Fahrenheit 451: The Ray Bradbury 1953 Novel Vs the 2018 Michael B. Jordan & Michael Shannon Film

Book Vs. Movie: Fahrenheit 451
The Ray Bradbury 1953 Classic Novel Vs. the 2018 HBO Adaptation


The Margos turn up the heat (get it?) with a look at the 1953 literary classic Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury--a banned book for decades. Inspired by the Cold War and the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) investigating actors, artists, and writers claiming communism, Bradbury’s work has been controversial since its publication over its depiction of an America that embraces book burning and a total lack of individualism.

The story centers around a “fireman,” Guy Montag, an American in the not-so-distant future whose job is to burn all deemed objectionable books. He seems to live an ordinary life, not questioning his line of work along with his wife Mildred, who is endlessly watching TV screens (“parlor walls”) that contain her “real family.” One day, he meets teenage neighbor Clarisse, who lives a life built on free thinking, which is odd to Guy.

When Clarisse goes missing, and Guy’s wife believes he is behaving suspiciously (when she is not overdosing), we learn he has a big secret. He has been storing away contraband books and starting to read what has before been banned.

The 2018 adaptation is written and directed by Ramin Bahrani and will be the movie we compare to the original material in this episode.

In this ep, the Margos discuss:

• The life and work of Ray Bradbury
• The reasons this novel has been banned over the years
• Did Bradbury believe that censorship was a big issue?
• The differences between the book and movie
• The cast of the 2018 film: Michael B. Jordan (Guy Montag,) Michael Shannon (Captain Beatty,) Sofia Boutella (Clarisse,) Khandi Alexander (Toni Morrison,) Lilly Singh (Raven,) Martin Donovan (Commissioner Nyari,) Andy McQueen (Gustavo,) Dylan Taylor (Douglas,) Grace Lynn Kung (Chairman Mao,) Keir Dullea (Historian,) and Cindy Katz as Yuxie.

Clips used:

• Bradbury speaks to what the book is really about (Big hint: Kill your television!)
• Tim Robbins reads Fahrenheit 451 for Aubile (2018)
• Fahrenheit 451 (2018 trailer)
• “I want it to burn”
• Music: Antony Partos and Matteo Zingales

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