Fahrenheit 451
Starring:Oskar Werner, Julie Christie, Cyril Cusack, Anton Diffring, Jeremy Spenser, Bee Duffell, Alex Scott, Noel Davis, Fred Cox, Caroline Hunt, Kevin Elder, John Rae (II), Yvonne Blake, Judith Drinan, Gillian Aldam, Gillian Lewis, Anna Palk, Arthur Cox, Earl Younger, Donald Pickering
Director: François Truffaut
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with gasoline, and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct toward reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton
Average customer rating:
- A great classic
- Fahrenheit 451
- One of my favourite films
- Strange, but true
- A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film
|
Fahrenheit 451
Starring: Oskar Werner , Julie Christie , Cyril Cusack , Anton Diffring , and Jeremy Spenser
Director: François Truffaut
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
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Similar Items:
- Soylent Green
- The Andromeda Strain
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- Animal Farm
- Silent Running
ASIN: B000087F6L
Release Date: 2003-04-01 |
Amazon.com essential video
The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with gasoline, and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct toward reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
A great classic.......2007-06-27
A great classic that is pretty faithful for the book. The cinematography is superb and the overall DVD image and sound quality is superb.
Fahrenheit 451.......2007-03-20
Timeless story of the evil of political correctness. The cast in this movie is outstanding. Michael Moore deserves to burn in hell for besmirching the name of this movie for his petty drivel.
One of my favourite films.......2007-02-19
François Truffaut's first film in the English language still stands up well, in my opinion. It is a very fine adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book.
I wonder what it says to us today? Possibly quite a lot. The world in which the story takes place does look, superficially, inviting. Maybe this is what it means to be living in a police state? Guy Montag, played with great style by Oskar Werner, is a cool character (and forget the moronic American meaning of the word "cool" here), in that he isn't passionate and lives a rather passionless life. Millie Montag, his wife, is played by Julie Christie, who also plays the role of Clarice.
The film is powerful because it rarely overstates its case and keeps the violence to a minimum.
The film was "futuristic" in the mid-sixties, when it was made, and it does have a decidedly '60s look about it now. However, it does present us with a people who have forgotten books and get their kicks from very large -interactive TV screens - not that that would ever happen, would it!?
Strange, but true.......2007-02-07
This film had a powerful effect on me. 95% of the people I know don't read books. I met a millionaire not long ago, who boasted to me that he had never read a book in his life. Lady Di was reported never to have read anything --- except perhaps fashion mags. My children hardly read, and their husbands and wives certainly don't. My ex-wife never read anything. Her father thought Ulysses was a dirty book. I stopped watching television in 1980, and I own 10,000 books --- but not Fahrenheit 451, which I'd read about 45 years ago. This was long enough for me not to compare the film with Bradbury's text, but the message came through the movie medium loud and clear, and with a very solid punch to the plexus. The manner in which it is written, played and directed, added to its impact. This world of sleep-walkers perfectly matched what is already all around us. The style was strange, but gradually you realise that this strangeness is actually what is now completely normal. People live and work like automated morons. They can't think for themselves, and their critical faculties are almost totally atrophied. They can't conduct a stimulating conversation of any kind: in fact, present them with an idea, or attempt to initiate a discussion, and they'll often become angry. Some of the several low end reviews on this site illustrate precisely what the film depicts. Ludicrous suggestions: remake it with mad Mel Gibson. Have infantile Spielberg direct it. Bulk it out with computerised SFX. These ghastly proposals precisely reflect the mentality of the sub-humans which the film targets, and many of them seem unable to understand their own language, let alone write it, or spell it. This is a memorable film, for those whose memories still function. Unlike the Captain of the firemen.
