Review of Fahrenheit 451 (1966) by Adam R — 21 Jul 2014

Review In A Nutshell:

Fahrenheit 451 follows the story of a world where books are forbidden by law and firefighters are present to ensure they are perished via fire, and one firefighter starts to have second thoughts about his profession.

The first thing came into my mind when watching this film is the similarities this film has with A Clockwork Orange and Brazil, the similarities is found in its visual atmosphere, creating this dystopian environment, but what makes this film different from the two films I mentioned is its dystopia is found internally within its characters. The physical environment that these characters live in are actually close to home, aside from a couple of "improvements" like the wall screen. Truffaut immerses the audience in the environment and he does this by not letting the set and costume designs overwhelm the frame. It was also clever of Truffaut to not spend too much time on exploring the world and keep the film's attention towards the characters and their story.

The story of Fahrenheit 451 is driven by its message of valuing literature and the need for humans to express individualism in order for life to be fulfilling. The antagonists in this film believe that life should be equal for all and painful emotions should be repressed by society as it proves no purpose in progressing mankind forward. I may not be a book enthusiast as I personally feel that it affects my experience of enjoying a film, but I do value its existence and the impact it has had on so many people. Before cinema, television and theatre productions there were literature to escape us from our lives and allow us to learn new things that would shape our intellectual and emotional values. The government is not seen and is barely touched on in this film but Truffaut lets us feel their presence through Television programs, ensuring they are controlled and keeping rebellious act at bay.

The human story in this film is primarily driven to push the film's message but thankfully, it was still able to deliver a strong and entertaining tale delivered through its empathetic and accessible protagonist. There isn't much to Montag that isn't already expressed on the surface but it didn't matter to me as the journey he goes through intellectually and emotionally was fascinating. I did have some issues with certain fragments of the story, mainly the scenes with Clarisse and the school she worked in, as those scenes slowed down the story and lacked a strong pay-off.

The score in this film, by Bernard Herrmann, is certainly far from his best work but it does do a good enough job to amplify the film's messages and help shape the film's atmosphere and tone. My feelings towards Nicolas Roeg's photography were similar to Herrmann's score, it does a good job in keeping our attentions but it doesn't amount to anything memorable or spectacular.

The acting in this film was strong but nothing worth of high praise. Oskar Werner as our protagonist, Guy Montag, did a good job playing a man who is conflicted about his profession and has started a powerful relationship with literature. Julie Christie played two different roles in this film, giving each one a different flavour in order to have them distinguishable but the intensity she delivers on both is similar. Cyril Cusack as The Captain of Fahrenheit 451 was entertaining to watch, it was so fun to watch him spill out his personal values of literature and make them feel real; there were moments where I actually felt physical angered because of the despicable things he said.

Fahrenheit 451 is certainly one of the director's stronger efforts. After seeing this, it makes me feel guilty that I don't read enough, making me feel intellectually hollow.