Comment



During the seminar we mostly focused on the 'dark side' of technology, the thereby provoked anxieties and the transition of topics and portrayal through the ages. Our investigation started at the natal hour of science-fictive movie-making with Metropolis (1927), followed by 2001: A Space odysse (1968), THX 1138 (1971) and Blade Runner (1982) and finally led to The Matrix (1999) representing contemporary discourses. We learnt about analyzing-tools to highlight stylistic devices which emphasize the directors subtext, therefor we examined on narrative instruments such as colours, symbols, cinematography, characters and the manner of conciously dropping or tranferring information to raise questions.

Truffaud not being a typical science-fiction movie director made this masterpiece of motion-picture special, thus he illustrates in a different manner. Compared to Ray Bradburys more sociocritical, allegorical sinister novel Truffaut spares out varios technical aspects, it's seems that he dosen't even try to create a high-tech future ambient incorporating complex special effects even by standards of 1966 - he rather employs symbology and allusions on a more personal scope.


Depiction of Regime and Technology



Both, Bradbury and Truffaut refrain to tell something neither about the previous events which led to this kind of dystopic regime nor what time the story is dated at. The only occasion the film refers to a former time is when Clarisse asks Montag if it is "true, that a long time ago firemen used to put out fires and not burn books".



My impression concerning technological innovations were divergent. Inventions seem to be made such as overhead tracks, interacive television or spotting drones but nevertheless many processes still depend on obsolete technologies like ancient phones and grammophone loudspeakers.



 

As Montag manages to flee from the city and to hide him from the man-controlled flying drones, he arrives at the bookpeople's, see himself being persecuted and shot dead by a helicopters in television. "The show must go on" says on of the booksman.


The omnipresent regime typified by the almight fire department manifests it's funcuality through the denounciation letterbox where anyone is free to put names of putative book collector. That reminded me of the fear-driven control system the german Stasi used to created subtle and ongoing internal opression.




The novel played on the concerns of the time when it was written. Censorship and suppression of thought, mainly through intimidation, was being exercised in the United States. The intimidation was being done by radio and newspaper columnists, who supported Senator Joe McCarthy. The book burnings by Nazis - so called autodafés - which started in Germany in 1933 and continued until the end of World War II, were still in living memory. "It killed my heart and killed my soul and the memory of Hitler burning the books caused me to sit down an write Fahrenheit 451" Bradbury stated at the age of 15.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106929166



Burning books equals burning human



"Books are forbidden because they make people unhappy, they disturb them and make them anti-social. Its just a matter of fashion. Happy by making people equal." Bradbury even dares to put books and man on the same level, the man chooses a title, becomes it and even names himself after it. In Fahrenheit 451 literature symbolizes even more: it's the spirit of the writer, freedom, feeling, self-reflection and the unfolding of one's emotional life. This allutes obviously and unambigously to Hitler and the burning of books and humans. The absence of civil courage respective the lack of social participation due to drugsedation and brainwashing is a absolutly actual topic.


To keep the people abulic and obedient, the regime prescribes - like in 'THX 1138' - large amounts of unspecified medication for every kind of sickness. Linda doesn't even remenber that she had passed out and Montag saved her live by calling the ambulance (two suspiciuos 'doctors' showed up and pumped her stomach).
Another parallel to 'THX 1138' comes to my mind by the change of Montags mentality. By digesting the essence of books Montag can't maintaining this pointless "happiness" and notices that his fellows are emotionless human being, almost like machines ('Blade Runner'). So he needs to break out of the society an go forth to find out what's reality an verity.



As a side effect of a technological society wherein people are discouraged from interacting and thinking Truffaut suggests sensual narcissism as a kind of side-effect. Throughout the film, people are glimpsed absent-mindedly stroking, kissing, or caressing themselves. Certainly the current mania for self-involved social media, explicit self-pics, and Internet over-sharing can be seen as the ultimate real-life actualization of Truffaut's hinted-at phenomenon of self-absorption.




Cinematigraphy and stylistic devices


Truffaud not being a typical science-fiction movie director made this masterpiece of motion-picture special, thus he illustrates in a different manner. 



Colour:
It was also the first colour film directed by Truffaut. Although he by all accounts was not happy about making a color film and found it a bit unsettling, color is used to great effect here; sparingly, except for the extreme shade of red that is seen throughout which embodies the omnipresent regime.




Incidental music: 

Truffaut decided for soundtrack mastermind Bernard Herrmann to be the composer. For Fahrenheit 451s' dehumanized vision Herrmanns composed eclectic music with a maximum of human orchestration and even added harp, carillon and different types of xylophones.

His music dares the balancing act between familiarity and discontent, between comfort and coolness and above all between benevolence and systematization. It also demonstrates, that oppression and terror are cut from the same cloth as goodness.