What are the Messages and Values in V for Vendetta

In the 2006 film, V for Vendetta, the film follows the characters of a freedom fighter called V and a woman called Evey. They live in a tolitarian near future where government controls all aspects of religion and everyday life.  Corruption is rife and terrorism is seen as an act to gain power. The film provides conflicted messages by portraying these tolitarian government in the aforementioned way whilst also portraying V as performing acts of terrorism and revenge. The film justifies and presents these acts as a solution to the oppressive government. Freedom is also an important factor in the film, with the film portraying different kinds of freedom and freedom being the one thing V and Evey should work for. These values act as the films way of portraying its main message.

Tolitarianism

Scene: Diedrichs house

Analysis: They resemble the Nazi party with their political views

They use propaganda, hatred and fear to achieve their means

The scene at Diedrichs house where he is revealed to be an homosexual and keeps religious texts shows the governments true nature.

The use of dark lighting in the scene shows darkness of the conversation and foreshadows to when Diedrich is found out.

Message: The tolitarian government could happen to us.

Terrorism

Scene: V’s speech to London

Analysis: V destroys buildings to achieve aims

Destruction of symbols acts as a message to the people.

V uses fear and threats to persuade the people, mirroring the ways the Norse fire party got into power.

V’s appearance intimidates and frightens people. Editing shows different reactions from different people

Message: V’s use of terrorism is a hypocritical method of persuasion. By using fear as a factor to make a statement, he allows the Norse fire to use the same fear to counteract his own actions.

Freedom

Scene: Evey’s release from V’s jail

Analysis: Evey is only allowed out of V’s mock prison cell when she says that she would rather die than be imprisoned.

Concept of freedom is crucial to V’s message.

The short cuts from Evey in the rain to V in the fire when they both attain freedom suggest Evey and V have different types of freedom.

Evey is free from oppressive government thinking whilst V was literally free from his prison.

Message: Freedom is more important than life – which is in itself a radical rebellious attitude of life.

Revenge:

Scene: V kills woman in bed

Analysis: V kills a female scientist who used to experiment on him in the Lark hill camp. He does it out of revenge poisoning her while she sleeps. Gives her a red rose- red illustrates death, and intimacy with his victims

This scene illustrates V’s secret motive of revenge against the government rather than rebellion being his main concern.

This motive confirms V’s status as an antihero.

The dark lighting symbolises death.

Message- Revenge cannot be considered right and if it is, it clouds the morality of people.

Religious corruption

Scene: Bishop and Evey at church

V dresses Evey up as a young girl to attract a paedophile and corrupt bishop. The corruption inside the religion reflects onto the corruption found into the government.

Norse fire is an extreme Christian group, which is shown by their hatred of homosexuals. The corruption inside the only religion Norse fire allows is shown here. The shots here are an example of the male gaze, which portrays Evey as weak, and helpless until V saves her, where the camera begins to focus on her more.

Message – Are government and religion linked together?

The films main message is that both the government and V are hypocrites. Both label each other terrorists whilst they both submit acts of terror upon the people of England. This use of hypocrisy distances itself away from conventional hero films and presents the anti-hero of V as being morally clouded, unable to compare himself to people he opposes.

 wHT