A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film.......2006-12-19
Francois Truffaut's English language debut "Fahrenheit 451" is based on the world famous science-fiction novel by Ray Bradbury and stars Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. The movie is about a world in which books are banned and firemen don't put fires out, but instead burn books. Werner plays Montag, one such fireman who becomes involved with a schoolteacher named Clarisse (Christie), who dares to read. Meanwhile, Montag's wife Linda (also Christie) becomes more and more worried about her husbands reading habits. That's a quick summarization of the film. The movie came out in 1968, but is still as relevant, powerful, and fresh as it was back then. Nothing in the film seems to have aged...The term "science-fiction" can turn people off, but in this film that term hardly applies. Truffaut was already world-famous director, who has made French hits like The 400 Blows and Jules & Jim (which starred Werner). Truffaut never mastered the English language, which makes this even more impressive. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to direct a film in a language you hardly understand...Let alone a good film. The casting of Julie Christie in a dual role could have been a dire mistake, but manages to work perfectly. When the two characters are on-screen, I hardly noticed (or cared) that they were the same person. Werner adds a lot of depth to his performance as Montag (a character name that you're not likely to forget), although I'm not sure if he ever did another film in English. The films cinematography is by Nicolas Roeg, who would later direct Walkabout, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Don't Look Now (also starring Christie) and the film has the mark of a genius. The cinematography here is excellent. I've never read the book, but the movie is extraordinarily powerful. It's a film that everyone should see, and while you're at it...See some other Truffaut films too.
GRADE: A-
![Fahrenheit 451 [Region 2]](http://www.germanelectronics88.com/noimage.gif)
Average customer rating:
- A great classic
- Fahrenheit 451
- One of my favourite films
- Strange, but true
- A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film
|
Fahrenheit 451 [Region 2]
Starring: Oskar Werner , Julie Christie , Cyril Cusack , Anton Diffring , and Jeremy Spenser
Director: François Truffaut
ProductGroup: DVD
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Similar Items:
- Soylent Green
- The Andromeda Strain
- Fahrenheit 451
- Animal Farm
- Silent Running
ASIN: B0000DCXS3 |
Amazon.com essential video
The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with gasoline, and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct toward reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
A great classic.......2007-06-27
A great classic that is pretty faithful for the book. The cinematography is superb and the overall DVD image and sound quality is superb.
Fahrenheit 451.......2007-03-20
Timeless story of the evil of political correctness. The cast in this movie is outstanding. Michael Moore deserves to burn in hell for besmirching the name of this movie for his petty drivel.
One of my favourite films.......2007-02-19
François Truffaut's first film in the English language still stands up well, in my opinion. It is a very fine adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book.
I wonder what it says to us today? Possibly quite a lot. The world in which the story takes place does look, superficially, inviting. Maybe this is what it means to be living in a police state? Guy Montag, played with great style by Oskar Werner, is a cool character (and forget the moronic American meaning of the word "cool" here), in that he isn't passionate and lives a rather passionless life. Millie Montag, his wife, is played by Julie Christie, who also plays the role of Clarice.
The film is powerful because it rarely overstates its case and keeps the violence to a minimum.
The film was "futuristic" in the mid-sixties, when it was made, and it does have a decidedly '60s look about it now. However, it does present us with a people who have forgotten books and get their kicks from very large -interactive TV screens - not that that would ever happen, would it!?
Strange, but true.......2007-02-07
This film had a powerful effect on me. 95% of the people I know don't read books. I met a millionaire not long ago, who boasted to me that he had never read a book in his life. Lady Di was reported never to have read anything --- except perhaps fashion mags. My children hardly read, and their husbands and wives certainly don't. My ex-wife never read anything. Her father thought Ulysses was a dirty book. I stopped watching television in 1980, and I own 10,000 books --- but not Fahrenheit 451, which I'd read about 45 years ago. This was long enough for me not to compare the film with Bradbury's text, but the message came through the movie medium loud and clear, and with a very solid punch to the plexus. The manner in which it is written, played and directed, added to its impact. This world of sleep-walkers perfectly matched what is already all around us. The style was strange, but gradually you realise that this strangeness is actually what is now completely normal. People live and work like automated morons. They can't think for themselves, and their critical faculties are almost totally atrophied. They can't conduct a stimulating conversation of any kind: in fact, present them with an idea, or attempt to initiate a discussion, and they'll often become angry. Some of the several low end reviews on this site illustrate precisely what the film depicts. Ludicrous suggestions: remake it with mad Mel Gibson. Have infantile Spielberg direct it. Bulk it out with computerised SFX. These ghastly proposals precisely reflect the mentality of the sub-humans which the film targets, and many of them seem unable to understand their own language, let alone write it, or spell it. This is a memorable film, for those whose memories still function. Unlike the Captain of the firemen.
