The other night I watched the movie V for Vendetta. The movie was originally released in 2005 and stars Natalie Portman as Evey and Hugo Weaving as V. It was written by the Wachowski brothers from the Matrix trilogy. The movie takes place in the future (like 2030ish?) in Britain, and is essentially about a ‘terrorist’ named V who sets up a plot to destroy the British parliament building.
I thought that the movie was an extremely good example of Empire and how it can get out of control without really realizing it. The movie was interesting in that it was a story told from the point of view of the ‘other,’ rather than the dominate culture that typically writes history. As the movie progresses, the viewer learns more and more of how the government has actually deceived people to attain the level of power that the chancellor has.
I’m sure that people who have seen this movie or even know a little bit about it often think of the illusion to World War II and Nazi Germany. The government uses red and black flags and has a symbol that is very similar to a cross. The chancellor is also a very passionate, charismatic speaker- similar to Hitler. He is responsible for several horrible biological weapon attacks, and has the ability to cure the virus (which is how he becomes chancellor). He then uses the media to reinforce his vision of what a country should be. Their motto is extremely religious and reads, “Strength through unity, unity through faith.” The government uses a story of how ‘Godless America’ has turned into a ‘leper colony’ because things descended into chaos, this reinforces the idea that not only is the British government superior, but also that God is on their side and they are doing things the right way. The government constructs an extremely regimented and controlled society. Everyone has curfews and is monitored in everything that they do.
I think that one of the things that this movie does really well is to show how easily an empire can use the media, and subsequently stories in pop culture to reinforce views without questioning them. The empire teaches that different is dangerous- thus justifying their genocide of other races, sexual orientations, religions, etc. It teaches the general population to be complacent because if they start questioning things or try to do something different, everything will fall into chaos.
Then V comes along and messes up everything. He takes over a TV station and plays an extremely empowering video to the people of Britain. He explains how the empire has used fear and conformity to control the people beyond what they should ever allow, and that people have the power to change things back to what they should be.
This movie has some very encouraging Kingdom values within it. I think that it shows how it is important to stand up for what you believe in, even if that means dying for that belief. It also shows how it is important to question things and to not be just another mindless consumer lost in the mainstream. The movie offers a hope to those oppressed by the empire and allows them an alternative view of life that is possible.
One of my critiques of the movie is that V believes that violence can be used for good to bring justice to those responsible for the horrendous crimes against their own people. However, in the end V almost seems apologetic for what he has done. Evey teaches him how to love again. I think that this is an extremely powerful scene because it shows how love can even change the heart of a ‘terrorist’ and that redemptive violence does not solve everything.
First of all, I loved this movie. It's been a few months since I have seen it, but I still can remember most of it. The Wachowski brothers did a great job to produce another thought provoking and action packed hit. Secondly, this was a great post by Tom. He shed some light on some topics I had missed. It is remarkable how, in the movie, the empire uses media and other stories to shape culture. When people are fed enough of the same thing, they don't question whether it is the truth or not, they just accept what comes to them. I cannot help but think of the culture we live in now. Is the media telling us the truth or just telling us what they want us to hear? Also, the parallels to Nazi Germany are astounding, from the red and black colors to the Hitler-like chancellor. I think V is a great character. He has the courage to stand against injustice and to fight for what he believes. Though I don't always agree with his methods, V is a great example of how one man can inspire and awaken a nation to what is going on in the world. As a Christian, we can look to V’s example and be inspired, not to violently rebel, but to question the legitimacy of the world which the empire places before us.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the whole movie was very interesting. I find it worth noting that the government tries to tell its citizens to be good and honorable, so that they can be the best they can be, but by doing this, they will lose their identity. It is almost as if the government is pushing a kind of non-idealistic kind of individualism. All of the people who are true individuals are viewed as dangerous and unpredictable. This kind of goes to show us how the empire always pushes us to be individuals, but in the end, the ways they give us to accomplish this goal turn us into more and more copycats of a mold the empire has designed: consumers always looking for the next fad they can buy into to be "themselves."
ReplyDeleteI thought that V for Vendetta was a great, action-packed movie which not only entertained its audience, but also made those who watched it think more deeply about their relationship to the government/empire and its influence than they ever had before. Before reading Tom’s post, I had never really noticed the comparison to Nazi Germany and now I don’t know how I missed it. Strict curfew, strong control of the media and a special group of police (called fingermen if I remember correctly) are just a few of the similarities to the Nazi Regime which are presented in this movie. The empire encourages people to live as individuals, yet stops them from truly living the way they want to. In this movie, the man called V does what many people wouldn’t dare to do when he lives as his own person and exposes the true nature of the chancellor and his government to the people of Britain. V subverts the empire at every chance he can whether it is blowing up buildings (not to be done at home) or airing his own show the V network which presents the truth. Although V doesn’t express a relationship with Jesus, he still represents the kingdom as he lives with an allegiance to someone other than the empire and as he serves to change everything that people had come to know as the truth.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion about a great film (another one I need to watch again after reading these blog posts). Thanks for your fine analysis, Tom, especially for critiquing the myth of redemptive violence--though you're right that there's more regret in V than in many action films. Likewise in Batman Begins and The Dark Knight there's some questioning of whether violent methods can be used ultimately for good.
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