James Mcteigue's V For Vendetta
"Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." V for Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue, opens with this quote, briefly describing the history of Guy Fawkes and his plan to overthrow a tyrannical government, a plan which the protagonist seems to follow in London some 400 years later. This film, while of course is meant to entertain as most films do, is also given the role of sending a message. It has been said by many unnamed sources that "a people should not fear their government, a government should fear their people." To agree or disagree is up to the individual. Agree or disagree, this film is a warning. A people should not let any one, be it any one person or any one group, become too powerful, for that only leads to the destruction of the very people who allowed it to happen. Following the opening quote, there is a flashback to
…show more content…
the arrest and subsequent execution of Guy Fawkes, with a voice-over describing that "you cannot love an idea," and that the narrator loved a man who stood for an idea, an idea identical, if not somewhat modernized, to that of Guy Fawkes, and that, because of him, she will always remember the Fifth of November. There is then a cut to a close-up of a face speaking, explaining the issues of "the Former United States," with a zoom out showing a first-person point-of-view of someone putting on a Guy Fawkes mask, making a visual link between this faceless character and the original Guy Fawkes. While on a brief take of what is now clearly a television screen, we hear the man give the mantra "Strength through Unity; Unity through Faith;" a mantra which, as intended by the writers, can be easily compared to the mantra in 1984, by George Orwell: "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength." V for Vendetta is filled to the brim with other literary and historical allusions. The posters with a stern image of the high chancellor, Adam Sutler's (John Hurt), features mimic the posters of "Big Brother" from 1984. The symbol of "The Party" in V for Vendetta can be visually analogous to the Nazi hakencruz, or swastika. The Sutler, while not donning the well-known mustache, is seen as a vaguely Hitleresque character. When first introduced to the faceless protagonist, he is found quoting Shakespeare: "The multiplying villainies of nature do swarm upon him disdaining fortune with his brandish'd steel, which smoked with bloody execution..." (Macbeth Act I, scene ii, lines 13-14, 20-21). This shows the audience that he is not just a man doing great works, but rather that he is a very well-read man. In his introduction to the main female character, Evey (Natalie Portman), "V," played by Hugo Weaving, makes a lengthy speech, chock-full of alliteration, repeating the "v" sound. This introductory speech now shows the viewer that he is not only a well-read man, but is also immensely intelligent. In the prelude to a "musical performance," "V" dedicates to "Madame Justice," with the camera showing a close-up of a plaque the base of a statue on top of what is presumably a judiciary building, which states "Defend the children of the poor & punish the wrongdoer." This quote apparently holds irony for "V," as the audience will later find most apparent. He begins this performance by "conducting" the "1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky, leading into a procession of explosions, put in time with the music. During a meeting of the high officials, "prominent Party members," this song is "blacklisted." During general chaos and disorder at the BTN, or British Television Network, there is graphic match-on-action, of people attempting to exit the building, not knowing what or why. Later in this scene, a police-force of sorts is seen, in a similar match-on-action, scrambling together to attempt to find the source of the disturbance. Match-on-action continues with shots of citizens watching the hacked television broadcast of "V" talking to the people about his plans. The identity of "V" is left a mystery until the very end, at which point a name is given, a name that means nothing to anyone. The only parts of "V" that are ever seen are his hands. This view of his hands is brief, and occurs about a half an hour into the film. At first glance, on a close-up of his hands, one may believe that he is wearing oven-mitts, as he is cooking breakfast in a pan and they truly do not seem to be hands. It is only after Evey comments on his hands that the viewer realizes just how gruesome they truly are; the hands of a monster perhaps. He greets her with a pleasant, "bonjour mademoiselle." Later in "V's" far-from-humble able, Evey is awoken by the sound of metal on metal, and fears that they may have been discovered by the authorities.
