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Fahrenheit 451
Stars:
Julie Christie, Oskar Werner, Cyril Cusack, Anton Diffring, Jeremy Spenser, and
Alex Scott
Writer:
Francois Truffaut and Jean-Louis Richard
Based
On The Novel By: Ray Bradbury
Director:
Francois Truffaut
Feature
length: 1 hour and 53 minutes
Extras:
Commentary Track, The Novel: A Discussion With Author Ray Bradbury, Making Of
Fahrenheit 451, The Music Of Fahrenheit 451, Original Title Sequence, Still
Gallery, Theatrical Trailer
Languages:
English Monaural
Subtitles:
English Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 16
Sound:
Monaural Sound
Year
of Theatrical Release: 1966/DVD Release: 2003
Theatrical
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Home
Video Distributor: Universal Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
“What
does Montag do on his day off?”
“Mow
the lawn.”
“And
if it is illegal to mow the lawn?”
“Sit
and watch it grow…”
Guy Montag (Oskar Werner) is an agent of some near future state. A regimented firemen, he burns volumes of books and even teaches young recruits the art of finding books through learning how to hide them. Books our outlawed by this society because the government dictates that it creates unrest in the populace. However it is obvious that when you remove one’s ability to read and destroy their language and sense of history so as a result you make them easier to control and manipulate through the media. Not unlike the more intensely totalitarian world of George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” though the mind control is somewhat different here. In fact I think one can see elements of Huxley’s “Brave New World” as well. It is a strange world of theatrical width interactive televisions side by side by retro telephones, which calls to mind the world Terry Gilliam created for “Brazil.” The truth is all of this exists with the mass media indoctrination of society through television and the Internet as well as the overpriced novelty items you might find at a department store or specialty shop like The Sharper Image where people will buy replicas of old fashioned phones and whatnot. Yet this is a society where communication and idea sharing that is beyond what the regime dictates is also discouraged so we see images of people displaying narcissistic behavior such as when the viewer sees people touching their shoulders, fondling their clothes, and even one girl kissing her reflection in the window. Mood numbing drugs are prescribed and everything seems complicit and functional, but there is no artistry, no individualism, and no connection between even a man and his wife.
So
it is no surprised that Montag would find himself slowly becoming seduced by
Clarisee, a school teacher who looks a lot like his wife though their
similarities end there. (Julie Christie played both roles.) As Montag’s spirit
is awakened, his awareness of the sleeping state of all those around him causes
him to act out in frustration as he begins to read more and more and becomes a
fugitive like those he seeks out, hiding books around his house until his wife
turns him in. From there on Montag falls into a series of actions culminating in
a life or death chase out of the city and into the countryside to seek what he
has been told are “The Book People.”
Originally
released under license from Universal through Image Entertainment a few years
ago in a featureless letterboxed presentation, this new release directly from
Universal Home Entertainment features an anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) aspect
ratio with an English Two-Channel Monaural Soundtrack with optional English
Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles.
Unfortunately the print used for the transfer seems to be the same one used for
the previous release because there are instances of debris and very visible
grain from the print itself throughout the film presentation on this new disc.
The positive side is that the details of the background and textures are richer
with no color bleeding. It is just a shame a cleaner print was used for this DVD.
The two-channel monaural soundtrack is free of analogue hissing and background
noise.
Actress
Julie Christie, Author Ray Bradbury, Producer Lewis Allen, Bernard Herman
Biographer Steven Smith, and Editor Tom Noble are among the participants for a
feature length audio commentary track that is made up from several interviews
conducted for this DVD release and cut together with a narrator telling the
listener who they are hearing each time a different person speaks. Christie
seems to express her concern for how elements from “Fahrenheit 451” exist in
England and the United States today such as hotlines to inform on people
suspected of unemployment fraud, drugs, and pornography. She also indicts the
tabloid media’s lust for “ruining” the lives of public figures through
going from one’s trash or having someone speak trash about another to sell
papers or crank up TV ratings. DVD Producer Laurent Bouzereau chimes in with
background on the history of how Truffaut came to direct “Fahrenheit 451” as
his first English language motion picture. He also notes Truffaut’s dislike
for science fiction as it relates to the fact that Bradbury himself does
actually state more than once on this DVD that he considers “Fahrenheit 451”
a work of science fiction while he notes “The Martian Chronicles” as being
archetypal mythology. Interesting to note is the fact that Truffaut would go on
to appear in Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters Of the Third Kind.”
Bradley states that Truffaut was not very unlike the character he played in
“Close Encounters Of The Third Kind” as well as some of the elements he wish
were included in Truffaut’s film as well as elements he was glad Truffaut
omitted at his suggestion. Editor Tom Noble gives some anecdotes about working
with Truffaut such as hiring a sound designer who would record every element in
the studio thinking that at least Truffaut would have everything he could
possibly want even if he has not asked for it only to learn later Truffaut’s
requests however small they were was all he intended, wanted, or ever needed.
The
commentary has so many speakers giving great background information on the film
that sometimes is repeated by the documentaries and featurettes that are also
included that it is almost impossible to touch upon everything, but I can sum it
up by stating that the commentary makes up a lot for the disappointing transfer
and I think it makes this DVD a must purchase as a result for fans of the film,
those who will want to upgrade, and Truffaut admirers. Laurent Bouzereau
produced and directed all of the featurettes for this DVD in a style similar to
the film. Among the featurettes is “The Novel: A Discussion With Author Ray
Bradbury” (11:28) with a videotaped interview with Bradbury explaining the
genesis of the story and how it developed from short story to even selling
publication rights to Hugh Heffner for $400 dollars for “Playboy” through to
the original novel.
The
documentary “The Making Of Fahrenheit 451” (44:29) covers the pre-production
through the initial negative response and it’s subsequent acceptance as well
as some of the production problems including disagreements between Oskar Werner
and Truffaut that got increasingly ugly as the production went on. “The Music
Of Fahrenheit 451” (16:42) illuminates on how the film helped bring a second
wind to Bernard Hermann’s career after Alfred Hitchcock fired Hermann on
another feature. There is a motion photo gallery (5:08) of one-sheet art, color
production stills, and black and white behind-the-scenes shots too. The
alternate title sequence (1:06) doesn’t look very different from the one in
the film. The (1.33:1) theatrical trailer (2:38) feels more like a newsreel than
a traditional trailer. Recommendation images of other titles available on DVD
from Universal that includes “12 Monkeys,” “The Andromeda Strain,” and
“Pitch Black” wrap up the extra features on this DVD release.
The
main menu is animated while the subsequent menus that are standard interactive
still frames, which are easy to navigate. Overall
I think there are more plusses to this DVD than minuses and is definitely a hell
of a lot better than the movie only Image release, making it a recommendation on
my part when “Fahrenheit 451” debuts on DVD-Video on Tuesday, April 1, 2003
from Universal Home Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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Fahrenheit 451