• Wael Khairy in Cairo
During the revolution Egyptians referenced "V for Vendetta" more frequently than any other work of art. Protestors held up signs that read "Remember, remember the 25 of January." On the internet, Photoshop was used to alter Pharaoh Tout Ankh Amoun's face into a Fawkes smile.
Sarah Abdel Rahman, an activist who ended up on TIME magazine's cover page during the revolution referred to scenes from the film when I discussed the revolution with her. Guy Fawkes' bumper stickers are stuck on the back windows of dozens of cars driving through Cairo traffic; his mask painted red, white and black resembling the Egyptian flag. The list goes on and on, there's no doubt about it, in 2011 "V for Vendetta" stirred up as much conversations in Egypt as when it first spread controversy the day it was released here.
The controversy back then was one that split opinions between critics and film fans alike. Does the film promote terrorism? Is V a terrorist or a freedom fighter? By definition a terrorist is one of two things:
1. a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism
2. a person who terrorizes or frightens others
V does blow up buildings, but they're usually empty after the curfew and he does kill policemen when they attack him. V is not a typical terrorist, for he terrorizes a group that uses terror to rule the masses. By definition the government portrayed in the picture could be considered terrorists as well for they are a group that "frightens others". The only difference is V could also be considered a freedom fighter. The same can't be said about the members of the British government in the film.
"People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people." was tweeted endlessly during the revolution, even though I fully disagree with what it says. Fear should not be the driving factor behind anything. In fact, a government should be at peace with its people and vice versa. In other words, there has to be a mutual aspect between governments and their people and it shouldn't be fear by rather a mutual understanding. But this isn't why I decided to write about the film. For a film that better understands this material, I recommend the superior "The Battle of Algiers". Granted the constant referring drove me to revisit "V for Vendetta" and when I did, it wasn't the controversy or the dozens of similarities between both the previous Egyptian regime and the government in the film that caught my attention. I decided to write about how the film delivers its message visually.
James McTeigue's "V for Vendetta" starts with black and white opening credits. The human eye automatically associates black and white with old. Intense military music plays in the background and the images have aged markings on them like they belong to an old film reel. These credits resemble old footage of Nazi propaganda films which plays a major role in this film as historical context is one of its themes.
A narrated voice then transported to the 17th century, 1605 A.D. to be specific. We are introduced to man by the name of Guy Fawkes. He tried to blow up the house of parliaments on November the 5th of that year. Visually we know we're witnessing the story narrated through the costume designs of a period hundreds of years old.
Fawkes is caught and he's about to be executed in front of the public. We get a high angle shot of an angry crowd waving their fists into the air. The fact that the shot was angled from above helps the viewer look down at these people both literally and figuratively.
Fawkes is wearing a white shirt symbolizing his innocence. As the noose is tied around his neck, he searches for a loved one, the only sad person in a sea of angry people. When we finally see her, the shot isn't set up from a high angle suggesting she's the only righteous person there. We then get an extreme close-up of her eyes as a tear slides down her cheek. The use of a close-up is very relevant as it demands and evokes an emotional response from the audience.
The man gets hanged and the camera moves slowly from his head to his struggling body all the way to his feet dangling in the air. As the camera moves down, the figure rises within the frame symbolically expressing a dying man rising to the heavens.
This is considered the prologue of the story as it all happens before the title flashes on the screen. A large V sign lights up the screen, it references two culturally significant signs, the anarchist A symbol and the Z from Zorro. Both of which are very anti-establishment. This sign is hammered to the viewer throughout the picture both subliminally and consciously.
After the title flashes before the screen we are transported to contemporary times. Through careful editing inspired by Eisenstein's theory of montage, we witness two intersecting parallel scenes carefully edited together. They complement one another and eventually both subjects merge within the same frame. V puts on his mask and we cut to Evie (Natalie Portman) stands in front of a mirror. She puts on her make-up. When she switches off her TV, he does too. The mirroring actions suggest that both are heading towards the same path. When their paths finally meet, V saves her from brutal government officers attempting to rape her.
A similar montage can be seen after V saves her from the rapists. After they are set apart, Evie goes to work which just happens to be where V is trying to broadcast a message to the country on live TV. The montage sequence mirrors and reflects the previous one with matching close-ups. Only this time when their paths meet again, it's Evie who saves V.
