V for Vendetta: Rebellion in the Shadows
V for Vendetta directed by James Mcteigue demonstrates the rebellion against injustice of an oppressing government of England in the late 2020s. James McTeigue uses symbolism in the film V for Vendetta to juxtapose the idea of individuality and the rebellion against forced conformity. Throughout the movie, the main character 'V' gathers the support of the citizens that is growing more and more dissatisfied with the amount of control the government has over them, and he takes advantage of a growing animosity towards power that he eventually funnels into a mass rebellion. He does so under the use of masks to cover the identity of him and his followers and allow people to protect their personal identities. this method of anonymous rebellion allows people to voice their true feelings and stand up to rebel against their justice.
Aspects of rebellion:
Rebellion against Injustice
V for Vendetta demonstrates rebellion against injustice through the main character "V." He was a victim of illegal genetic testing by the government in an effort to further their knowledge about the human body’s ability to survive epidemics. V was the only one to survive and escape from the torture. His hatreds then turns into vengeance. He vowed to bring justice to his country and overthrow the injustice of the government. He fights for the freedom of the people in his country. Part of V's plan is to kill those who played a role at Larkhill Detention Centre. V murdered these individuals as a payback for the suffering they have cause him and hundreds of others. While V for Vendetta does eventually succeed, many people are injured in the process, and he kills a lot of innocent and guilty people regardless of remorse. V's way of vengeance is not seen as justice, But, Rebellion, like many other social issues, is a double-edged problem, and not one that can be solved in a simple manner. In the final scene, after V liberates his people, we are shown with a variety of wide shots. The people descend on Parliament all dressed as "V", security armies don't stop them. The viewer is no longer trapped within the boundaries of the frames as the director liberates the audience’s eyes to deep focus wide shots.
Rebellion against authority
Another theme that the film explores is the use of authority and power. The theme of authority and power is used to demonstrate the force that one person have on a society. It's also trying to indicate the power of "Chancellor Sultor" by showing how he is dominate. in the scene where the Chancellor addressing the nation. his shots are often shown from a lower angle meaning the camera was looking up at the subject. The director also uses deliberately uses camera angles such as point of view, zoom and depth of field effects to show the power of authority of the governor. In the scene of the destruction of the Old Bailey on Nov 5th. "V" reveals a conductor's baton and mimics conducting an orchestra. The thunderous "1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky playing loudly by hacking into the government's Public Address System. The population - now suitably awakened - are all witness to the symbolic destruction of the Old Bailey central criminal court
Rebellion against stereotype
The film explores the theme of unfair judgements and discriminatory stereotypes. Fascist government created so many strict rules and regulations-suppressing individuals. An example people weren’t allowed to be exposed to other religions, works of art and homosexual was seen as a crime. In the scene where mid camera shots are taken of V cooking a delightful breakfast for Eve with an apron that has flowers on it and greets her saying hello miss in French which indicates his class and sophistication. The director has used mis-en-scene to influence the theme of don't judge a book by it's cover.
Visual Techniques
symbolisation
The most important symbol used in the film is V’s mask. The purpose for this was to not give V an identity, but merely to make him a "symbol". V is about everybody, it's not just about this one character, but about the people in the society, all the people that the government did wrong to. By wearing a mask, V becomes something bigger than himself. He becomes the living embodiment of an ideal. The mask also represents opposition and revolt, due to the origins of its design. The mask is modeled after Guy Fawkes, who is known for attempting to blow up the British Parliament on November 5th, 1606. In the scene with V and the dominoes, it incorporates jumps between two scenes with the dominoes falling symbolizing the government and the people of London rebelling against the government. The jump between the two scenes represents the idea that the government is falling and V's plan is in action. This technique intensifies the scene.
Colour\ Costumes
Another important technique is colour, colour is shown in the film with people such as V, he wears a lot of black or grey. Because V sneaks around in the night it is also shown in his dark costume and his main colours are red and black, the black symbolizes the night and that he sneaks around and wants to be heard but the red also shows that he is violent and explosive, it shows fire and thats what haunts his past. V’s costume creates a positive expression and shows him as sneaky and violent but also as a “good guy” rather than a terrorist.
Sound Techniques/ Music
The song being played every time V's bombs are destroying a government building; The House of Parliament and The Old Bailey is called1812 Overture written by the Russian composer Tchaikovsky to commemorate Russia's defense of Moscow against Napoleon's advancing army in The Battle of Borodino which Russia ended up winning. The music intensifies the scene because it is victorious, foreshadowing, that the people of London are going to win against the government.