A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film.......2006-12-19
Francois Truffaut's English language debut "Fahrenheit 451" is based on the world famous science-fiction novel by Ray Bradbury and stars Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. The movie is about a world in which books are banned and firemen don't put fires out, but instead burn books. Werner plays Montag, one such fireman who becomes involved with a schoolteacher named Clarisse (Christie), who dares to read. Meanwhile, Montag's wife Linda (also Christie) becomes more and more worried about her husbands reading habits. That's a quick summarization of the film. The movie came out in 1968, but is still as relevant, powerful, and fresh as it was back then. Nothing in the film seems to have aged...The term "science-fiction" can turn people off, but in this film that term hardly applies. Truffaut was already world-famous director, who has made French hits like The 400 Blows and Jules & Jim (which starred Werner). Truffaut never mastered the English language, which makes this even more impressive. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to direct a film in a language you hardly understand...Let alone a good film. The casting of Julie Christie in a dual role could have been a dire mistake, but manages to work perfectly. When the two characters are on-screen, I hardly noticed (or cared) that they were the same person. Werner adds a lot of depth to his performance as Montag (a character name that you're not likely to forget), although I'm not sure if he ever did another film in English. The films cinematography is by Nicolas Roeg, who would later direct Walkabout, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Don't Look Now (also starring Christie) and the film has the mark of a genius. The cinematography here is excellent. I've never read the book, but the movie is extraordinarily powerful. It's a film that everyone should see, and while you're at it...See some other Truffaut films too.
GRADE: A-
Average customer rating:
- Not So Bad - I Liked It
- Disappointing Bradbury Documentary
|
Ray Bradbury: Dancing Among the Muses
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ASIN: B000L42NMI
Release Date: 2006-11-27 |
Description
Ray Bradbury, Dancing Among The Muses, is the film bio of American literary icon and master storyteller Ray Bradbury. Bradbury, author of such classic novels as The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man and Fahrenheit 451 and numerous screenplays such as Herman Melville's metaphoric saga, "Moby Dick". Through intimate interviews with Mr. Bradbury and some of his closest friends and colleagues, the viewer becomes a first hand observer to Bradbury's childhood in Waukegan Illinois, where a mysterious carnival performer changes his life forever. Next as a teenage as Bradbury journeys west with his family to a depression-era Hollywood - a move that puts him in the fantasy world of movies. And finally into the present where Bradbury resides today as the world's premiere storyteller with a list of classic movies, television shows and plays to his credit and more than 50 million books in print throughout the world.
Customer Reviews:
Not So Bad - I Liked It.......2007-06-28
If you disregard the film editing techniques and just listen to the words, I think you will find this program useful and inspiring. As the professor said there are a few things wrong such as missing name/date/location captions and a few stills that don't really make since, but the content is great. Who cares if Bradbury isn't perfectly clean shaven, it makes no since at all to use that as a degradation. We're lucky to see Ray speak at all these days. Those who have heard him talk before will recognize many of the same themes and stories that he has spoken of in the past, but at least for me there were a few things I had never heard before. It makes me want to pick up my copies of Dahl, Kneale and Collier, and all the other short story writers Ray has recommended, read them, and get back at the typewriter writing stories every day. And if that's not the most important thing, I don't know what is. As Ray would say to future writers, "Mad Love!" and "Onward!"
