I haven't read Ray Bradbury's dystopian novel upon which this film is based but I'm very much inclined to look it up now. The similarities are startlingly close to Orwell's "1984" in it's description of a society controlled by a government that distracts the masses from enjoying individual freedom and liberty. I was surprised that one of the approved books one could read in this picture was The Bible, one would think that it's emphasis on God and a Savior for mankind would be strictly prohibited. The others were 'To the Lighthouse" and "Moby Dick", and I really can't fathom the connection they would have to one another.
One of the frustrating parts of the story for me was that there was no explanation for the derivation of the term 'eels' in the picture. They were the modern day, underground antagonists to the authority of 'The 9' and the constant objects of search by the Firemen to eliminate all trace of books, music, film and any other form of cultural reference. The eels had found a way to upload all of the world's knowledge into a memory chip they referred to as 'Omnis', with the intent of replicating it and dispersing that knowledge throughout the world. The concept of the Omnis was way too simplistic if you think about it, but it had it's intended effect within the context of the story.
The film's message is a salient one for modern day audiences who often times look to the government or the internet to tell one how to think. It's disturbing that one wouldn't want to think for themselves instead of relying on ideological talking points that in many cases are simply made up under the heading of fake news. In addition to Orwell's novel, another interesting take on the role of authoritarian control can be found in one of Rod Serling's 'Twilight Zone' episodes from 1961. In the story "The Obsolete Man", Burgess Meredith portrays a librarian living in a totalitarian state who is deemed to be outdated and expendable. No doubt he would have been one of the first victims of "Farhrenheit 451".
One of the frustrating parts of the story for me was that there was no explanation for the derivation of the term 'eels' in the picture. They were the modern day, underground antagonists to the authority of 'The 9' and the constant objects of search by the Firemen to eliminate all trace of books, music, film and any other form of cultural reference. The eels had found a way to upload all of the world's knowledge into a memory chip they referred to as 'Omnis', with the intent of replicating it and dispersing that knowledge throughout the world. The concept of the Omnis was way too simplistic if you think about it, but it had it's intended effect within the context of the story.
The film's message is a salient one for modern day audiences who often times look to the government or the internet to tell one how to think. It's disturbing that one wouldn't want to think for themselves instead of relying on ideological talking points that in many cases are simply made up under the heading of fake news. In addition to Orwell's novel, another interesting take on the role of authoritarian control can be found in one of Rod Serling's 'Twilight Zone' episodes from 1961. In the story "The Obsolete Man", Burgess Meredith portrays a librarian living in a totalitarian state who is deemed to be outdated and expendable. No doubt he would have been one of the first victims of "Farhrenheit 451".