Product description
-------------------
In a futuristic Britain where a totalitarian regime rules, a
young woman is rescued from certain death by a ed vigilante
calling himself "V," who launches a one-man crusade against
government tyranny and oppression.
Item Type: DVD Movie
Item Rating: R
Street Date: 08/01/06
Wide Screen: yes
Director Cut: no
Special Edition: no
Language: ENGLISH
Foreign Film: noSubtitles: no
Dubbed: no
Full Frame: no
Re-Release: no
Packaging: Sleeve
.com
----
"Remember, remember the fifth of November," for on this day, in
2020, the minds of the masses shall be set free. So says
code-name V (Hugo Weaving), a man on a mission to shake society
out of its blank complacent stares in the film V for Vendetta.
His tactics, however, are a bit revolutionary, to say the least.
The world in which V lives is very similar to Orwell's
totalitarian dystopia in 1984: after years of various wars,
England is now under "big brother" Chancellor Adam Sutler (played
by John Hurt, who played Winston Smith in the movie 1984), whose
party uses force and fear to run the nation. After they gained
power, minorities and political dissenters were rounded up and
removed; artistic and unacceptable religious works were
confiscated. Cameras and microphones are littered throughout the
land, and the people are perpetually sedated through the
governmentally controlled media. Taking inspiration from Guy
Fawkes, the 17th century co-conspirator of a failed attempt to
blow up Parliament on November 5, 1605, V dons a Fawkes and
costume and sets off to wake the masses by destroying the symbols
of their oppressors, literally and figuratively. At the beginning
of his vendetta, V rescues Evey (Natalie Portman) from a group of
officers and has her live with him in his underworld lair.
It is through their relationship where we learn how V became V,
the extremities of the party's corruption, the problems of an
oppressive government, V's revenge plot, and his philosophy on
how to induce change.
Based on the popular graphic novel by Alan Moore, V for
Vendetta's screenplay was written by the Wachowski Brothers (of
The Matrix fame) and directed by their protégé, James McTeigue.
Controversy and criticism followed the film since its inception,
from the hyper-stylized use of anarchistic terrorism to overthrow
a corrupt government and the blatant jabs at the current U.S.
political arena, to graphic novel fans complaining about the
reconstruction of Alan Moore's original vision (Moore himself has
dismissed the film). Many are valid critiques and opinions, but
there's no hiding the message the film is trying to express:
Radical and drastic events often need to occur in order to shake
people out of their state of indifference in order to bring about
real change. Unfortunately, the movie only offers a means with no
ends, and those looking for answers may find the film stylish,
but a bit empty. --Rob Bracco
On the DVDs
On disc 1 is a 16-minute documentary "Freedom! Forever!: Making
V for Vendetta" with discussions on the movie's origin and themes
by the principal cast and crew (no Alan Moore or Wachowskis, to
no one's surprise, but the graphic novel's illustrator David
Lloyd is on hand to call the movie "a very good version"). On
disc 2 is a 17-minute production featurette, a 10-minute history
of Guy Fawkes, and the 15-minute "England Prevails: V for
Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics." Lloyd and others from the
comics industry such as Paul Levitz and Bill Sienkiwicz talk
about the graphic novel and how it appealed to a different, older
audience. The second menu of the second disc also has an
easy-to-find Easter egg of a rapping and swearing Natalie Portman
on Saturday Night Live. --David Horiuchi
Beyond the Film
The graphic novel by Alan Moore and David Lloyd (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/0930289528/ref=d_ap_vendetta_1 )
More by Alan Moore (
/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/15681/ref=d_ap_vendetta_2 )
From Graphic Novel to Big Screen (
/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/3J22463YCMI33/ref=d_ap_vendetta_3
)
More by Natalie Portman (
/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/442010/ref=d_ap_vendetta_4 )
More by Hugo Weaving (
/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/451876/ref=d_ap_vendetta_5 )
More by the Wachowski Brothers (
/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/463156/ref=d_ap_vendetta_6 )