More mirroring shots occur throughout the picture. Not all of them are between V and Evie. The shots of V talking on TV reflect the ones of the Chancellor addressing the nation. However, both were intentionally captured differently. When V addresses the nation, he speaks eloquently and the screen is clean and well balanced. Yet, when the Chancellor orders his people around, the shots are extreme close-ups displaying his wrinkles and worn out face which symbolizes the old and flawed regime he commands. Also, his shots are often shown from a lower angle meaning the camera was looking up at the subject. This was probably intended to give his menacing presence a sense of power and importance.
As mentioned before, one of the themes of "V for Vendetta" is historical context. The Chancellor is portrayed similarly to Hitler, and his actions that of the Holocaust. These connotations are presented through carefully designed shots that resemble photographs of that era.
There's also the whole concept of the government officials walking around with a badge that has a symbolic sign on it representing their regime. Costumes play an important factor in this film. Besides the military uniforms, there's the whole concept of V's mask. Early on in the picture, V mentions that the man behind the mask doesn't matter; it's the idea he tries to inject to his followers that is most important. Another clever use of costume design is when Natalie Portman is dressed as a school girl cheerleader visiting a child molesting priest. It is quite clear that Evie is a full grown woman but with through a single costume all is forgotten. Thoughts of pedophilia and sexual abuse are bound to enter the viewer's mind.
The priest brings back the whole mask concept. Because the priest only seems like a man of God on the outside but from the inside he's nothing but a child molester. In other words like V, the priests is wearing a mask only underneath he's hiding a much uglier soul. His disrespect for his religion is further noted upon when V enters the room to save Evie from another rape attempt. The priest reaches for his gun, which is hidden in none other than the bible.
A more pleasant religious reference is after Evie discovers V was the one imprisoning and torturing her to help overcome her fears. She walks out on the roof and stands in the rain. From this moment on, she's reborn, the rain symbolizes her baptism. We also get a flash of V's rebirth only instead of water it was fire that gave birth to a new man.
Other memorable scenes include the sequence where we get a glimpse of Evie's childhood. In that scene we witness as her mother is brutally beaten and gets arrested while she hides under the bed. The scene mirrors another as she watches a father like figure get beaten and arrested.
As one can clearly see, most shots in "V for Vendetta" are either close-ups, extreme-close-ups, medium shots, some two shots and three shots but rarely any wide shots. I suspect this was also intentional as most scenes take place behind bars, within brick walls of a prison cell, in rooms cramped with people. These scenes evoke a sense of claustrophobia or oppression which is what the government enforces upon its people in the film. However, after V liberates his people, we get a variety of beautifully photographed wide shots. The viewer is no longer trapped within the boundaries of the frames as the director and cinematographer liberate the audience's eyes to deep focus wide shots. V achieves what Fawkes failed to do hundreds of years ago, and at last everyone takes of their masks. Through the collective work of editors, costume designers, musical composers, cinematographer and the director we are presented with a perfect cinematically example of consistent mise-en-scene to visually express the core of the film's message, freedom and liberation.
When I marched in Tahrir, I felt a similar sense of unity, the sense of unity can't be described properly in words. You become part of this huge body with a single cause. The roar of the crowds alone spreads goosebumps all over your skin, you look around you and see strangers but for the time being they're your family. You help those in need and they help you, you protect them and they protect you, there's nothing quite like experiencing the same event in masses. It's why we enjoy crowded parties, go the movies in theaters and so on. We tend to be more at ease when embarking on the same incident. So when I watched as thousands marched towards the house of parliaments, all these feelings came back to me. It's a shame it had to end with a beautiful building exploding. Perhaps the V masked people should've continued marching into the building and taken over using foothold. After all, peaceful revolutions can be successful.
I enjoyed the read for the most part.
"Fear should not be the driving factor behind anything. In fact, a government should be at peace with its people and vice versa."
In response to the quote, there would have to be no government if you wanted to eliminate fear as the means of power. Government is founded against the idea of non-aggression.
