V FOR VENDETTA

UK, 2006, 132 minutes, Colour.
Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea, Stephen Fry, John Hurt, Tim Piggot Smith, Rupert Graves, Roger Alum, Ben Miles, Sinead Cusack.
Directed by James Mc Teigue.

More graphic novel adaptation, this time from British author (From Hell, ) who seems to have disassociated himself from the film. Hoever, it has very interesting credentials, produced by Hollywood action mogul, Joel Silver, and written by the creators of The Matrix, The Wachowski Brothers, and is directed by James Mc Teigue, one of the assistants on the series, who worked on many Australian films.

Audineces have become used to adaptations of comic book heroes presented in the American style. This one is very British. Caracters are British. Situations are British. The tone is British. V for Vendetta begins with a historical prologue about Guy Fawkes and the plot to blow up Parliament in 1605. In the near future, a masked character (Guy Fawkes’s style) begins a series of terrorist explosions in London leading to a manhunt.

Now this might be routine science future material but it is handled differently. One of the pleasures of watching the film is to identify the influences that have been absorbed into it. V is in the line of many masked avengers like Zorro. However, the mask and cape means that we remember the phantom of the opera, especially when V imprisons the plucky herone, Evey (played by Natalie Portman with a very English accent) – a touch like Beauty and the Beast. However, one of the major debts is to George Orwell and 1984. (With John Hurt (who played Winston Smith himself in the 1984 version of 1984) as the new Big Brother. There is also some relentless police work.

Making further difference is a supporting cast of some British actors one doesn’t expect to find. Stephen Rea is (as usual hang-dog look) the pursuing detective. Tim Piggot Smith is the Police Chief, Roger Allam is the conceited TV personality, Sinead Cusack a doctor, John Standing a double standards bishop and, of all people, Stephen Fry as a character who seems to resemble Stephen Fry (or at least Stephen Fry’s popular image). (It will be interesting to see whether this all goes down well in the US.)

There was some concern at the end of 2005 about the production, especially since it seems to have an open mind on aspects of terrorism, on critique of government and its double dealing, on power to the people to rise up against lying governments. The climax is quite explosive and, for those who live in London or who hold London in sacrosanct regard, more than a bit shocking. However, Guy Fawkes would be delighted (and, maybe, George Orwell too).

V himself is a tantalising figure with mixed motives. His treatment as a child recalls inquiries into institutional physical abuse of children. His imagination is quite dangerous but he indulges in cod-Shakesperean ‘quotations’, especially with v alliterative rhetoric. Though he never comes out from behind the mask except in a moment of deceit, we do not see Hugo Weaving’s face as V but only hear him.

Some touches of graphic violence, especially in prison scenes and the final confrontations, but, on the whole, a rollicking British variation on the heroes theme.

1.A film version of a comic strip? Conspiracy theories? The world of the near future?

2.The visual impact of the film, wide screen? The opening with the 17th century and Guy Fawkes’ plot? Execution? The 21st century? London, the interiors of the studios, the chancellor, V’s house, prison? The exteriors of London locations? The Houses of Parliament? The use of communications, screens, the Big Brother effect? The special effects and stunts? A world of masks? The musical score?

3.A British story, a British narrative? The basis in Guy Fawkes and the 17th century plot? His desire to blow up the parliament? His being killed? Seen as a traitor? His appearance and mask? The transition to V, his choice of the Guy Fawkes mask? The British way of telling the story (even though the writers were American)? The world of the chancellor, the rise to power? The party politics? The police and control, brutality? The world of media, spin? Lies? Satire and its presentation on television? Censorship? Freedom and exploitation? Rebellion? The revolt and explosion at the end?

4.The Guy Fawkes plot, the politics, Protestant and Catholic (but this not emphasised)? The hanging? V and his mask? Oppression, vengeance? Fears of death? His philosophy of facing death, enabling freedom?

5.The title, V (and the verbal humour and the wordplay)? Room V? The heroine as Evey, EV and the wordplay? The Shakespearian background, the quotations, V and his elaboration of words starting with V?

6.Evey, her visit, the fingermen and the assault on her? Her fear? V, his arrival, the violence and the rescue? The play, the music – and the Old Bailey and the explosion? Justice? Her wanting to escape?