Disappointing Bradbury Documentary.......2007-01-04
As a literature professor I view lots of documentaries about authors, from well-produced works to bargain basement photo montages. This is frankly one of the worst I have seen. The disk itself even appears to be a cheap DVD recordable with a label, not a standard commercial DVD. The documentary is a collection of bland recent interview clips and lecture footage of a disheveled and often unshaven Bradbury interspersed with oft-repeated photos and fawning interview comments by others. No one is identified with a screen caption, so while Forrest Ackerman and James Whitmore are easily recognizable, the identities of several other interview subjects are a mystery (although suggested by the context). The camerawork is amateurish and the image jitters from time to time, sometimes inexplicably zooming or panning slightly. The music, such as it is, is comprised of someone strumming on a single guitar. I have seen first year film students put together better work than this. Very disappointing and not at all recommended.
Average customer rating:
- A great classic
- Fahrenheit 451
- One of my favourite films
- Strange, but true
- A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film
|
Fahrenheit 451
Starring: Oskar Werner , Julie Christie , Cyril Cusack , Anton Diffring , and Jeremy Spenser
Director: François Truffaut
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
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| Video
Classic Sci-Fi
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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| DVD
| Video
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General
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Similar Items:
- Soylent Green
- The Andromeda Strain
- Fahrenheit 451
- Animal Farm
- Silent Running
ASIN: B00000FYZI
Release Date: 1998-03-11 |
Amazon.com essential video
The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with gasoline, and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct toward reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton
Description
Ray Bradbury's best-selling science fiction masterpiece about a future without books takes on a chillingly realistic dimension in this film classic directed by one of the most important screen innovators of all time, the late Francois Truffaut.
Customer Reviews:
A great classic.......2007-06-27
A great classic that is pretty faithful for the book. The cinematography is superb and the overall DVD image and sound quality is superb.
Fahrenheit 451.......2007-03-20
Timeless story of the evil of political correctness. The cast in this movie is outstanding. Michael Moore deserves to burn in hell for besmirching the name of this movie for his petty drivel.
One of my favourite films.......2007-02-19
François Truffaut's first film in the English language still stands up well, in my opinion. It is a very fine adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book.
I wonder what it says to us today? Possibly quite a lot. The world in which the story takes place does look, superficially, inviting. Maybe this is what it means to be living in a police state? Guy Montag, played with great style by Oskar Werner, is a cool character (and forget the moronic American meaning of the word "cool" here), in that he isn't passionate and lives a rather passionless life. Millie Montag, his wife, is played by Julie Christie, who also plays the role of Clarice.
The film is powerful because it rarely overstates its case and keeps the violence to a minimum.
The film was "futuristic" in the mid-sixties, when it was made, and it does have a decidedly '60s look about it now. However, it does present us with a people who have forgotten books and get their kicks from very large -interactive TV screens - not that that would ever happen, would it!?
Strange, but true.......2007-02-07
This film had a powerful effect on me. 95% of the people I know don't read books. I met a millionaire not long ago, who boasted to me that he had never read a book in his life. Lady Di was reported never to have read anything --- except perhaps fashion mags. My children hardly read, and their husbands and wives certainly don't. My ex-wife never read anything. Her father thought Ulysses was a dirty book. I stopped watching television in 1980, and I own 10,000 books --- but not Fahrenheit 451, which I'd read about 45 years ago. This was long enough for me not to compare the film with Bradbury's text, but the message came through the movie medium loud and clear, and with a very solid punch to the plexus. The manner in which it is written, played and directed, added to its impact. This world of sleep-walkers perfectly matched what is already all around us. The style was strange, but gradually you realise that this strangeness is actually what is now completely normal. People live and work like automated morons. They can't think for themselves, and their critical faculties are almost totally atrophied. They can't conduct a stimulating conversation of any kind: in fact, present them with an idea, or attempt to initiate a discussion, and they'll often become angry. Some of the several low end reviews on this site illustrate precisely what the film depicts. Ludicrous suggestions: remake it with mad Mel Gibson. Have infantile Spielberg direct it. Bulk it out with computerised SFX. These ghastly proposals precisely reflect the mentality of the sub-humans which the film targets, and many of them seem unable to understand their own language, let alone write it, or spell it. This is a memorable film, for those whose memories still function. Unlike the Captain of the firemen.
