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In the political thriller “V for vendetta” directed by James Mcteigue, the film follows a politically corrupt society where no one can question the political philosophy of their time. In the film, the symbols lead the viewers to see the result of what happens when society is being 'pushed too far' by the government. James Mcteigue uses symbolism in the film to deepen the themes of individuality and freedom. McTeigue uses symbols to lead us to connect England's Norsefire government with Nazi Germany and through the character of V to consider terrorism and rebellion.

The first important symbol used in the film is V’s mask. This symbol is shown in every scene V appears in and again in the very last scene. Guy fawkes is shown in the opening scene “Remember, remember the 5th of november, the gunpowder treason and plot, I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot”. This is an allusion to Guyfawkes that his idea should never be forgot. Guy fawkes is bathed in soft, golden, filtered light to represent the candlelight and history as Evey is talking, shes imaging the opening scene.The audience is taken back to 1605 when Guy Fawkes attempts to blow up the British parliament. This sequence foreshadows the development of the plan that V is pursuing. Mcteigue uses symbolising to illustrate to the audience the history of V’s idea, and through the character of V to consider terrorism and rebellion. In the film the audience will notice that V’s mask is a stylised portrayal of Guy fawkes face with a big smile, red cheeks, a wide moustache and a thin vertical pointed beard. The mask is a big part of V he uses it to remind people of fawkes. Like Fawkes, V is a man of unbendable perseverance and believes in what he thinks is right and is willing to dedicate his entire life to see that they are granted. “More than 400 years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of november forever into our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives” This lets the audience understand that V does not want to to be Guy Fawkes, but rather the idea Guy Fawkes represents rebellion. This is proven when V states “ 400 years later and an idea can still change the world” The prologue is a clear connection that V’s idea was created by his role model Guy Fawkes. The mask is an important symbol used in the film to hide your identity and that the people are hiding from what they truly think is right because they're too afraid to stand up for themselves. In the last scene thousands of citizens gather wearing the masks and remove them.This final scene when the citizens remove their masks is important for emphasising the idea. The citizens show that they are no longer willing to allow themselves to be forced into listening to the government, that instead they will resist. The mask relates to the wider world because people now used to for protests all over the world. Like V himself, the mask became a symbol of people fighting against oppression. V re-shaped the face of protest.

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