In running to see what is the matter, however, she sees nothing more, or less, that "V" sword-fighting with a large, inanimate suit of armor. He gets so hammed-up at one point that he forces the hand of the suit to grasp around his throat as if to choke him. Upon discovery of being watched, he explains that he is acting alongside "my favorite film, The Count of Monte Cristo, with Robert Donat as Edmond Dantes." Immediately following this brief explanation, the character of Dantes is heard making this quote: "It is not my sword, Mondego, but your past that disarmed you." This quote makes further literary connection to "V," as the viewer can link that quote to "V's" relationship to Lewis Prothero, "the Voice of London," who the audience later finds out was once a commander at an "institute" where they were testing chemicals on civilians under the guise of safe government
work. In a flashback, as read from a journal by the writer of said journal, the viewer gets an inside look at what went on at the "institution," as well as the opinions of the person in charge. The viewer gets the unique opportunity to see that "V" calls himself by such a name, because while at the facility, "he could no longer remember who he was or where he was from," so he called himself by the numeral on his cell door: V. On the Fifth of November, "V" blows up the facility; more links to "V," V on his cell door, V being the Roman Numeral for 5, the Fifth of November; coincidence? "There are no coincidences, only the illusion of coincidence." A cut from a revelation of conscience of the narrator of the journal, we see a delayed graphic match of breakfast being prepared. When Evey awakes at a friend Gordon Deitrich's house, she is awoken to the smell of "eggie in the basket," a breakfast dish Gordon's mother had once made for him. He greets her with the same pleasant "bonjour mademoiselle" that "V" had given her on her first morning in his home, leading the viewer to believe that Gordon is the "terrorist named V,'" and while not far off, this is not the case as one will later find out after Gordon's assassination for making a mockery of the high chancellor, Adam Sutler, played in tribute to "The Benny Hill," fittingly accompanied by, what else but "Yakkety Sax" by Boots Randolph, as well as his possession of the Qur'An, or Koran, something forbidden and censored by the Party. More delayed graphic matches when Gordon comes into Evey's room in the middle of the night, telling her to hide, much like we had seen happen in a flashback earlier in the film, when her mother told her to do likewise as she was beaten and had her face covered with a black sack. This time, however, she is able to escape for a time, but is eventually captured by "V" disguised as a covered police-type figure. After her capture, she is led to believe that she is being detained by the government and tortured and emotionally abused, being the subject of all forms of psychological warfare one can imagine, all in an attempt to divulging the identity and/or whereabouts of "V." This must be done to ensure that she is willing to do whatever it takes to realize "V's" dream. There is an awe-inspiring match-on-action, comparing the flashback of "V" on fire after the explosion at the facility to Evey after the staged torturous experience. She is out in the rain. "God is in the rain." She raises her arms in triumph, much like "V" had raised his arms in anguish after his explosion. He knows at this time that she is completely ready to help him realize his dream, to execute his plan. One my say, near the end of the film, that there is a graphic match on concept. We see Sutler yelling at one of his high officials, one domino in place. Packages containing cloaks and Guy Fawkes masks, another domino put into place. The chancellor holds the same official responsible for all actions taken by "V," yet another domino placed. A little girl wearing a cloak and a Guy Fawkes mask is shot and killed by a police officer: the final domino. "V" then flicks the one domino that sets off a chain reaction of the others falling ever-so precisely, falling into a pattern of his signature: a red V surrounded by a circle. A magnificent representation of how one small, seemingly insignificant occurrence can create something as beautiful as a much-needed civil unrest. During the final destruction, the destruction of the Parliament building, Tchaikovsky's "Overture of 1812" is once again heard, this time to an audience of people who know exactly what is going on. When looking for a way to approach this film, to find a standpoint most suitable, it is difficult to choose just one. There are three theoretical perspectives that are glaringly obvious to go over when examining this film. They are: the psychoanalytic approach, the Marxist approach, and the feminist approach. A question that goes through the audience's mind over and over again when watching this film is "why" and why, indeed. There are many completions to this question, such as "why is the character V' so vindictive?" or "why did so many die in the facility?" or "why is the high chancellor, Adam Sutler so evil?" The answers to these questions go far beyond the responses given in the film. "V" is as vindictive as his visage vivifies for more reason than just vengeance for what the government had done to its people in the name of power. The viewer finds that the virus that was used was taken from the blood of one of the detainees in the facility. He is that one. He feels a need, throughout the film, to make right all that he had wronged and all that he had caused to be wrong, albeit the fact that all of this wrongdoing was unwilling and unwitting. In the film, it is said that due to one character's idea, the virus was sent to kill so many people within the country itself so that the government would have more power because the people "needed" it. This only brings the explanation to a point, however the reasoning behind this is more important. "Why would the government want more power?" would be a better question, and not necessarily the government as a whole, but Sutler himself. This question leaves a lot to the imagination as little is known about Sutler's past, but the question remains nonetheless. The same can go along with "why is the high chancellor so evil?" although the answer to this may lie in the saying "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Using the Marxist approach has a shorter response. We see that the government, mainly Sutler, wants more power. He retains this power as long as he keeps the common person stupid, in a sense. The hierarchy in V for Vendetta can be seen as equal to that of Planet of the Apes. The orangutans of Planet of the Apes are the high Party members of V for Vendetta; the gorilla-militia are the police officers such as those that take away Evey's parents, and they do whatever they are told with no sign of giving it any thought; the chimpanzees are those kept stupid, the working class citizens who know no better. This film shows how an overly-powerful high-caste government can easily take advantage of those below it when kept "out of the loop." The feminist approach is equally important when examining this film. Evey, the main character, is obviously a female. While she admits to having her weaknesses, and we witness that sometimes those weaknesses get the better of her, she does make attempts to overcome them. With minimal help from "V," she is finally able to overcome her fear. She stands up to those in authority and she alone brings about the utter destruction of an utterly destructive force: a government without limits.