A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film.......2006-12-19
Francois Truffaut's English language debut "Fahrenheit 451" is based on the world famous science-fiction novel by Ray Bradbury and stars Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. The movie is about a world in which books are banned and firemen don't put fires out, but instead burn books. Werner plays Montag, one such fireman who becomes involved with a schoolteacher named Clarisse (Christie), who dares to read. Meanwhile, Montag's wife Linda (also Christie) becomes more and more worried about her husbands reading habits. That's a quick summarization of the film. The movie came out in 1968, but is still as relevant, powerful, and fresh as it was back then. Nothing in the film seems to have aged...The term "science-fiction" can turn people off, but in this film that term hardly applies. Truffaut was already world-famous director, who has made French hits like The 400 Blows and Jules & Jim (which starred Werner). Truffaut never mastered the English language, which makes this even more impressive. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to direct a film in a language you hardly understand...Let alone a good film. The casting of Julie Christie in a dual role could have been a dire mistake, but manages to work perfectly. When the two characters are on-screen, I hardly noticed (or cared) that they were the same person. Werner adds a lot of depth to his performance as Montag (a character name that you're not likely to forget), although I'm not sure if he ever did another film in English. The films cinematography is by Nicolas Roeg, who would later direct Walkabout, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Don't Look Now (also starring Christie) and the film has the mark of a genius. The cinematography here is excellent. I've never read the book, but the movie is extraordinarily powerful. It's a film that everyone should see, and while you're at it...See some other Truffaut films too.
GRADE: A-
![Fahrenheit 451 [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21XQJ9GGYJL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- A great classic
- Fahrenheit 451
- One of my favourite films
- Strange, but true
- A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film
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Fahrenheit 451 [Region 2]
Starring: Oskar Werner , Julie Christie , Cyril Cusack , Anton Diffring , and Jeremy Spenser
Director: François Truffaut
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ASIN: B00006495Q |
Amazon.com essential video
The classic science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury was a curious choice for one of the leading directors of the French New Wave, François Truffaut. But from the opening credits onward (spoken, not written on screen), Truffaut takes Bradbury's fascinating premise and makes it his own. The futuristic society depicted in Fahrenheit 451 is a culture without books. Firemen still race around in red trucks and wear helmets, but their job is to start fires: they ferret out forbidden stashes of books, douse them with gasoline, and make public bonfires. Oskar Werner, the star of Truffaut's Jules and Jim, plays a fireman named Montag, whose exposure to David Copperfield wakens an instinct toward reading and individual thought. (That's why books are banned--they give people too many ideas.) In an intriguing casting flourish, Julie Christie plays two roles: Montag's bored, drugged-up wife and the woman who helps kindle the spark of rebellion. The great Bernard Herrmann wrote the hard-driving music; Nicolas Roeg provided the cinematography. Fahrenheit 451 received a cool critical reception and has never quite been accepted by Truffaut fans or sci-fi buffs. Its deliberately listless manner has always been a problem, although that is part of its point; the lack of reading has made people dry and empty. If the movie is a bit stiff (Truffaut did not speak English well and never tried another project in English), it nevertheless is full of intriguing touches, and the ending is lyrical and haunting. --Robert Horton
Customer Reviews:
A great classic.......2007-06-27
A great classic that is pretty faithful for the book. The cinematography is superb and the overall DVD image and sound quality is superb.
