“There are no coincidences, only the illusion of coincidence”

Statement of intent

I want to explore the importance of the use of symbolism, montage and sound that the director has chosen to explore the idea of freedom through justice, in the symbol of ‘V’.

Introduction

The film ‘V for Vendetta’ directed by James McTeigue explores the social issues associated with obtaining freedom in a totalitarian regime. Set in near future England, protagonist V’s ultimate goal is freedom and this is shown through his attitude and actions towards the government. In examples such as the domino scene and the fight scene; he expresses both the downfall of government due to the idea of freedom and the anger of the people living in this society. How they have clung onto the idea of ‘V’; of freedom and justice. V’s considered terrorists acts throughout are a symbol of freedom, he is placing the idea of freedom into the minds of London’s dystopian citizens, he is above Justice and Law. He is an idea, a craving, something that cannot be killed with a bullet of a gun, it isn’t as easy as just killing one man or destroying one building. “Anarchy wears two faces, both creator and destroyer.” The use of montage and symbolism throughout the Domino and Fight Scene help the viewer to understand the underlying purpose of ‘V’, through justified destruction comes justice and in turn freedom. Freedom of a totalitarian government; freedom of himself.

The montage Domino scene is accompanied by a monologue from Detective Inspector Eric Finch as he realizes who the mysterious character ‘V’ is, and why he has these hateful vendettas against the government. The scene begins with ‘V’ placing down the first domino, representing himself in the tidal wave that will follow. Detective Inspector Finch starts his monologue giving the viewer a look into past events and also a glimpse into the near future, he is speaking to Dominic throughout this scene but not interacting with him. Dominic is placed in this scene as a symbolic presence, with his name being ‘Dominic’ and this being the ‘Domino’ scene, Inspector Finch is symbolically staring into all of the event’s that ‘V’ has created and the domino affect of them. With Finch having these montage of flashbacks the viewer has a glimpse into all the main characters emotions and why they have turned into the people they are now; their justifications for their actions. Throughout this montage of flashbacks of main events, it shows how the simple idea of Freedom can turn a totalitarian regime into chaos. Detective Inspector Finch realizes that it was the government behind the Larkhill Detention Center and the biological attacks on the people of London, that it is the government to blame for the creation of who ‘V’ is today and why he has his Vendettas. ‘V’ does not see the government as Just, therefor the irony of destroying the Justice building such as the Old Bailey criminal court symbolizes the directors intention of Freedom through justified destruction. The directors intention of using domino’s in this scene is to show the masterpiece ‘V’ has created to represent all the justified acts of freedom against the justice system. Not only this but it represents all the people that have raised up and the tidal wave that it creates when all together. “I suddenly had this feeling that everything was connected. It’s like I could see the whole thing, one long chain of events that stretched all the way back to Larkhill. I felt I could see everything that happened and everything that was going to happen. It was like a perfect pattern laid out in front of me. And I realized we’re all part of it, and all trapped by it.”  As Finch begins to realize that everything is connected, the montage flashes back to the key events of the Guy Fawkes execution, prisoners and testing at Larkhill, the Saint Mary’s Virus, blowing up of the Old Bailey and the election of Chancellor Sutler. As Finch says “It was like a perfect pattern” there is a montage of the roman numeral/ letter ‘V’ that appears five times from different parts throughout the movie, whilst it kept flashing back to ‘V’ placing down all these domino’s in a “perfect pattern.” The director has done this to show how everything ‘V’ has done connects to the idea of Freedom and the steps taken to reach this point. Putting all these domino’s together symbolize the overall picture of events, how altogether they create a tidal wave of events that will overwhelm the Chancellor to his death in the Fight Scene. Through the use of montage the viewer can see the foreshadowing of events that are soon to happen, the shooting of a young girl wearing a ‘mask of freedom’, the uproar against those in control, riots, and The Fight Scene. Wearing of the Guy Fawkes mask symbolizes to the people the sense of unity to their shared commitment for a cause they all believe in. People that have watched the movie ‘V for Vendetta’ have since copied the use of the Guy Fawkes mask and have incorporated it into protests such as the ‘Million Mask March’. This march takes place annually every year on November 5th, the group Anonymous gathers throughout different cities around the World and protests about import significant struggles the communities are facing. James McTeigue has used real footage from the riots that took place in London, he has done this because these riots were about freedom from prejudices, how people should have freedom to be their own person, which correlates with the story line of ‘V for Vendetta’. This shows how interlocked this futuristic London society intertwines so closely with our own. Throughout this montage of foreshadowing events, there are snippets of domino’s being placed down one after the other by ‘V’ to create the letter V or what could also be seen as the roman numeral V. Five is the number of balance and represents the human being as a whole, as well as being a representation for peace and harmony. The number five also has religious foreshadowing for it represents the Jewish five books of Torah, and also has connections to the Christian Bible where David picked five pebbles in which he was to kill Goliath. November 5, 1605 Guy Fawkes was involved in the ‘Gunpowder Plot’ to blow up the House of Parliament in London, ‘V’ shared a mirror image plan where he was to blow up London Parliament to remove Chancellor Sutler from power. James McTeigue has used this foreshadowing of events to create tension in the viewer until the first domino is flicked over releasing chaos, it begins to take over the city as more of the domino’s begin to fall over in succession. ‘V’ is symbolically the first domino, he represents the idea of Freedom and through his individual actions has inspired people to believe that they can take down an unfair totalitarian government. Inspector Finch realizes that “With so much chaos, someone will do something stupid. And when they do, things will turn nasty. And then Sutler will be forced to do the only thing he knows how to do. At which point, all V needs to do is keep his word.” The characters desire for freedom becomes more apparent throughout the scene where “Anarchy in the UK” is used by a member of the public wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, which is now the symbol of freedom. Once Chancellor Sutler begins to lose control over his dystopian society he responds in the only way he believes he can, through physical force and manipulation. Guns are an object that all control members of this society carry, the viewer can see throughout this montage how the use of guns by control members are used as a way to show their authority. As well as in the Fight Scene guns are used as an object for their users to feel empowered and in control “We have guns”, Mr Creedy the head of the secret police uses this as a threat against ‘V’, showing that all the government has is a threat but the idea of Freedom cannot be shot down by anyone. 