We are anonymous
We are legion
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us.
really nice piece
too bad that it seems to stretch the truth, regarding the ties of the movie to the egyptian revolution
there is one facebook page with reference to Remember, remember the 25 of January." same page that has the guy fawlkes mask on the mummy
funny how you are the only blogger to pick this up...and not one reporter on the scene talked about it
nor can i find vid of the mass of cars driving around with bumper stickers
Talk about missing the point completely! The ID of Anonymous was taken and influenced by 'V' and this, coupled with Wikileaks, played a major role in Egypt. The movie? Not so much!
Great review, as always, Wael. I wonder how this movie compares to the graphic novel, as well. Though this film is not at the top of my list, it is one I wish to see at some point.
As for terrorist vs. freedom fighter, might the lines be blurred, as total war blurred the lines between military and civilian targets? Perhaps the main difference can be found in the person's intent and methods, as you mention.
beautiful. Made me see the movie in a different light.
V for Vendetta is my all-time favourite movie. A true masterpiece.
V was a bit heavy handed...but I guess that was the point. I obsessed over the comic when I was a kid and I was pleased with the movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ngv90Jybxk
I was just wondering if you've ever read Alan Moore's "V for Vendetta?"
The reason I ask, is because the movie is one thing, and the comic quite another.
In the comic, "V" is a psychopath. And morality painted in shades of grey - as Moore leaves it up to the reader to decide how they feel about people and events. Whereas in the film, everything is spelled out for: "V" is a freedom fighter and you're left in no doubt who the bad guys are.
You can read "V for Vendetta" online at You Tube of all places, chuckle! Just play, go full screen and pause to read...
V for vendetta comic part 1
V for Vendetta comic part 2
Ie: some of things you've noticed about the film, are a direct byproduct of the studio changing the original text and appropriating the story's elements in order to make an action movie with a bit of romance.
Note: for what it's worth, Alan Moore personally believes in a form of anarchy which does not involve making the world a miserable place...
Alan Moore on Anarchism
That said, I loved this movie. I bought it on DVD. I have toys, too. :-)
V for Vendetta is a comic book by Alan Moore.
The film is a sos-so adaptation of that series.
Have you read the comic that the film was based on?
Two quick comments, not on Egypt but on the movie:
1) Much of the montage, camera angles, etc are directly from the graphic novel. The graphic novel functioned as a story board for a good part of the movie.
2) There is a third option for V. He is clearly mad! In several English senses -- angry, daring and psychotic. Given his history, as we learn it, that's not surprising at all. His madness allows him to occupy both of the position that you mention in the review -- terrorist and freedom fighter -- at the same time and in an ambiguous way.
Great review and great attention to the iconography of V and its cultural reuse in Egypt.
Fascinating.
Makes me wonder if Alan Moore knows, since he disowned the film (as usual). He criticized it for being about the present situation and not the one he wrote about, but maybe knowing something he helped create served a role in a real revolution will matter to him.
Or not. With Mr. Moore, we never know.
while I quite like your analysis, I would still recommend reading the source and you will see, that most of the shots and editing decisions are lifted directly from there. also the graphic novel is much superior in its handling of the political and social topics.
I wanted to comment on your statement:
"People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people." was tweeted endlessly during the revolution, even though I fully disagree with what it says. Fear should not be the driving factor behind anything. In fact, a government should be at peace with its people and vice versa. In other words, there has to be a mutual respect between governments and their people and it shouldn't be fear but rather a mutual understanding."
I agree and hope for a day of mutual respect and understanding between government and people. However, I wonder if that's ever possible based on human nature (or the corrupting force that power seems to have on people) and based on the hierarchical nature of government. Lincoln summarized well the purpose of our forefathers to create a "government of the people, by the people, for the people". But somewhere along the line (maybe from the beginning) most members of the U.S. government came from enormous wealth and privilege; hardly representative of the people. I think the sentiment in Egypt and in "V for Vendetta" is based on this inequality. I think the fear mentioned in the quote "people should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people" is only necessary in a hierarchical system. The fear is necessary either for those in power to keep their power or for those without power to gain power. (In writing this, I'm also aware that other emotions than fear can be used to lead...but often fail to hold true hierarchical power). So, in the end, I agree with your statement but worry that we'll never get there. I worry there will always be a back-and-forth of government exerting control over their people (sometimes through fear) and people fighting for control of their freedom. I guess I disagree with the idea that we can have any "government" without the presence of fear to hold it up.
