad for the soul, causing people to yearn for lives they cannot lead, and to have access to ideas that cannot possibly do them any good, such as philosophy.
Oskar Werner plays one such fireman, Guy Montag, who spends his days cruising around on a firetruck raiding the homes of lawbreakers, and incinerating the books that they find there. Montag is married to Linda (Julie Christie), who spends her days watching the viewscreen (television), which she refers to as The Family, and taking pills. Everyone else Montag comes in contact with also appears to be doped up to some extent, everyone except Clarisse (Julie Christie again), who asks Montag: “Do you ever read the books you burn?” Montag ponders this, and so begins to steal some of the books he is sent to burn, thus sealing his own fate as he becomes increasingly estranged from his wife, his co-workers and dissatisfied with the society around him, as he reads more and more.
As the director, Truffaut emphasises our own lack of access to words, right from the outset, as the opening credits are announced in voiceover over opening shots of television aerials. My first reaction was, hey, where are the written credits, which is precisely what Truffaut is aiming for as he makes notice the absence of the written word.
Although the greater society, beyond that of Montag’s immediate environment, is rarely seen, Truffaut does show us that from the outside a well ordered, presentable, non-violet society exists. Yet beneath this exterior is a placated, population subdued by Television and drugs, completely without stimulation or free thought when denied access to literature. Montag himself goes from being an unresponsive, subdued individual blindly doing his job, to someone who is awakened by the books he steals and stays up all night to read.
Julie Christie, as Linda and Clarisse, according to the filmmakers, presents the two halves of one person, or the two directions one identity can take. Linda refuses to join Montag in his reading, finding it dangerous and disturbing, Clarisse, it turns out has been reading for a long time, opening her mind to the possibilities that her society had attempted to deny her.
Truffaut chose to burn some of his favourite books in the movie, as a homage to literature, lingering over the burning of the books to emphasise the tragedy, destruction and loss when ideas are destroyed forever.
The DVD comes with an interesting interview with the book’s author Ray Bradbury, who outlines the gestation of his ideas for the novel. There is also a fascinating making of which details the feud between Werner and Truffaut, which culminated in Werner cutting his hair before the final scenes were shot in order to deliberately ruin the film’s continuity. Another classic dystopia with a remake planned for 2008.
Starring: Oskar Werner, Julie Christie
Directed by: Francois Truffaut
Based on the novel by Ray Bradbury, (the title comes from the temperature at which books burn) this is another classic dystopian story adapted for the big screen. This time it is a simultaneously retro and futuristic society, where the job of fireman is not to put out fires (all buildings are now fireproof) but to burn books. The rationale being that books are bad for the soul, causing people to yearn for lives they cannot lead, and to have access to ideas that cannot possibly do them any good, such as philosophy.
Oskar Werner plays one such fireman, Guy Montag, who spends his days cruising around on a firetruck raiding the homes of lawbreakers, and incinerating the books that they find there. Montag is married to Linda (Julie Christie), who spends her days watching the viewscreen (television), which she refers to as The Family, and taking pills. Everyone else Montag comes in contact with also appears to be doped up to some extent, everyone except Clarisse (Julie Christie again), who asks Montag: “Do you ever read the books you burn?” Montag ponders this, and so begins to steal some of the books he is sent to burn, thus sealing his own fate as he becomes increasingly estranged from his wife, his co-workers and dissatisfied with the society around him, as he reads more and more.
As the director, Truffaut emphasises our own lack of access to words, right from the outset, as the opening credits are announced in voiceover over opening shots of television aerials. My first reaction was, hey, where are the written credits, which is precisely what Truffaut is aiming for as he makes notice the absence of the written word.
Although the greater society, beyond that of Montag’s immediate environment, is rarely seen, Truffaut does show us that from the outside a well ordered, presentable, non-violet society exists. Yet beneath this exterior is a placated, population subdued by Television and drugs, completely without stimulation or free thought when denied access to literature. Montag himself goes from being an unresponsive, subdued individual blindly doing his job, to someone who is awakened by the books he steals and stays up all night to read.
Julie Christie, as Linda and Clarisse, according to the filmmakers, presents the two halves of one person, or the two directions one identity can take. Linda refuses to join Montag in his reading, finding it dangerous and disturbing, Clarisse, it turns out has been reading for a long time, opening her mind to the possibilities that her society had attempted to deny her.
Truffaut chose to burn some of his favourite books in the movie, as a homage to literature, lingering over the burning of the books to emphasise the tragedy, destruction and loss when ideas are destroyed forever.
The DVD comes with an interesting interview with the book’s author Ray Bradbury, who outlines the gestation of his ideas for the novel. There is also a fascinating making of which details the feud between Werner and Truffaut, which culminated in Werner cutting his hair before the final scenes were shot in order to deliberately ruin the film’s continuity. Another classic dystopia with a remake planned for 2008.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I adore the original novel and the film, though flawed is still a guilty pleasure, with flurrys of genuine genius.
The entertaining Sci Fi Equilibrium was essentially a remake of this too.