Based on the 1960 novel of the same name by author Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451 is an insightful study of our society and the fears of the Cold War.
It presents us with an oppressive future society in which the reading of books has been banned to control public opinion and is considered criminal conduct. Given the current American trend of banning books, François Truffaut’s charmingly retro-futurist film feels like a wake-up call.
An effective touch is that the movie’s credits are not printed, but spoken at the beginning of the film.
In this vision of the future, firemen are the foot soldiers of the repressive ruling culture. Montag (Oskar Werner) is a fireman, and his job is to incinerate books and the property of those who read them. (451° Fahrenheit is described as the temperature at which paper catches fire, although this is not strictly accurate.)
The people in this uniform, permanently supervised society lead dreary lives, with no individual responsibilities beyond work, obedience, and watching manipulative TV shows. There is no personal or intellectual freedom.
On his way home from work one day, Montag is approached by Clarisse (Julie Christie), who questions him about his profession and its damage to society.
She gives herself away as a reader and challenges Montag to decide for himself the evils of reading by experiencing it firsthand.
Intrigued by the thought that there might actually be a better life to be found in books, he steals a book from one of his jobs and begins reading it at night.
The book devastates him emotionally, freeing his mind and expanding his horizons.
Montag becomes a devoted reader, torn between his duty and his love for books.
When his conformist wife, also played by Julie Christie, discovers his reading habit, she informs on him. Montag is declared an outlaw and forced to flee as a fugitive in a search for his freedom and a better life.
He finally finds an encampment of fellow fugitives – the ‘book people’ – who pass their days memorising the contents of great written works so they can pass them on verbally to future generations.
As each of these refugees commits a book to memory, they also take the title’s name, ensuring the works live on for future generations.
Don’t even bother with the 2018 remake.
Montag
Oskar Werner
Clarisse/Linda
Julie Christie
The Captain
Cyril Cusack
Fabian
Anton Diffring
Book Lady
Bee Duffell
Jackie
Anna Palk
Doris
Anne Bell
Helen
Caroline Hunt
An effective touch is that the movie’s credits are not printed, but spoken at the beginning of the film.
Montag becomes a devoted reader, torn between his duty and his love for books.
Montag 
