V for Vendetta- Themes

Power of Ideas
1. Significant theme, personified by the character V as he uses a Guy Fawkes mask and his obscurity. It highlights that it only takes one significant idea to ignite a chain reaction to change a country.
  1. Guy Fawkes mask
    1. Scene(s): Prologue- There is a montage of the events that took place on November 5th, 1605. Guy Fawkes was used as a symbol representing that an idea never dies.
    2. Scene(s): Final scene- In the final scene there are thousands of people dressed in black robes and Guy Fawkes masks. This was another representation of an idea never being lost and that one idea can bring together thousands of people. There is also a sequence where a few of the people remove their masks and reveal some of the characters that had died throughout the movie- including Dietrich, Valerie and girl with the glasses. These three characters were representations of the rebellion against the dictatorship and the conformity that was forced upon them
      1. 'He was Edmond Dantes. And he was my father, and my mother, my brother, my friend. He was you, and me. He was all of us.'' -Evey, final scene
    3. Cinematography: The mask is always shown as a front on camera shot. This
  2. Dominoes
    1. Scene(s): The Domino scene- V sets up dominoes in the shape of his emblem. This scene uses a montage of significant events that have happened, relating to the theme of Power of Ideas
    2. Symbolism: Depicting the domino effect and the v shape. The first domino falls and creates a chain reaction, toppling over all of the other dominoes can reshape a nation and force an oppressive government into chaos. Finally one domino stands, representing the last task, blowing up parliament.
  3. V
    1. Scene(s): Creedy's death- In this confromtation with Creedy, he questions why V wont die after being shot multiple times. V replies, 'Beneath this mask there is more than flesh... beneath this mask there is an idea Mr. Creedy...and ideas are bulletproof.'
Revenge vs Rebellion
1. Scarlet Carson
  1. Scene(s): The Scarlet Carson always appears in the scenes that show V's victims- The people involved in Larkhill- This shows that V uses the scarlett Carson to leave a message to the authorities that he is the one killing these people and that it is no coincidence
  2. Scene(s): In the scene where the rose is given to Delia Surridge, she reveals that the Scarlet Carson is believed to be extinct. This information paired with the way in which the scarlett Carson is shown symbolises V's strong desire for revenge.
  3. Cinematography: The Scarlet Carson is always shown in a close-up or an extreme close-up. This represents V's desire for revenge. Also, when shown in the shrine towards Valerie they are more lit up and natural, representing that the mystery of where and why he uses the Scarlett Carson is revealed.
2. V
  1. This is another significant theme that is personified through the character V.
    1. Scene(s): Delia's journal montage- When Delia's journal is read, there is a montage showing the events of Larkhill. When we see that V was the one to set fire to Larkhill, we realise that his rebellion was a facade for his revenge.
    2. Scene(s): Evey's surprise- When Evey returns on November 5th, V shows her the train filled with explosives and tells her that he is giving the decision to her. '...the truth is, you made me understand that I was wrong. That the choice to pull this lever is not mine to make...this world that i'm apart of.. will end tonight...tomorrow a different world will be created that different people will shape, and this decision belongs to them...'
3. Critical comment
  1. Joel Silver(Producer) - 'He wants to fulfill his agenda which is to get back at those who harmed him, and in his feeling, harmed society.'
Fear and Freedom
1. Evey
  1. This theme is represented through Evey and she represents all of the people living in this dystopian London. The fear that Evey lives through is evident in her costume and the way she carries herself.
    1. Scene(s): Evey's rebirth scene- After Evey has been tortured in the fake larkhill detention center, she walks into the Shadow Gallery and accuses V of being cruel as he explains that there was no other way to get rid of her fear. She walks into the rain after having n asthma attack and moves into the same pose/gesture that V is shown when standing by the fire. This is a representation of rebirth.
      1. Symbolism: Evey walking out from the cold prison into the warmly lit Shadow Gallery is a representation of a baby emerging from the womb. Also there is a scene inside the prison where Evey's face is shown with a shaved head and her eyes closed, representing a baby waiting to be born. Another representation of rebirth.
2. Critical comment
  1. Natalie Portman(Actress)- '...She's very passive in the beginning... just trying to live her life and be under the radar...'
3. Scene(s): V's Speech- When V sabotages the BTN and broadcasts his revolutionary speech, it is shown on the big screen as a low-angled shot to show that V's speech had power over everyone. This is juxtaposed against Adam Sutler's speech which is show as a high-angled shot. This shows that the chancellor's speech had less or no power. Also, there is a scene which shows the inside of a few buildings such as a home, a rest home and a bar, which shows the invasivness of V's speech, compared to the empty buildings during the chancellor's speech..

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V for Vendetta- Themes

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	Created by Jeiarne Wright over 10 years ago