V for Vendetta Close Analysis of Jordan Tower Scene

In the film V for Vendetta, James McTeigue uses visual and verbal techniques to communicate significant ideas to the audience. The televised speech scene shows the character V as he infiltrates Jordan Tower and broadcasts his personal message out to the people of England. In this scene, McTeigue uses techniques such as cross-cutting and out-of-shot, over-the-shoulder shot and dialogue. These techniques are important because they effectively develop characters such as Evey and show the impact that V’s ideas and actions could potentially have on her and the people of England. Furthermore, these techniques position the audience to consider noteworthy ideas such as standing up to those who oppress us and how positive change that can occur when people are united.

At one point in the Jordan Tower scene, dialogue is used when V says during his speech, “if you are looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.” This technique is used effectively with an over the shoulder shot where the camera looks up over Evey’s shoulder while focusing on V’s image on the television screen. These techniques are used together in order to link Evey with the words V is saying and to present her as one of those responsible for there being “something terribly wrong with this country.” This surprises the audience because up until now, we have only felt empathy for Evey. We feel sorry for her when she is attacked by the Fingermen and also when the seemingly insane character V entangles her in his plot to blow up the Old Bailey. So far, it only seems that it is the government who are the ‘bad guys.’ They are the ones who control the population through manipulation - such as lying about how and why the Old Bailey was blown up, and having a curfew for the people’s “own protection.” The audience is therefore shocked because we do not think that Evey has done anything criminally wrong, yet V is accusing her of something very serious: her lack of action has allowed the government to