Bradbury’s dystopia was not the first of its kind, but it became a kind of symbol of this genre. It is in the top three most popular dystopias, and any interlocutor fond of fiction will name it among the works read. The film “Fahrenheit 451” was directed by Ramin Bahrani and based on the novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury. The film’s premiere screening took place in 2018 at the Cannes Film Festival. It is a modernized version of a literary work, which has many differences from the original but contains the same deep meaning as the book. The film attempts to show a variant of the future that is closest to our reality. Movies and music discs are burned along with books; the burnings are broadcast live to the whole city in the format of a TV show. The “firefighters” are the main stars with their army of fans. To inflame the public hatred for books, the viewer is shown the process of burning books in the school auditorium under the approving hooting of children. The film’s plot predicts the events of our days and the widespread propaganda of the media.
The film’s main idea is that people who do not read books and receive information from sources controlled by government propaganda do not know how to think independently. Such citizens are easily controlled, riots will not break out among them, and mass movements to protect rights and freedoms will not arise. By putting the “right” thoughts into people’s heads with the help of the media, the government educates weak-willed and thoughtless puppets who can be manipulated in their own interests (Inho and Johee 453). Consequently, a parallel can be drawn between the film and modern society: poorly educated people are just as easily controlled in society. For example, poorly educated people do not check the source of information, so they often believe in fakes.
The film’s meaning can be formulated in one sentence: if people stop relying on the experience of previous generations, they will not be able to avoid the future shown in the picture. The film presents America of the future with a totalitarian regime of the phobia of the North Korean political system, where one party forms a single ideology. There is a ban on free Internet access in the country; citizens are prohibited from reading foreign literature and watching foreign films and news. In the country, as in the film, there are no rallies or other political opinions (Fahrenheit 451). Consequently, one can notice the obvious similarity of the dystopian film with the modern realities of some countries.
To this day, the problem of the influence of the mass consciousness of the crowd on the individual is relevant. This can be traced both in the film and in real life. For example, when a new iPhone model comes out, people take turns already at night. Moreover, some people follow trends, even if they are life-threatening. All this is a product of mass propaganda, as people falsely think that this is their individual opinion and desire. In the film, mass propaganda is the opinion that books only bring evil and problems.
In conclusion, in the dystopia “Fahrenheit 451” R. Bradbury creates an image of a frightening future – the result of technological progress. People no longer care about their inner world; spiritual values are discredited, and a person living in virtual reality becomes like a robot. The parallels between the film and modern society are noticeable even now: people blindly believe fake news, are afraid to express their opinions openly, and do not seek to think critically.
Works Cited
Inho, L. E. E., and L. E. E. Johee. “Analysis of Chromatic Mediant Relationship in Film Music Score with Neo-Riemannian Theory.” Rast MĂĽzikoloji Dergisi, vol. 10, no. 4, 2022, pp. 449-461.
Fahrenheit 451. Directed by Ramin Bahrani, HBO Films, 2018.