V for Vendetta – Movie Review
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What do you think? Just writing practice ones for exams. Any help appreciated 😀
The film V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue, is a story about shadowy freedom fighter known only as “V” who along with his companion Evey Hammond, completes Vs vendetta of blowing up parliament and removing the governments control. In the film an idea that was worth learning about was that ideas are very powerful and live beyond the death of individuals. This is shown throughout the film by the use of costume, dialogue and symbolism.
Costume is illustrated in V for vendetta by the Guy Fawkes mask V wears. This allows the community to see him not as an individual but as a metaphorical creature portraying the idea of hope. This is explained at the very start of the movie with this voiceover in the background. “We are told to remember the idea not the man, because a man can fail, he can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten but 400 years later an idea can still change the world.” The idea in this quote represents the hope that the people of London seek for freedom, to be free from the government and to live a normal life. This teaches us that no single man would be able to take down the government as represented by “because that man can fail.” However in the case of V, he did not want to be known as a man, but to associated to the hope and courage he gave to the people of London. He essentially lives as a messenger, a symbol of hope for the people of London. Apart from Evey, nobody knew him personally but everyone knew what he symbolized and what his motives were and why he was trying to take down the government. Even though V died just before the end of the movie, his idea will live on through the generations forever.
Dialogue is important in the film as it is the only way V is able to communicate as we cannot see any of his facial expressions. His wide range of vocabulary and convincing speeches that were broadcasted nation-wide win the hearts of the people of London, making them re-think their current situation and how different life would be without the government dictating everything they can and cannot do. His quote “Words will always retain their power” illustrates to us how the media is an influential tool of social and political control. The biased media uses this to their advantage labeling V as a “psychotic terrorist” when he breaks into BTN (the television network). We can learn from this that some events that are put in the media are not the full truth of what is going on. We believe what the news presenters are saying on the television as they work for the government and the government should only report the real events from true stories. Instead BTN uses this to their advantage and edits news stories to reflect their point of view. The government uses the media to convey the message and to trick the