The film V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue presents us with a thought provoking concept about how people can set themselves free through anarchy. The director portrays this idea of anarchy and freedom in a bleak and controlled London that has been completely overtaken by facist leaders who control the people through fear. The way this society functions is similar to that of Nazi Germany in that if you dont confine to the leaders beleifs and ideloigies you will be erased. Inside this oppressive environment the viewer is meet with the character V, a masked anti hero who serves as a crucial character in the understanding of the films meaning and the directors intent. V is a vigilante who takes a stand against the government in order to set the people free by creating a state of anarchy. V’s motives can be viewed as questionable as he uses acts of terrosim to get his message across and create change in the people however this leaves the viewer wondering. Is the use of terrorism to create a state of anarchy really the best alterantive from how the current goveremnt is running things. The two scenes I am analysing from V for Vendetta are The domino scene and The End Fight scene. I will be analysing how these scenes use symbolism and sound as cinematography techniques to enhance the directors intentions.
James McTeigue presents us with the idea that people have the ability to set themselves free if they come together in a state of anarchy. This idea is conveyed to the viewer in magnificent style during The Domino scene that uses symbolism and sound to its advantage to create an unforgettable and empowering scene. In this scene the viewer sees the unravelling of V’s plans as the people of London begin rioting and creating a state of anarchy just as V had intended. We see this through symbolism, clever use of allusions and well ograstrated sounds. The most powerful symbol that has been used in this scene is the Dominos which convey a message about people stepping up against their governments by coming together and setting themselves free. This is shown to us when V flicks over the dominos he has set up on his floor of his house and watches them fall over in a stunning manner. As soon as the dominos begin falling the scene cuts to shots of riot footage that has occurred in human history and then back to the dominos falling over in slow mo. In the background a low droning sound can be heard that gradually gets louder and increases in tempo as the trail of dominos continue to fall over. This slow build up creates a sense of tension and makes the viewer more engaged in the scene as they are told by the music that this is a dramatic scene that holds lots of importance. The dominos start by standing straight and in order just like the government wants the people to be but as soon as one person shakes up the system a chain reaction occurs that results in a spark among the people. A revolution emerges. This revolution that emerges in V for Vendetta shows viewers that individuals can have big impacts on the way larger groups of people think and how they fabricate their own ideas. For instance individuals such as Martin Luther King, Jr, Abrham Linchon and Nelson Mandela lead large groups of people or even entire nations into new eras of thinking and brought new ideas to the table that may of not been perceived as good by all but were ideas that shook up the system nonetheless. These individuals I have listed were the start of a domino effect that begins with one person and later becomes and enormous trail of people who come together with like minded ideas and beliefs due to the first individual who sparked the flame. This chain reaction is shown to us in this scene through the riots of people tearing up streets and causing havoc. I believe the director has included these shots of people being outraged during the revolution to make the viewer think about how an anarchist protest such as a riot can benefit people’s freedom. In a state of anarchy people can accomplish a lot through force to gain their right to freedom however the James Mctieuge wants the viewer to ask themselves if this is a reasonable way for people to overcome that which oppresses them. I believe the director has intentionally shot the dominos at close ups to symbolize how riots look, messy and unpredictable.
As the trail of dominos nears its end the viewer is shown a birds eye shot of the dominos forming a large red V. The letter V acts as V’s trademark as it symbolises V’s motives behind the rebellion and acts as a symbol of defiance. The symbolism behind this red V is an empowering symbol for the viewer as it is distinctive and represents V’s core beliefs and ideas around freedom for the people in a singular letter. The letter V is presented as the upside down anarchy symbol which is another clever way the director has made a connection between freedom and anarchy as V stands for the freedom of people and his very trademark symbolises the way he is going to achieve this. In this birds eye shot of the red V the music has new layers added with the inclusion of a cello and male singers which creates a lovely harmony that empowers the viewer. This scene is meant to be an important moment for the audience as it portrays people liberating themselves from their governments as a grand and courageous act which is shown to us through people coming together in an anarchist state. The director has included this to provoke the viewers thoughts around what can be achieved through anarchy however he never tells us that we should confine our beliefs to that of his as the director is merely letting us think and perceive this scene as we choose too. The scene comes to an end with the final domino being hit by a domino on either side of it as a loud pinging noise is heard. A silence is emitted after this final domino is struck to represent the end of V’s plan. Shortly after the silence a soft Piano is heard in the background as V inspects this domino which is a rather suiting change in the soundtrack as it shows the audience that this final domino plays a crucial yet touching role in the plan. This domino symbolizes V’s death as the last thing that must happen in his plan which I believe is important as it shows how devoted V is to the cause and how he truly has no fear to die for his beliefs. The clever use of symbolism and an emotional soundtrack in this scene makes the viewer feel a deeper connection to V as we realize he is not a selfish, aggravated terrorist but a freedom fighter that would put his own life on the line to gain freedom for the people.
