Fahrenheit 451 (1966)
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The Plot
At some time in the film's past the government decided that reading was harmful to its citizens and reassigned fire brigades with a mission of seeking out and burning all books, with readers classed as enemies of the state.
Montag (OSKAR WERNER) is a fireman who demonstrates great flair at unearthing the ingenious hiding places in which those who resist the law keep their books. And, very satisfied with his services, the captain does not hesitate to give him a glimpse of a nice promotion, which does not fail to delight Linda (JULIE CHRISTIE), Montag's wife, a young woman with long hair whose submission to the norms of society is quite exemplary but who Montage is beginning to tire of.
One day Montag meets Clarisse (JULIE CHRISTIE), a young blonde girl with short hair, a perfect replica of Linda Clarisse who questions the assumptions regarding his job and makes Montag begin to doubt his government, his profession, and his marriage.
Daza first saw this in a high school English class where its Continential approach to cinema gripped his imagination. The theme of government control is all the more powerful for the rather matter-of-fact way it impacts the characters - it's not brutal, but for you own good.
Oskar Werener is a wonderfully out of his depth Montag, clinging to conformity while aching to rebel, and Cyril Cusack dominates the screen as a calmly sadistic officer of the state who just can't see why anyone would want to bother with ideas. Full of striking images and powerful ideas - We like it!
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The Press Release
Ray Bradbury's imaginative novel set in a futuristic society where books are taboo and their readers persecuted by a ruthless fire brigade intent on their destruction presented a challenge to the creative powers of François Truffaut, one of France's leading film-makers. He has directed a film which brilliantly yet chillingly recreates the images and characters transferred from the written page to the screen.
To portray the characters from Bradbury's novel, he secured the services of Britain's most important young-generation actress, Julie Christie, fresh from her 1966 Best Actress Academy Award winning triumph, and Oskar Werner. The famed Viennese star was also a highly-rated contender in the 'Oscar' stakes, For Miss Christie, Fahrenheit 451 marked her first dual role. Also cast in the vital role of the sadistic Fire Chief, Irish actor Cyril Cusack brings conviction and complete authority to every scene in which he appears.
Director Truffaut wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Jean-Louis Richard. Lewis M. Allen was Executive Producer for Fahrenheit 451, a Vineyard Films Ltd. Production for Universal-International release.
The screen interpretation of science-fiction ace Ray Bradbury's first full-length novel, Fahrenheit 451 presented a big challenge to the technical skill, artistry and imagination of the world's leading film-makers. First to accept the challenge was François Truffaut, one of France's most original avant-garde directors, whose five previous films have netted him no less than twenty-four major international awards at the early age of thirty-Tour.
He had first read and been highly impressed by the Bradbury futuristic drama and its filmic possibilities some six years ago. For various reasons, he was unable to pursue its journey to screen life until early in 1966. To do so, he travelled to Pinewood Studios, England. For Truffaut, Fahrenheit 451 marked a trio of notable highlights in his professional career. It was his first film to be made in the English language; his first to be photo graphed in colour, and his first to use special settings constructed in a major motion picture studio.
Difficulties created by the language barrier presented few problems. His leading stars and technical staff all had at least a working knowledge of the French tongue. For the two leading feminine roles, Truffaut was fortunate to arouse the interest of Julie Christie, the girl with the contemporary looks, long before she became a world 'name' by winning Hollywood's Academy Award
Fahrenheit 451 marks 25-year-old Miss Christie's firs dual role. Both girls she plays are outwardly similar in appearance and facial resemblance, yet their inner personalities and outlook on the world in which they live are poles apart.
Clarisse is a thinking girl, a young school-teacher who loves the banned books it is a crime to keep keep and whose passion for reading pots her life in constant danger from the state. Her double is Linda, beautiful wife of dedicated fireman Montag She is a girl brainwashed into believing utterly and completely in the all-the-family 'participation' television television programmes p churned out day and night to replace free-thinking by its semi-hypnotised viewers
A chance meeting with Clarisse on the homeward-bound homeward-bound mono-rail one evening has the disastrous effect of ultimately disrupting the hitherto orderly life of Montag, a fireman soon due for well-deserved promotion after spending years of obeying orders without question.
His conversation with the girl leads him to read one of the confiscated books, then another and another. In time, he finds himself becoming akin to the hunted book-lovers he has pursued so mercilessly. He is forced to kill the sadistic Fire Chief when his frightened wife, Linda, betrays him to the fire brigade and he is forced to participate in a surprise raid on his own house.
Now a wanted man, Montag fees society to join the increasing army of book people living in simple contentment beyond the boundaries imposed by law.
The role of Montag appealed strongly to Oskar Werner, who is regarded as the Laurence Olivier of the Austrian stage and screen. Here was a complex character and a clear challenge to his artistic sensitivity.
Werner was enthusiastic about renewing his professional partnership with François Truffaut, for the two men found their creative talents in complete accord when they first joined forces a few years ago for the romantic drama, "Jules et Jim", which became one of the most highly-praised examples of European film-making.
Dublin-born Cyril Cusack, who is equally at home on the stage of the Abbey Theatre in his native city, on Broadway, or before the motion picture cameras in Hollywood or London, will gather still more laurels for his memorable Fahrenheit 451 performance. He portrays Montag's superior officer, the Firehouse Captain, a sadistic man who has previously thought highly of Montag's integrity, even to the point of promotion. Yet he does not hesitate to seek to destroy him when he discovers that he has been converted to the ranks of the despised book-lovers.
As proof of his startling versatility, Casack has starred most recently in espionage thrillers like Where the Spits Are, The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (which also featured Oskar Werner) and the lyrical Irish drama. I Was Happy Here. An asset to every production in which he appears, Cusack's role in Fahrenheit 451 is a highlight of an absorbing, always riveting style of cinema.
Other cast members worthy of singular praise include Anton Dittring as a fireman jealous of Montag's favouritism with the Captain. Jeremy Spemer as a youthful book-lover, and Bee Duffell, as an old lady who prefers to die amidst the fames destroying the books which she has cherished all her life.
Although his works have placed him in an unique category as probably the world's foremost science-fiction author, Fahrenheit 451 is Ray Bradbury's first full-length novel. It is on the curriculum for high school students in the United States, and in translation has been read by millions around the world. He has penned 237 published stories, one hundred of them in the science-fiction category.
The intriguing tide is derived from the temperature at which book paper catches fire and burns.
Fahrenheit 451 is the first in a series of future projects to be made in Britain and Europe by Universal Pictures. Also worthy of note are Nicholas Roeg's Technicolor photography and the absence of printed credit titles. In keeping with a subject in which books are banned, the technical credits are spoken by a girl's voice over the opening shots
Truffaut has described his film as a fable set in the electronic age. The result for director, cast and crew is a bold and creative step. Without question, Fahrenheit 451 must be the most imaginative, stimulating and thought-provoking subject ever to have been conceived in a British studio.
Film Tie-in editions of the novel
