Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.5

Fahrenheit 451 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 9, 2017

Screened at the Venice Film Festival and nominated for the prestigious Golden Lion Award, François Truffaut's "Fahrenheit 451" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival audio commentary with Julie Christie; making of featurette; video interview with author Ray Bradbury; and more. In English, with optional English SDH and Japanese subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The firemen

The future. Guy Montag (Oskar Werner, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Jules and Jim) is a member of a fire brigade that is constantly on the move. But instead of putting out fires Guy and his colleagues get paid to create them - so that they can burn books.

The middle-aged fireman is married to the beautiful but predictable Linda Montag (Julie Christie, Doctor Zhivago, The Go-Between), who spends the majority of her time watching dull reality shows on a large interactive TV set. Linda likes her husband’s job because he makes enough while keeping everyone in their town safe. At home he also never questions her decisions, which is why she frequently rearranges their furniture.

Life in the Montags’ residence changes dramatically when on the way back from work Guy meets the quiet but passionate about literature Clarisse (Christie). The two talk about life, the unusually strict rules that shape up people’s expectations of each other, and eventually books. Deeply moved by Clarisse’s honesty, Guy slowly begins to question his beliefs and monotonous way of life.

Based on the popular novel by Ray Bradbury, Francois Truffaut’s first and only English-language film is fascinating to behold but at the same time deeply disturbing. It is fascinating because the visuals frequently do not look or feel futuristic at all. For example, the sterile ‘modern’ homes normal people like Guy and Linda live in are very much a reality today. The interactive reality shows Linda is obsessed with are also part of everyday life. The maddening suburban isolation, which is very effectively captured here, is also real.

The film becomes seriously disturbing because in addition to the accurate visuals Bradbury’s observations about the end of privacy, the danger of special interest eliminating personal freedoms in the name of safety, and the state becoming the ultimate force whose authority can never be questioned now feel deadly serious. Especially during the second half, where Guy begins to realize that he has become a docile puppet whose one and only function is to react as expected, there are some very disturbing observations that target precisely the fears many of us have today.

The only part of the film that feels somewhat dated is the finale, but only because like Linda and her friends too many of us have already become comfortable with the idea that books are no longer needed. In our reality the brainwashing has been completed by giant search engines that can instantly deliver the ‘right’ answer to any question, while also filtering all the ‘wrong’ ones in the name of safety.

Werner’s gradual transformation from a docile puppet into a normal human being is very convincing. He is at his very best when he becomes paranoid and begins saving the books he wants to read. Christie’s double performance is simply terrific. The great Cyril Cusack plays the fanatical captain who is completely brainwashed by the unfaultable System.

Fahrenheit 451 was lensed by the great Nic Roeg (Walkabout, Don't Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth). The film is also complimented by a beautiful orchestral score courtesy of Oscar winning composer Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver).

Fahrenheit 451 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, François Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same old and very problematic master that German label Koch Media accessed in 2013 for its local release. Needless to say, the end result is equally disappointing. To be perfectly clear, the entire film has a very harsh digital appearance because various denoising and sharpening adjustments have been performed on the master. In a lot of the wider panoramic shots, for instance, depth is essentially completely lost, while elsewhere the thick borders that edge-enhancement typically introduces is incredibly distracting. The primary colors are stable, but nuances are missing and in some areas it is quite clear that other issues have exacerbated much smaller and otherwise tolerable fluctuations. The only good news here is that there are no serious stability issues. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Fahrenheit 451 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS 2.0. Optional English SDH. Japanese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Obviously, the audio has not been recently remastered, but I like the lossless track a lot. Both depth and clarity are very good and there are no serious balance issues to report. Also, I would like to point out that there are no noticeable age-related imperfections.

Fahrenheit 451 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Making of Fahrenheit 451 - this documentary feature was directed by Laurent Bouzereau and edited by David Palmer. It features clips from archival interviews with professor Anette Insdorf, producer Luise Allan, Ray Bradbury, and editor Thom Noble. The documentary initially appeared on the R1 DVD release of Fahrenheit 451 which Universal Studios produced in 2003. In English, with optional English and Japanese subtitles. (45 min).

• The Novel: A Discussion with Author Ray Bradbury - this filmed discussion with author Ray Bradbury was included on the R1 DVD release of the film. In English, with optional English and Japanese subtitles. (12 min).

• The Music of Fahrenheit 451 - included in this featurette are clips from archival interviews with Steven C. Smith (Bernard Herrmann biographer), producer Lewis M. Allen, Ray Bradbury, editor Thom Noble, and professor Anette Insdorf. The featurette was included on the R1 DVD release of the film. In English, with optional English and Japanese subtitles. (17 min).

• Trailer - original English trailer for Fahrenheit 451. In English, with optional English and Japanese subtitles. (3 min).

• Original Title Sequence of Feature -in English, with optional English and Japanese subtitles. (2 min).

• Photo and Poster Gallery - a collection of original archival and promotional materials for Fahrenheit 451. (6 min).

• Audio Commentary - audio commentary with actress Julie Christie (with comments from editor Thom Noble, producer Lewis M. Allen, and professor Annette Insdorf). In English.

Fahrenheit 451 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a very disappointing Blu-ray release of François Truffaut's classic film Fahrenheit 451. It is sourced from the same old and very problematic master that German label Koch Media used to produce its local release in 2013. The film needs to be rescanned and then a fresh new master needs to be prepared so that eventually we can have a proper Blu-ray release. Hopefully, this is a project that a boutique label like Criterion can do in the future. AVOID.