This is such a wonderful review of a wonderful film. I, especially, liked the deep analysis of the symbolic and historical references in the film, as well as the analogy drawn between V and the Chancellor. Of course, linking all this to the 25th of January Revolution is inevitable.
And, certainly, the government-people relationship should not be based on fear, though I think it's sad that never experiencing this makes it hard for me to imagine such a thing. But I'll be optimistic and say that I hope that peaceful revolutions would bring nothing but peace to people.
@walt kovacs Here are some of the pictures I found within 5 minutes of searching:
A V masked protestor: http://www.momentofmoore.com/post/2990258800/protester-outside-egyptian-embassy-in-washington
The V Pharaoh you referred to: http://radbot.net/pix/1056.jpg
Revolution related V Drawing: http://www.jadaliyya.com/content_images/fck_images/cartoon(1).jpg
A protestor in Tahrir holding a sign that says "remember, remember the 25th of January" with V drawn on the sign: http://mediacdn.purephoto.com/a1297_15197_ytwLUq_1200.jpg
I can take a picture of my friend's car with the distributed V bumper sticker too, but I think I made my point. Cheers for liking the piece though :)
@Greg @David Craven @ jt @jj I didn't read the graphic novel but I hear great things and that it's very different from the film.
@Justin Thank you.
@Paul Jones V could be mad but I could also say he's also a sane man in a mad world..
@Alex Wittenberg I should've given Alan Moore more credit in the essay. It was based on his material and whether or not he dislikes the film, it would never have existed without him.
@Ryan @Sarah Yeah, there is no such thing as utopia on Earth but we can get close to that...at least I hope so. Most countries have it better than some Arab nations which is why we have Arab spring.
With the anarchist "A" and the "Z" for Zorro, the author seems to have missed the "V" for Victory painted on walls, with a cross of Lorraine, by the French resistance.
Isn't "respect" and "fear" related? Don't I "respect" you, in part, because I "fear" the consequences of disrespect? There's also an element of "admiration" in "respect", but "fear" is there also.
What actually stuck out in this film for me was when Evie eventually describes her parents who were activists. They told her that they felt compelled to get politically involved because their son died (as a result of government negligence) and they cannot do otherwise. They have to live with their conscience, and their conscience is telling them to intervene. Whatever path you take, action or inaction, you have to live with the consquences. If you choose inaction, the "what ifs" may haunt you forever.Those are not pleasant ghosts to carry around.
However, I cannot condone violence as a means of political protest, not in this age indiscriminate bombing & nuclear weaponry. I take the Ghandi stance: political protest must be done to 'humanize' your oppressors, you must change hearts and minds. Violence is ineffective in this regard, dialog is essential.
Thanks so much for teaching me a lot here, about the symbolism in the movie as well as the revolution. I am so grateful RE exposed me to such a delightful writer.
Thanks for ruining the memory of this movie. I've never met an egyptian who didn't think egypt was god's gift to man, or didn't love the sound of their own voice.
How about focusing on tunisia, when a simple fruit farmer burned himself alive to start the revolution that spanned over countless countries around the world?
I know he wasn't egyptian, but no one's perfect.
Really nice exposition here of the imagery and techniques - thanks, I learned a lot.
I also need to partially agree with some of the previous commenters and agree with Roger's sentiment, "a government should be at peace with its people and vice versa". Roger is describing the key trait of a voluntary society. If everybody agrees and works together in peace, they will inevitably organize forms of self-governance, but it can't be called 'government' in the way political scientists use the term without at least threats of violence being part of the equation.
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master." -George Washington
Roger's vision is beautiful, and its anti-violence aspect is compelling. Incidentally, it's what many who fly the 'anarchist' flag (in political forums, not on the streets at G20 summits) are aiming for. Personally, I think the word is too damaged to be useful; 'voluntaryism' may be the replacement, though it doesn't get much name recognition (but Google it anyway).
A friend in the United States is a direct descendant of one of the first settling families in Maryland. On his forefather's gravestone, the one who fled England, the epitaph references the 5th of November. Basically, he fled because of all the political turmoil after Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament.
