Fahrenheit 451 is a 1966 film directed by Francois Truffaut, adapted from the science fiction novel of the same title by American author Ray Bradbury. This is the tale of a society in which books are outlawed, and instead of putting out fires, firemen start them. One of the firemen, named Guy Montag, starts to question his role, and must decide what to stand for. I enjoyed the book, but the film, not so much. I think that the film version is not a good adaptation of the book, due to changes in plot and characters.

This film is set in a futuristic society, the location is unknown. The props make it seem as if the society is colorless, as all  the houses are dull colors. The film is in color, allowing a better understanding of the setting. The setting is important to the film, as it allows us to know what the characters are experiencing. The setting is the frame for a story, while the plot is the picture inside.

The plot in the film is definitely different from the book. In the beginning they both follow the same basic storyline. Guy Montag is a firemen in a society where all written material is illegal, and the firemen burn it. He meets a young girl named Clarisse, and everything changes. He starts to question his role, and he decides to stand up for the books. My only issues with the film is that there are extra scenes that didn’t happen in the book, the end was completely different, and that some characters were changed . For example, in the book, Guy’s wife is named Mildred, but in the film, her name is Linda.

Guy Montag, the main character, is played by Oskar Werner, a German actor. I think he did a great role at fulfilling my image of Guy. Linda Montag, Guy’s wife, and Clarisse McClellan, his neighbor, were both played by Julie Christie, and I did not like that. I think that different characters should be played by different actors. Cyril Cusack portrayed his character, Captain Beatty, well. The casting was pretty true to the characters of the book.

Considering this film was produced in 1966, and was the director’s first color film, it was pretty decent. I think the theme of the film is to stand up for what you believe is right. I came to this conclusion because the whole film is about Montag deciding what is right, and then taking risks for his belief.

So, I think that this film was a decent adaptation of the book. The only problems I had were with the changes in plot, and characters. But considering this was a 1966 film, I think it was pretty good. I would give this movie three out of five stars, just due to the changes from the novel.