Part of Queens Public Library's The Big Read

Dir. François Truffaut. 1966, 112 mins. 35mm. With Julie Christie, Oskar Werner. Released at the height of the McCarthy era, Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 is a timeless indictment of anti-intellectualism and the dangers of censorship. Set in the future, Fahrenheit 451 is the story a Fireman whose job is to track down and burn books. When he meets Clarisse, a young woman whose strange ways ignites his curiosity, Montag begins to question the purpose of his work. Truffaut’s film adaptation—his only English-language film, and his first in color—re-imagines the story in a world very similar to our own, where an idyllic, suburban surface masks a cold, media-saturated emptiness. Gorgeously filmed by Nicolas Roeg, and with a score by Bernard Hermann, the film is a memorable homage to Bradbury’s dystopian masterpiece.

​Free admission, courtesy of Queens Public Library with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Museum members may reserve tickets in advance by calling 718 777 6800. For more information about becoming a Museum member and to join online, please click here.