Fahrenheit 451.......2007-03-20
Timeless story of the evil of political correctness. The cast in this movie is outstanding. Michael Moore deserves to burn in hell for besmirching the name of this movie for his petty drivel.
One of my favourite films.......2007-02-19
François Truffaut's first film in the English language still stands up well, in my opinion. It is a very fine adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book.
I wonder what it says to us today? Possibly quite a lot. The world in which the story takes place does look, superficially, inviting. Maybe this is what it means to be living in a police state? Guy Montag, played with great style by Oskar Werner, is a cool character (and forget the moronic American meaning of the word "cool" here), in that he isn't passionate and lives a rather passionless life. Millie Montag, his wife, is played by Julie Christie, who also plays the role of Clarice.
The film is powerful because it rarely overstates its case and keeps the violence to a minimum.
The film was "futuristic" in the mid-sixties, when it was made, and it does have a decidedly '60s look about it now. However, it does present us with a people who have forgotten books and get their kicks from very large -interactive TV screens - not that that would ever happen, would it!?
Strange, but true.......2007-02-07
This film had a powerful effect on me. 95% of the people I know don't read books. I met a millionaire not long ago, who boasted to me that he had never read a book in his life. Lady Di was reported never to have read anything --- except perhaps fashion mags. My children hardly read, and their husbands and wives certainly don't. My ex-wife never read anything. Her father thought Ulysses was a dirty book. I stopped watching television in 1980, and I own 10,000 books --- but not Fahrenheit 451, which I'd read about 45 years ago. This was long enough for me not to compare the film with Bradbury's text, but the message came through the movie medium loud and clear, and with a very solid punch to the plexus. The manner in which it is written, played and directed, added to its impact. This world of sleep-walkers perfectly matched what is already all around us. The style was strange, but gradually you realise that this strangeness is actually what is now completely normal. People live and work like automated morons. They can't think for themselves, and their critical faculties are almost totally atrophied. They can't conduct a stimulating conversation of any kind: in fact, present them with an idea, or attempt to initiate a discussion, and they'll often become angry. Some of the several low end reviews on this site illustrate precisely what the film depicts. Ludicrous suggestions: remake it with mad Mel Gibson. Have infantile Spielberg direct it. Bulk it out with computerised SFX. These ghastly proposals precisely reflect the mentality of the sub-humans which the film targets, and many of them seem unable to understand their own language, let alone write it, or spell it. This is a memorable film, for those whose memories still function. Unlike the Captain of the firemen.
A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Film.......2006-12-19
Francois Truffaut's English language debut "Fahrenheit 451" is based on the world famous science-fiction novel by Ray Bradbury and stars Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. The movie is about a world in which books are banned and firemen don't put fires out, but instead burn books. Werner plays Montag, one such fireman who becomes involved with a schoolteacher named Clarisse (Christie), who dares to read. Meanwhile, Montag's wife Linda (also Christie) becomes more and more worried about her husbands reading habits. That's a quick summarization of the film. The movie came out in 1968, but is still as relevant, powerful, and fresh as it was back then. Nothing in the film seems to have aged...The term "science-fiction" can turn people off, but in this film that term hardly applies. Truffaut was already world-famous director, who has made French hits like The 400 Blows and Jules & Jim (which starred Werner). Truffaut never mastered the English language, which makes this even more impressive. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to direct a film in a language you hardly understand...Let alone a good film. The casting of Julie Christie in a dual role could have been a dire mistake, but manages to work perfectly. When the two characters are on-screen, I hardly noticed (or cared) that they were the same person. Werner adds a lot of depth to his performance as Montag (a character name that you're not likely to forget), although I'm not sure if he ever did another film in English. The films cinematography is by Nicolas Roeg, who would later direct Walkabout, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Don't Look Now (also starring Christie) and the film has the mark of a genius. The cinematography here is excellent. I've never read the book, but the movie is extraordinarily powerful. It's a film that everyone should see, and while you're at it...See some other Truffaut films too.
GRADE: A-
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