V for Vendetta (2006)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XZAi5tOWTc

Cast:

• James McTiegue, Director

• The Wachowskis, Writer

• Adrian Biddle, Cinematography

• Martin Walsh, Editor

• Dario Marianelli, Music

• Hugo Weaving as V

• Natalie Portman as Evey Hammond

• Stephen Rea as Chief Inspector Eric Finch

• Stephen Fry as Gordon Deitrich

• John Hurt as Adam Sutler

• Tim Pigott-Smith as Peter Creedy

• Rupert Graves as Detective Sergeant Dominic Stone

• Roger Allam as Lewis Prothero

• Ben Miles as Roger Dascombe

• Sinéad Cusack as Dr. Delia Surridge

Background:

• V for Vendetta was wide released on March 17, 2006.

• On a rough budget of $50-54 million, V made $134.7 million to finish #41 at the worldwide box office for 2006.

• Critical reception was mixed at the time with some lauding it and others outright decrying it.

• Empire magazine named the film the 418th greatest movie of all time in 2008.

• Many critics of the film have held against the film in years since for its use of violence, vigilantism, and support of LGBT and non-judeo-christian beliefs.

• V for Vendetta currently holds a 73% among critics on RT, a 62 score on Metacritic, and a 3.9/5 on Letterboxd.

Plot Summary: Set in a grim future ruled by a harsh dictatorship, V for Vendetta follows a quiet young woman, Evey, played by Natalie Portman, who is rescued from secret police by a mysterious masked rebel, V, played by Hugo Weaving. V launches a bold campaign of bombings and public messages meant to wake the public and inspire resistance against the regime led by Chancellor Adam Sutler. As Evey is drawn deeper into V’s dangerous mission, she struggles with fear, freedom, and the cost of fighting tyranny.

Meanwhile, a determined investigator, Chief Inspector Eric Finch, played by Stephen Rea, begins to uncover the truth behind both the government’s past crimes and V’s personal quest for revenge. Blending political thriller and action drama, the film explores themes of oppression, justice, and the power of ordinary people to challenge authoritarian rule.

Did You Know:

• The domino scene, where V tips over black and red dominoes to form a giant letter V, involved 22,000 dominoes. It took four professional domino assemblers 200 hours to set it up.

• For the scene when V emerges from Larkhill, stunt double Chad Stahelski literally walked through fire, wearing just a special fire resistant gel and a g-string. Stahelski's body temperature had to be lowered before the scene was shot, and luckily, it was three degrees below zero the night of the shoot. Fifteen minutes before a take, he would put on ice cold flame resistant clothing, and once he took them off, he would be covered with fire resistant gel which had been icing all day long.

• The Secret Police are called "Fingermen", because the New Order was arranged on the model of the human body. The Chancellor was the Head; the television station BTN was the mouth; visual and audio surveillance were the Eyes and the Ears; Inspector Finch was part of The Nose, the Police force, and Creedy's Secret Police were the Hand.

• The scenes in the abandoned London Underground station were filmed at Aldwych, a Piccadilly line station that closed in 1994. The branch still has tracks and electricity, meaning trains can still operate.

• In the original graphic novel, V's cause was anarchy, not freedom. Alan Moore was very critical of the movie for changing what he called the "anarchy versus fascism" structure of his graphic novel, into what he saw as an exploration of "American neo-liberalism versus American neo-conservatism" that should have been set in the U.S. instead of Britain.

• In all of Adam Sutler's scenes, he blinks only once.

Best Performance: Hugo Weaving (V)

Best Secondary Performance: Stephen Rea (Finch)

Most Charismatic Award: Hugo Weaving (V)/Stephen Frye (Gordon)

Best Scene:

• Opening Fight/Old Bailey

• Jordan Tower

• Larkhill Revelations

• Mock Prison/Valerie

• Final Showdown

Favorite Scene: Final Showdown/Jordan Tower

Most Indelible Moment: Final Showdown

In Memorium:

• Jennifer Runyon, 65, American actress (Another World, Ghostbusters, Charles in Charge)

• Corey Parker, 60, American actor (Biloxi Blues, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Will & Grace)

• Bob Rosenfarb, 74, American television producer and writer (Step by Step, Who's the Boss?, Head of the Class)

• Stephen Hibbert, 68, American actor (Pulp Fiction, True Jackson, VP) and television writer (Late Night with David Letterman)

Best Lines/Funniest Lines:

V: People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

Evey Hammond: My father was a writer. You would've liked him. He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up.

Evey Hammond: [voiceover] Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot... But what of the man? I know his name was Guy Fawkes and I know, in 1605, he attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But who was he really? What was he like? 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. I've witnessed first hand the power of ideas, I've seen people kill in the name of them, and die defending them... but you cannot kiss an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it... ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love... And it is not an idea that I miss, it is a man... A man that made me remember the Fifth of November. A man that I will never forget.

V: ...A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone, a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people, blowing up a building can change the world.

V: There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.

V: There are no coincidences, Delia... only the illusion of coincidence.

Gordon Deitrich: You wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it.

Finch: One thing is true of all governments - their most reliable records are tax records.

The Stanley Rubric:

Legacy: 6.5

Impact/Significance: 5.75

Novelty: 5

Classic-ness: 7.5

Rewatchability: 7

Audience Score: 8.85 (87% Google, 90% RT)

Total: 40.6

Remaining Questions:

• With the heads of government gone, where does the UK go next? How do they rebuild?

• Did V pick Evey for something or was it pure coincidence?