Essay

Essay

Thesis:

The dystopian political based thriller, V for Vendetta presents a fascist, totalitarian and dictatorship government that is ruling over the futuristic setting of London where people’s identities are repressed.  Revenge is a strong theme in this film; all the plots are for their own personal gain; V and Evey both want revenge- V due to the part people played in his suffering of the experiment and Evey because her parents/ her life was ripped away from her, yet by achieving this they hide behind the fabrication of freedom for the people to hide their own behaviour and actions. The government is a symbol of their loss which they want to destroy but by doing this they save society from the oppression and rules that stifle the people.

Theme 1: Fascism

Message 1: the government dictates what people are to believe- it could happen in our society if we let it happen

Scene: opening scene

Analysis: the cinematography presents the man with a close up shot, which shows his power over the people, and that he controls their beliefs- shows they do not have an individual identity but a conformed one.

Theme 2: Revenge

Message 2: the end justifies the means; there is a right for violence to get freedom

Scene: when he kills the woman scientist

Analysis: these idioms present how the audience is made to believe what v is doing is a good thing- he has a secret agenda where he kills the people that played a part in his suffering during the experiment by only allowing society to see what he wants them to see: freedom. The mise en scene conveys the use of a red rose as representation for his revenge.

Theme 3: Revolution

Message 3: freedom of the people- to make a difference and not be enslaved by the government’s rules and regulations

Scene: the end scene

Analysis: the cinematography presents the enormity of the citizens uprising compared to the army that the government control- the government are no match. V made it possible for the people to make a stand. The close ups on individual faces show how important this was to the people- to get their identity back.

Theme 4: Media manipulation

Message 4: it is a force of power to oppress the people and dictate the beliefs

Scene: chancellor sutler’s speech and v’s speech

Analysis: the government control the stream of media into the people’s homes – used this to gain control over the people by using disease as the weapon against anyone who weren’t straight, white and Christian. V used the media as a force to get the people to listen to him and his plans for the next 5^th November where he plans to blow up parliament- it is used to manipulate. Both government and v are villains in their own right and use this to get what they want.

Theme 5: Oppression

Message 5: homosexuality is wrong to the corrupt religion ruled by the government

Scene: experiment and when Dietrich is taken away

Analysis: the people have to be Christian, white and straight otherwise the government take them away and harm them with no trial. Art is a form of the identity that they took away from the people; some hide it in their homes- v steals artwork from the government, which symbolises how he is against them, and represents how he is the hope for the revolution.

Conclusion:

The film presents a range of themes that convey how the government rules people’s identities and lives to conform to their own regulations so there is no chance of a revolution, however v changes this as he is the face of the uprising- he is the hope for the people in the darkest time. It represents how the government rules by fear and propaganda that influences them to look the other way if anything out of line happens. The main plot to the film is the revolution and how the strength that the people can build when they come together can win against the evil. There are no heroes in this film; they are all villains- V and the government kill people, Evey blows up parliament due to the fact that they took her parents from her. The motives of this film are personal and the people killed are a tragic accident for the cause of ‘good’ in their eyes. In some ways what v does it good as it frees the people but his motives for doing this are based on a hatred that boils deep inside him because it all he knows.