7.The portrait of Evey: her mother, Shakespeare, the raid, the arrest, her parents killed? Her brother ill, dying? Evey alone – and everywoman? At work in the television channel? The police, her association with V, suspected as a rebel? Going to her flat, to the television station, the alarm? Her capture and V rescuing her? His looking after her, the toad-in-the-hole for breakfast? Talk? Her appreciation, wondering about his life? His explanations, his philosophy? Her agreeing to act for him – especially with the bishop? The bishop falling, his execution? Her going to Dietrich, her reliance on him? The prison, the torture – her being faithful? The lesbian and the story, the notes under her cell door? The visualising of this story? Her finally being able to face death? V freeing her? Her anger with him? The background of her reliance on Dietrich, talking with him, the bond, going to his flat, his saving her, watching the program, the satire on the chancellor (and audiences around England laughing)? The background of his being gay and this being a crime? (And the parallel with Stephen Fry?)

8.V and his story, as a child, his experience, weapons? The plague? The role of government, the institution and the cells, its destruction? The experiments on humans? His being in room V? The burning of the institution? His escape? Waiting twenty years? His appearance? Exploding the Old Bailey? His warning to people, intervening on the television? The television commentary on him? The bond with Evey? The issue of Hell? Prothero as the television personality, V and his exposing him, threatening, his death? The bishop and his sexual abuse? His going to visit Delia? More sympathy, confronting her with her conscience, her decisions, the more merciful death? The confrontation with Creedy and the other police? The importance of the encounters with Finch, greater sympathy? The final confrontation with the chancellor – and his cowardice? His death? The final rescue of Evey, the gory deaths of the policemen? His orchestrating this change in society? The blowing up of Parliament House? Achieving his vengeance? The vendetta?

9.Evey and the influence of other stories in developing this plot: Big Brother, 1984, The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast? Her relationship with Finch, helping him? The march and the masks? Everybody disguised as V? Her experience of torture, V and his philosophy, freedom – and people taking off their masks?

10.The chancellor, his background, the party, his demands, his rise to power, manipulation, the 1984 situation, the television screens, surveillance? Big Brother of 1984? His knowing the story of the experiments, concealment, the files, the secrets? The satirical program on him? His final cowardice, his death?

11.Finch, conscientious, his fellow workers, the domination of Creedy? His interrogations? His believing the propaganda? Under orders? The investigation of Evey, the search? The interview with William Rookwood (the alter-ego of V)? The arrest of Dietrich? Prothero’s death, the bishop, Delia? The role of the police, V and the discussions with Finch, his understanding the truth, his being on the side of good?

12.Stephen Fry as Dietrich, the TV personality, his manner, not unlike that of Stephen Fry? Articulate, living alone, his comments about the persecution of gay people? His support of Evey? The humour of the satirical program?

13.Creedy, Dominic and the other police? Creedy and his being involved in the politics? The other police under orders? Investigations, files, secrets? The final confrontation – V and the death of the police?

14.Prothero, the right-wing demagogue on television, his self-assured manner? His vanity at home? The confrontation, the truth about his past, exploitation and the institute, his death?

15.The bishop, the comments on clergy and paedophilia? His abuse of the children? Evey’s arrival, his wanting to seduce her? His death?

16.Delia, the scientist, her ambitions, in the institute, the flashbacks, her decisions for science rather than for integrity and truth? Her knowing that she would be on the end of vengeance? At the morgue? The confrontation, her conscience, her acceptance of death?

17.The institute, the visualisation, the children, victims? The cover story about plague? The political cover-up? The people involved and the confrontation of conscience?

18.Ordinary people, the glimpses of people living their lives? Their watching the media? The media personalities and the fronts, the news, the manipulation of news, the emotional manipulation? People believing it – yet laughing at the satire?

19.An allegory of contemporary society? 1984 and manipulation, government surveillance, government control, government and police not being accountable? Taking the law into their own hands? The role of terrorists – and the film being released in 2006 in the atmosphere of post-9/11 and terrorist outbreaks? The credibility of terrorists and their beliefs, their rebellion against corrupt society?

20.An entertaining comic strip film, comic strip style, yet action adventure, with political and philosophical undercurrents?