ENG4U - Ivan Garelli
Movie vs. Book comparison script:
Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a strange future where books are set to burn and people are glued to their screens. The two adaptations roughly follow the same storyline where Guy Montag realizes how backwards his society has become and tries desperately to make a change. The main alterations lie in their themes.
The movie basically followed the original in less detail. While it doesn't add much to the story it definitely does some things right, like the directing. Truffaut made the film puzzling and the characters fittingly robotic and lifeless. He also well portrays how mindless technology has made us:
The film also emphasizes on the topic of nature vs. nurture, and while overused, Truffaut handles the subject very well. For example, Julie Christie played both the role of Clarisse and Linda (named Mildred in the book). They are polar opposite characters; Clarisse: lively and smart, Linda: dull and short-sighted (definition of Linda: Cute, Pretty / definition of Mildred: gentle strength). This is interesting as it demonstrates how the same person could go through different paths based on their upbringing. Which also relates, in a bigger scale, to how society had the ability of going in either directions.
An example of this is where kids are taught to fear Clarisse because of her difference from everyone else.
The movie strays away from the original idea that it's the people's fault that society has turned this way, instead, it's more about government censorship and oppression. While it's an important topic, not much originality went into it here.
"Remember, the firemen are rarely necessary. The public itself stopped reading of its own accord. You firemen provide a circus now and then at which buildings are set off and crowds gather for the pretty blaze, but it's a small sideshow indeed, and hardly necessary to keep things in line." This is emphasized often in the book, and it's a very powerful idea. It puts the responsibility on to you instead of the usual higher power.
Bradbury's novel also well expresses the theme of continuity. He explains how the key to society's progression is the preservation of history as people are bound to repeat mistakes if they're ignorant. He stresses the fact that humanity must learn to be selfless by showing how horrible a selfish society can be.
Finally, I think the book is a must-read, especially nowadays, it's very thought-provoking. And the movie? While its foundation was already solid, it still found ways to be an exciting watch.
Apart from themes, the two interpretations leave you with a different taste. The movie ends with the feeling of hope, while the book leaves you in guilt and desperation. Both visions definitely achieve their goals, and while they approach it differently, I definitely feel like I need to make a change in my life.