What I found of interest in this is that a man fled his country because of all this unrest - which to me means Guy Fawkes had a lot of supporters and sympathizers. Through time, England has managed to wipe clean any trace of these people, and has managed to create a villain whose effigy is still burned in bonfires every year.
I'm glad to hear of all the references to the movie in Egypt. It gives me hope that the Egyptian people can sustain this movement and change the course of your government and history.
Shame these people couldn't have taken their inspiration from the massively superior comic source, versus the horribly acted mess that was despicably revised to present a Marxist totalitarian-collectivist agitprop fable that quite literally made a concentrated effort to stand for the exact opposite that the book did.
I know its true what you say about how its only when people have a common goal that we really feel untied and part of one big family - but isnt that a depressing thing? If the world was perfect, there would be no need for marches and protests, and we would not feel united - therefore, we need conflict in a way
The movie V was about fighting so the people can be free and live there lives how they want, free from persecution . What has the Revolution in Egypt given them? Virginity tests on females protesters who are detained by the military, muslims killing christians and burning down there churches and Catholics acting the fool. A economy that is gone down the crapper (tourism which was the biggest driver of the economy is non-existent now.) The good possibilty of a Islamic state being set up, which would be replacing one bad guy with more bad guys. So how about we see where the dust settles in Egypt before we start jizzing in our pants over it. Not all revolutions are created equal, or always turn out good.
I also heard that the internet group Anonymous (who adopted the V for Vendetta mask of Guy Fawkes) played a role in helping the people involved in the Arab Spring. Could this be a hidden form of communication. By referencing V members of anonymous are able to find each other and find saftey?
When I was a kid I chuckled at a cartoon of a disgruntled kid in a theater watching a duck get hit with a big mallet, saying "in the comic book a piano falls on his head."
And now I hear that the comic book is somewhat different from this film. That's okay; in reality Guy Fawkes was said to have been a bigger moron than Marinus van der Lubbe, the moronic fall guy for the Reichstag fire. That's why the smiling face as depicted.
What's with the sour remark about Egyptians? I sat at Twitter 24/7 from January 23rd on. Where we learn all too late that these several middle east countries were rigged and fronted and expenditured by our own CIA, the Egyptians have so far made the best sense and have fallen the least for these deathly ill antics our international spy agencies vomit on them.
Libya, for a very nasty instance. If there are any honest citizens engaged, they're drowned out by funded rivalries among old chieftains, not "calls for freedom and democracy." Al Qaeda AT THE BEHEST OF THE US GOVERNMENT, murders of peaceful unarmed people. Our own Glorious President Shovel Ready wants more destruction rained down on the scene whether the citizens of this putative democracy like it or not.
Glorious Leader Qaddafi increased the literacy rate of his people by 60%, was never known to torture, did all sorts of happy stuff. While President Shovel Ready says torture is wrong, he's appointed military dict-- sorry, "staff" who say it's good. Of course President Shovel Ready will be both scandalized and blameless when the photographs come out.
They already have. Shovel Ready is supporting people who force prisoners to eat rotting flesh pulled from corpses; who batter little kids to death; who gang rape young women methodically. Go look for them. I'm tired of passing them around.
I'll be watching what happened in Egypt for as long as I live. Something happened there that transcended the intended antics of a consortium of imbecilic international meddlers in their "Freedom and Democracy" masks. In one way or another, what happened will eventually expand. Nobody sane expected a Glorious Revolution, but it is remarkable how relatively little mayhem occurred, thanks to the wisdom of those engaged, many of whom I spoke with by twitter, and some who have since disappeared.
why are you making references about that terrible film,this article could be better if you mentioned original source - comic of alan moore and david loyd.
"It's a shame it had to end with a beautiful building exploding. Perhaps the V masked people should've continued marching into the building and taken over using foothold. After all, peaceful revolutions can be successful."
- This sound so naive
I enjoyed this description of mise en scene, thanks. I found this post more interesting than the movie itself. I will gratefully check out the comic on the YT link that one commenter posted.
A few of the comments were hilarious.
I really hope things turn out well in Egypt. I would like to visit some day.
Best wishes.