Fahrenheit 451 and Equalibrium

Integrating film into the class engages students and helps them put literature into context. For example, Fahrenheit 451 is a book that has great themes but can feel a little dated to students. When I teach Fahrenheit 451 I often start by having the students view the movie that was directed by Truffaut. A lot of the movie bores the pants off students but the part when the flying police cross the river always gets a huge laugh. We then read the book and then watch the Christian Bale movie Equalibrium. The students really get into the movie and draw great comparison between the movie and the book. I also think using film clips is a great way to make a connection with literature without using the time to view an entire movie. Students are very movie literate and often connect better to literature if they can relate it to something they know.