In the final fight scene the viewer is further presented with ideas on how people can become free through anarchy in both symbolic messages and through the use of sound. This is shown to the viewer during a confrontation that occurs between V and Chancellor Sutler. The scene starts with Chancellor Sutler giving a speech that’s being broadcasted all over London about the grave danger that is upon the people. Whenever Sutler has given a speech throughout the entirety of the film he always fills the entire screen in a big close up angle that tells the viewer he is a man of great power and authority. These cleverly used angles symbolise Sutlers dominance over the people and shows how he is a man not to be messed with. During Sutlers speech we hear him plant false information in the heads of the people by using fear and manipulative speaking to control the peoples ideas. In his speech he says, “This violent and unparalleled assault on our security will not go undefended. Or unpunished. Our enemy is an insidious one, seeking to divide us and destroy the very foundation of our great nation” The viewer knows that V does not intend to harm the people or their freedom as he wants to free them from the oppressive government. I find this line rather ironic as it sounds more like Sutlers final plea to tell the people to remain united under his corrupt system rather than a speech to comfort the people. The reality of the situation is that Sutler is the true threat to the people’s freedom which can be further seen in the line, “My fellow Englishmen: tonight, our country, that which we stand for, and all we hold dear, faces a grave and terrible threat”. There is no real threat from V but that of the manipulative and controlling system that Sutler has created which controls the people through fear. I believe the director has created Sutler as a character to remind the audience of previous leaders who gained too much control over their governments and lead their countries into shambles. Sutler can be compared to the likes of Adolf Hitler who also used manipulative speaking to plant false information in the people’s minds. Hitler blamed all of Germany’s economic and societal issues at the time on the Jews who in reality had nothing to do with these problems but were instead used as a scapegoat by Hitler. These two men are both manipulative leaders that will use words to their advantage and in turn disadvantage those that they rule. Men such as Hitler and Sutler are part of a group of leaders that are too often feared by the people when the reality is these are leaders that should be overthrown by the people as their leadership is unfair and unjust. James Mcteigue is aware of leaders such as Hitler and Sutler that have existed throughout history and still exist within modern society so he uses this film as a means of warning the viewers about what can happen to a country when their leaders gain to much control.
As Sutlers speech comes to a close the scene cuts away from the TV screens broadcasting the speech and takes us to a dark abandoned subway where a man concealed by a black bag is brought down to his knees in front of V by Creedy’s men. When the bag is taken off of this anonymous figure the audience is baffled to find out that it is none other than Sutler himself who has been captured with a look of sheer dread on his face. As V approaches Sutler a low angle shot is taken from behind Sutler to make V look big and authoritative, this shot symbolizes the transition in power between the two characters as the wide angle shots that are always used when shooting Sutler have been replaced with a medium shot that captures both V and Sutler at the same height. As V bends over to speak with Sutler a look of sheer terror spreads across Sutlers face. There is a strong emphasis on the loud and hysterical whimpering that Sutler is making to show the viewer what a coward Sutler truly is when confronted by the man he said he would bring down. I believe the director has used these cinematography techniques to show the viewer how this is the end of Sutler thus the end of the current government. As V is bent over to talk with Sutler he says, “A farewell gift, for all the things you’ve done, for all the things you might have done, and for the only thing you have left”, as he places a rose in the chancellors chest pocket. These final words that V speaks to Suttler show us the type of man V truly is. He is not a careless terrorist, he is a freedom fighter for the people that does everything with strong intent. The rose further symbolizes this as V always places a rose on those he murders to symbolise both violence and justice for the people. These roses are grown by V at his home with care and love. This love he has for the roses is carried through to those he places the roses on as he murders those who have created this oppressive government system to show his love and dedication for the people that he intends to set free. The director has intentionally used the rose as a symbol that has two meanings combined into one so it can be perceived by the viewer as they wish. Perhaps the viewer is more inclined to see rose as a symbol for terrorism and viloence that shows V is nothing mroe than a cold hearted killer or maybe the viewer sees the roeses as a liberating symbol that represents freedom for the people by bringing justice to those who wronged the people. After the rose has been placed in Sutlers chest pocket V walks away and speaks the name “Creedy” to make Creedy aware it is time for the chancellor to be killed. With that a bullet is put through the chancellors head and the end of the current government has arrived, V’s plan has finally meet its end.
James McTieuge has delivered a thought provoking title that deep and cleverly integrated messages about freedom and anarchy as well as showing us what can happen when governments gain too much control over the people. V the anti hero of this story uses acts of terrosim to rid of the main political members of the current government in order to set the people free. As viewers we are never forced to think of V’s actions as good or bad, we are merely presented with the idea that people can liberate themselves through a state of anarchy. This film can be seen as a warning to the people to show us what happens when our governments gain too much control over the people. Take a look at nations such as modern day China or North Korea that treat their people more so like commodities rather than actual human beings. This film shows us that we should be stronger than our governments by having the government fear the people not the people fear the government.