the arrest and subsequent execution of Guy Fawkes, with a voice-over describing that "you cannot love an idea," and that the narrator loved a man who stood for an idea, an idea identical, if not somewhat modernized, to that of Guy Fawkes, and that, because of him, she will always remember the Fifth of November. There is then a cut to a close-up of a face speaking, explaining the issues of "the Former United States," with a zoom out showing a first-person point-of-view of someone putting on a Guy Fawkes mask, making a visual link between this faceless character and the original Guy Fawkes. While on a brief take of what is now clearly a television screen, we hear the man give the mantra "Strength through Unity; Unity through Faith;" a mantra which, as intended by the writers, can be easily compared to the mantra in 1984, by George Orwell: "War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength." V for Vendetta is filled to the brim with other literary and historical allusions. The posters with a stern image of the high chancellor, Adam Sutler's (John Hurt), features mimic the posters of "Big Brother" from 1984. The symbol of "The Party" in V for Vendetta can be visually analogous to the Nazi hakencruz, or swastika. The Sutler, while not donning the well-known mustache, is seen as a vaguely Hitleresque character. When first introduced to the faceless protagonist, he is found quoting Shakespeare: "The multiplying villainies of nature do swarm upon him disdaining fortune with his brandish'd steel, which smoked with bloody execution..." (Macbeth Act I, scene ii, lines 13-14, 20-21). This shows the audience that he is not just a man doing great works, but rather that he is a very well-read man. In his introduction to the main female character, Evey (Natalie Portman), "V," played by Hugo Weaving, makes a lengthy speech, chock-full of alliteration, repeating the "v" sound. This introductory speech now shows the viewer that he is not only a well-read man, but is also immensely intelligent. In the prelude to a "musical performance," "V" dedicates to "Madame Justice," with the camera showing a close-up of a plaque the base of a statue on top of what is presumably a judiciary building, which states "Defend the children of the poor & punish the wrongdoer." This quote apparently holds irony for "V," as the audience will later find most apparent. He begins this performance by "conducting" the "1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky, leading into a procession of explosions, put in time with the music. During a meeting of the high officials, "prominent Party members," this song is "blacklisted." During general chaos and disorder at the BTN, or British Television Network, there is graphic match-on-action, of people attempting to exit the building, not knowing what or why. Later in this scene, a police-force of sorts is seen, in a similar match-on-action, scrambling together to attempt to find the source of the disturbance. Match-on-action continues with shots of citizens watching the hacked television broadcast of "V" talking to the people about his plans. The identity of "V" is left a mystery until the very end, at which point a name is given, a name that means nothing to anyone. The only parts of "V" that are ever seen are his hands. This view of his hands is brief, and occurs about a half an hour into the film. At first glance, on a close-up of his hands, one may believe that he is wearing oven-mitts, as he is cooking breakfast in a pan and they truly do not seem to be hands. It is only after Evey comments on his hands that the viewer realizes just how gruesome they truly are; the hands of a monster perhaps. He greets her with a pleasant, "bonjour mademoiselle." Later in "V's" far-from-humble able, Evey is awoken by the sound of metal on metal, and fears that they may have been discovered by the authorities.
