Remember, remember

…the fifth of November. It’s been 14 years since V for Vendetta was released. I have seen it twice and I was still in awe the second time I saw it. Here’s a blog post dedicated to this film.

Plot

V for Vendetta is a truly unique movie. It’s based on a comic book released from 1982 till 1989, with a plot based on the Gunpowder plot of 1605. Set in a dystopian future in London, the country is being ruled by High Chancellor Adam Sutler. A man naming himself V, dressed in a cape, hat, and a Guy Fawkes mask, plans to attack the House of Parliament on November the fifth. A year before his big attack is planned, he tells his plans to the world by blowing up the Old Bailey. Accompanying him is Evey Hammond, who works at the British Television Network. The eve before the demolition, V saves Evey’s life. From this point on, Evey gets sucked into his plans.

Review

There’s a certain feeling that this movie leaves you with. A feeling of wanting to know more, a feeling of going out the door, putting on a Guy Fawkes mask, and protesting. It touches on issues of trust in politics, without making the movie a political movie. You never really know more than the characters in the movie. This keeps the mysteries plentiful and prevents dullness at any point during the film.

It’s not just a movie to watch for its plot or its execution. You get plenty of action throughout, with some fireworks on top (literally). In the end, you cannot be too sure if the bad guy is really that bad, or if perhaps his actions are justified. There is the ever-lingering question of what is the right thing to do?

Movies often use emotions to amplify their message and have the audience experience the goings-on better. The use of facial expressions is a very effective way of sharing emotions. Actors and actresses are frequently commended on the way they use facial expressions in their roles. This movie shows that it is however not a necessity. In fact, the absence of facial expressions of V even strengthens your feelings of compassion towards him. Adding to this, it highlights the other ways in which Hugo Weaving conveys feelings in his role as V.

The director, James McTeigue, did an amazing job capturing the story in the right way. At the end, the big fight scene in the subway was captured in the exact right way. They did this by letting Hugo moving in full-speed but the rest in slo-mo.

Facts

Some of you might already know, but I love to read the trivia of each movie I watch on IMDb. The trivia section of V for Vendetta is filled with interesting facts, let me name a few:

In the comic book, the High Chancellor is named Adam Susan. For this movie, the chose the name Adam Sutler because it sounds a bit like Hitler.
Apparently, Hugo Weaving wasn’t cast as V from the beginning. James Purefoy had been filming for a few weeks when Hugo Weaving replaced him. Instead of reshooting these scenes, they simply dubbed Hugo’s voice over James’s. Director James McTeigue said in an interview: “Can I tell the difference? Yeah. Can the audience tell? I doubt it.”
This movie is filled with easter eggs. Here’s one of them: Dietrich and V make the same breakfast for Evey as she wakes up, but also both say “bonjour mademoiselle” and play the same song.
The full “Remember, remember” verse is “Remember, remember, the fifth of November / Gunpowder, treason and plot / I see no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot / Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent / to blow up the King and the Parliament / Three score barrels of powder below / Poor old England to overthrow. / By God’s providence he was catch’d / with a dark lantern and burning match / Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring / Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King! / Hip hip hoorah! A penny loaf to feed the Pope, a farthing o’cheese to choke him / a pint of beer to rinse it down. A faggot of sticks to burn him / Burn him in a tub of tar, burn him like a blazing star / Burn his body from his head, then we’ll say ol’ Pope is dead. Hip hip hoorah! Hip hip hoorah!”
Adam Sutler is only seen blinking once throughout the entire movie.
V and the number 5 are a motif used during this movie. I won’t spoil anything, but if you are going to watch V for Vendetta, try to spot them all.
The scenes outside of the British parliament were actually filmed there. They were only allowed to film from midnight to 4:30 and to stop traffic four minutes at a time.