“If only they could somehow become conscious of their own strength, [they] would have no need to conspire. They needed only to rise up and shake themselves like a horse shaking off flies. If they chose they could blow the Party to pieces tomorrow morning. Surely sooner or later it must occur to them to do it.”
George Orwell, a British writer, wrote those words in 1948. His novel 1984 was a precautionary illustration of the dangers of allowing one’s life to be dictated by a corrupt government.
In the year 1984, British graphic novelists Alan Moore and David Lloyd were midway through their comic book series, which explored the same ideas: V for Vendetta.
Originally published as an unfinished black and white comic series, part of the larger Warrior anthology, V for Vendetta was released as a completed color series in 1988 by DC Comics. Now, in 2006, screenwriters Andy and Larry Wachowski, the individuals responsible for The Matrix trilogy, have put the story on the big screen.
The film, a directorial debut by Matrix collaborator James McTeigue, is set in dystopian London somewhere in the 2020’s. V, a masked vigilante dressed as Guy Fawkes, a 16th century conspirator against the king of England, has taken it upon himself to educate the citizens of England regarding the true nature of their government and their enslavement thereby.
Employing terrorist tactics and poetic philosophy to convince the public as well as his would-be protge, Evey (Natalie Portman) of his justification, V over the course of the film carries out his master plan for a total reconstruction of English government.
The film version is a largely faithful, albeit condensed adaptation of the graphic novels, with the exception of a few temporal rearrangement of events and some rewriting of a few select characters. The changes serve only to aid the coherency of the condensed version, however, thus they do not feel forced nor do they ultimately alter the spirit or message of the story.
The application of philosophy and symbolism in the film is impressive, and it obviously required a great deal of both grace and education to be able to write those elements into the script with the amount of fluidity that the movie exhibits. The characters are given just enough subtle exposition to facilitate an understanding of their actions without indulging in superfluous backstory, and the recurring themes and allusions are both subtle and effective.
The dialogue is poetic, the violence is graphic, and the visual impressions left by the film as a whole are absurdist and painful as well as beautiful.
Although the story is overtly political, it does not come across as an attempt to offer direct commentary on the political situation currently at work in the world.
It does, however, function as a blatant warning against complacency as well as a call to arms against any institution that believes that it has the right to tell its citizens how to think.
V for Vendetta is undeniably one of the most intelligent films that has emerged in a long time, and a proper discussion of all of the exquisitely executed elements present in the film far exceeds the space provided by this humble publication.
The holistic artistic and literary brilliance of the piece is both staggering and humbling, to say nothing of the sheer entertainment value of the film.
While many of you were possibly unhappy with the last installment or two of The Matrix trilogy, let me just say that any doubts you might have had about V for Vendetta can safely be laid to rest.
V for Vendetta is rated R for strong violence, some language, adult-themed situations, and lots of things blowing up. It is currently playing at Real to Reel in Johnson City and inside the Fort Henry Mall in Kingsport.
Love me? Hate me? I’d like to know. Send your comments or suggestions to themoviegoer.cj@gmail.com.

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