Fahrenheit 451 1966

Fahrenheit 451

Critics Consensus

Fahrenheit 451 is an intriguing film that suffuses Truffaut's trademark wit and black humor with the intelligence and morality of Ray Bradbury's novel.

81%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 36

72%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 25,739

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Fahrenheit 451 Photos

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Movie Info

Adaptation of the Ray Bradbury novel about a future society that has banned all reading material and the job of the firemen is to keep the fires at 451 degrees: the temperature that paper burns. A fireman begins to re-think his job when he meets a book-loving girl.
  • Genre:
    sci fi
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    François Truffaut
  • Producer:
    Lewis M. Allen
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Anglo Enterprises, Vineyard
  • Sound Mix:
    Mono
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Flat (1.85:1)

Cast & Crew

Oskar Werner
Montag
Julie Christie
Linda, Clarisse
Cyril Cusack
The Captain
Anton Diffring
Fabian
Jeremy Spenser
Man with the Apple
Bee Duffell
Book Lady
Alex Scott
Book Person: "The Life of Henry Brulard"
Gillian Lewis
TV Announcer (uncredited)
Ann Bell
Doris (uncredited)
Caroline Hunt
Helen (uncredited)
François Truffaut
Director
Ray Bradbury
Writer (Novel)
Jean-Louis Richard
Writer (Screenplay)
François Truffaut
Writer (Screenplay)
Helen Scott
Writer (Dialogue)
Lewis M. Allen
Producer
Miriam Brickman
Executive Producer
Michael Dalamar
Associate Producer
Jane C. Nusbaum
Associate Producer
Bernard Herrmann
Original Music
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Critic Reviews for Fahrenheit 451

All Critics (36) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (29) | Rotten (7)

  • Even at the science-fiction horror-story level, the movie fails -- partly, I think, because Truffaut is too much of an artist to exploit the vulgar possibilities in the material.

    August 30, 2012 | Full Review…

    Pauline Kael

    The New Republic
    Top Critic

  • This 1966 film often looks good (it was Truffaut's first in color, photographed by Nicolas Roeg), but the ideas, such as they are, get lost in the meandering narrative.

    June 5, 2007 | Full Review…

    Dave Kehr

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • With a serious and even terrifying theme, this excursion into science fiction has been thoughtfully directed by Francois Truffaut and there is adequate evidence of light touches to bring welcome and needed relief to a sombre and scarifying subject.

    June 5, 2007 | Full Review…
    Variety
    Top Critic

  • An underrated film, perhaps because it is less science fiction than a tale of 'once upon a time.'

    January 26, 2006 | Full Review…
    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • Holy smoke! What a pretentious and pedantic production he has made.

    May 20, 2003 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Bosley Crowther

    New York Times
    Top Critic

  • Ultimately, the film has a powerful emotional impact, but it is achieved the hard way -- through the mind rather than the viscera -- and only in Its own good time.

    August 30, 2019 | Full Review…

    Richard Schickel

    LIFE
View All Critic Reviews (36)

Audience Reviews for Fahrenheit 451

  • Dec 21, 2015
    More like a jazz riff on the source material than a note by note translation, Traffaut's version actually adds interesting layers not intended by Bradbury. It's always cool to see how the past imagined the future and this imagination is well layered. For instance all the houses have TV antennas. Its a important feature of Traffaut's vision --- and its wrong technically. Nobody back then saw WIFI coming. On the other hand wall-sized flat screens are a right on the money prediction. On the whole the film is an uneven affair, and Werner's presence is disconcerting, yet as sci-fi it totally works. Its not just about burning books. Its about controlling the masses.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • Mar 30, 2012
    Transposed to the screen by Truffaut and with an evoking score by Bernard Herrmann, Bradbury's terrifying vision of a future is a brilliant allegory that remains intelligent and pertinent even today, when books may not be destroyed but are scorned by people.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Jan 21, 2011
    What has always impressed me about Bradbury's classic is his commitment to post-Enlightenment ideals. This film and Bradbury's novel obviously condemn book-burning. And the film lingers on the burning pages with an almost-overwrought, almost-melodramatic pathos. But it also shows <i>Mein Kampf</i> about to be torched. What Bradbury says is that in accordance with post-Enlightenment philosophy, when people are allowed free access to ideas, invariably the good ideas rise to the top and the bad ones fall. It is only after we trust in the goodness of human perception that we can see the burning of Hilter's work as tragic as the burning of Twain. What I've written so far is only about the source material because that's the only part of this film I liked. We never get to see Montag's journey; he goes from book-burner to reader in the matter of a quick night and a quicker conversation. I normally don't care about set design, but this is a shallow, half-hearted attempt at creating a <i>Stepford Wives</i> future, and we needed a greater commitment to this idea if Truffaut wanted to feature the design so prominently. Finally, I was remarkable unimpressed by Oskar Werner. His command of English was a stark contrast to all the characters around him, and he remained stolid, emotionless, and ineffective throughout most of the film's action. Overall, read the book; don't see the film.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Sep 05, 2010
    This may seem a strange film if you haven't read the book, but if you have you know it's awesome. I really liked the movie.
    Aj V Super Reviewer
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