In running to see what is the matter, however, she sees nothing more, or less, that "V" sword-fighting with a large, inanimate suit of armor. He gets so hammed-up at one point that he forces the hand of the suit to grasp around his throat as if to choke him. Upon discovery of being watched, he explains that he is acting alongside "my favorite film, The Count of Monte Cristo, with Robert Donat as Edmond Dantes." Immediately following this brief explanation, the character of Dantes is heard making this quote: "It is not my sword, Mondego, but your past that disarmed you." This quote makes further literary connection to "V," as the viewer can link that quote to "V's" relationship to Lewis Prothero, "the Voice of London," who the audience later finds out was once a commander at an "institute" where they were testing chemicals on civilians under the guise of safe government
work. In a flashback, as read from a journal by the writer of said journal, the viewer gets an inside look at what went on at the "institution," as well as the opinions of the person in charge. The viewer gets the unique opportunity to see that "V" calls himself by such a name, because while at the facility, "he could no longer remember who he was or where he was from," so he called himself by the numeral on his cell door: V. On the Fifth of November, "V" blows up the facility; more links to "V," V on his cell door, V being the Roman Numeral for 5, the Fifth of November; coincidence? "There are no coincidences, only the illusion of coincidence." A cut from a revelation of conscience of the narrator of the journal, we see a delayed graphic match of breakfast being prepared. When Evey awakes at a friend Gordon Deitrich's house, she is awoken to the smell of "eggie in the basket," a breakfast dish Gordon's mother had once made for him. He greets her with the same pleasant "bonjour mademoiselle" that "V" had given her on her first morning in his home, leading the viewer to believe that Gordon is the "terrorist named V,'" and while not far off, this is not the case as one will later find out after Gordon's assassination for making a mockery of the high chancellor, Adam Sutler, played in tribute to "The Benny Hill," fittingly accompanied by, what else but "Yakkety Sax" by Boots Randolph, as well as his possession of the Qur'An, or Koran, something forbidden and censored by the Party. More delayed graphic matches when Gordon comes into Evey's room in the middle of the night, telling her to hide, much like we had seen happen in a flashback earlier in the film, when her mother told her to do likewise as she was beaten and had her face covered with a black sack. This time, however, she is able to escape for a time, but is eventually captured by "V" disguised as a covered police-type figure. After her capture, she is led to believe that she is being detained by the government and tortured and emotionally abused, being the subject of all forms of psychological warfare one can imagine, all in an attempt to divulging the identity and/or whereabouts of "V." This must be done to ensure that she is willing to do whatever it takes to realize "V's" dream. There is an awe-inspiring match-on-action, comparing the flashback of "V" on fire after the explosion at the facility to Evey after the staged torturous experience. She is out in the rain. "God is in the rain." She raises her arms in triumph, much like "V" had raised his arms in anguish after his explosion. He knows at this time that she is completely ready to help him realize his dream, to execute his plan. One my say, near the end of the film, that there is a graphic match on concept. We see Sutler yelling at one of his high officials, one domino in place. Packages containing cloaks and Guy Fawkes masks, another domino put into place. The chancellor holds the same official responsible for all actions taken by "V," yet another domino placed. A little girl wearing a cloak and a Guy Fawkes mask is shot and killed by a police officer: the final domino. "V" then flicks the one domino that sets off a chain reaction of the others falling ever-so precisely, falling into a pattern of his signature: a red V surrounded by a circle. A magnificent representation of how one small, seemingly insignificant occurrence can create something as beautiful as a much-needed civil unrest. During the final destruction, the destruction of the Parliament building, Tchaikovsky's "Overture of 1812" is once again heard, this time to an audience of people who know exactly what is going on. When looking for a way to approach this film, to find a standpoint most suitable, it is difficult to choose just one. There are three theoretical perspectives that are glaringly obvious to go over when examining this film. They are: the psychoanalytic approach, the Marxist approach, and the feminist approach. A question that goes through the audience's mind over and over again when watching this film is "why" and why, indeed. There are many completions to this question, such as "why is the character V' so vindictive?" or "why did so many die in the facility?" or "why is the high chancellor, Adam Sutler so evil?" The answers to these questions go far beyond the responses given in the film. "V" is as vindictive as his visage vivifies for more reason than just vengeance for what the government had done to its people in the name of power. The viewer finds that the virus that was used was taken from the blood of one of the detainees in the facility. He is that one. He feels a need, throughout the film, to make right all that he had wronged and all that he had caused to be wrong, albeit the fact that all of this wrongdoing was unwilling and unwitting. In the film, it is said that due to one character's idea, the virus was sent to kill so many people within the country itself so that the government would have more power because the people "needed" it. This only brings the explanation to a point, however the reasoning behind this is more important. "Why would the government want more power?" would be a better question, and not necessarily the government as a whole, but Sutler himself. This question leaves a lot to the imagination as little is known about Sutler's past, but the question remains nonetheless. The same can go along with "why is the high chancellor so evil?" although the answer to this may lie in the saying "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Using the Marxist approach has a shorter response. We see that the government, mainly Sutler, wants more power. He retains this power as long as he keeps the common person stupid, in a sense. The hierarchy in V for Vendetta can be seen as equal to that of Planet of the Apes. The orangutans of Planet of the Apes are the high Party members of V for Vendetta; the gorilla-militia are the police officers such as those that take away Evey's parents, and they do whatever they are told with no sign of giving it any thought; the chimpanzees are those kept stupid, the working class citizens who know no better. This film shows how an overly-powerful high-caste government can easily take advantage of those below it when kept "out of the loop." The feminist approach is equally important when examining this film. Evey, the main character, is obviously a female. While she admits to having her weaknesses, and we witness that sometimes those weaknesses get the better of her, she does make attempts to overcome them. With minimal help from "V," she is finally able to overcome her fear. She stands up to those in authority and she alone brings about the utter destruction of an utterly destructive force: a government without limits.