The Fight Scene is where the viewer finally understands who V is and what he symbolizes. Through the use of sound and symbolism the directors purpose of this scene can be clearly understood once all the pieces are put together. The scene begins with Chancellor Sutler being taken by the Fingermen covered in their signature black bag and brought down into the old London underground tunnels. This black bag is the symbolic colour for the hidden, secretive and unknown, it creates an air of mystery which is its purpose so that the person covered does not know who covered them and what will happen to them before death. Black is the absorption of all colour and is the absence of light, it is used also in ‘V’s appearance, his main apparel is black which is to enhance the impact of his character. James McTeigue has knowingly used these bags for their colour representation but also the connection to the real World in places like Guantanamo Bay where prisoners are covered in black bags, making them a non entity. The viewer watching throughout the movie will be emotionally provoked, creating a stronger connected to characters and their desperation for Freedom, which is the directors intention. Once the black bag is removed from the Chancellors head the viewer can see that he is helpless and cowardly once taken away from his toys that make him feel powerful. Through diegetic sound we hear not only ‘V’ saying his final words to the Chancellor but also the Chancellors whimpering of cowardice, from previous scenes he is always portrayed as powerful but now ‘V’ has brought to life his true colours. A soft low key of piano accompanies ‘V’ building up to the moment Mr Creedy shoots the Chancellor, this begins to add growing tension until the diegetic sound of the bullet which overpowers the non diegetic sound so the only thing heard is the sound of his death. “For all the things you’ve done. All the things you might have done. And all that you have left.” ‘V’ places his signature Red Carson into Sutlers pocket as the music begins its low crescendo. Red Carson’s are known in today’s World as a Scarlet Carson, in the film they were renamed to represent ‘V’s bloody revenge in his own form of a love letter to each victim. In Chancellor Sutlers last speech to London he promised them that, “Justice will be swift. It will be righteous. And it will be without mercy”  he is given a righteous swift death from the merciless bullet of a gun. ‘V’ says that it was the peoples fear that voted Chancellor Sutler into power, but it was Sutler and his followers that had originally created this fear. Sutler’s campaigns throughout the movie against minority groups such as the LGBT’s show how he gains power through creating fear and targeting those with less power. Chancellor Sutler could be compared to the now President of the United States, Donald Trump. Donald portrays himself as a protector whilst installing fear into people against minority groups, he creates the idea that America wont be Free until the minority groups are rid of, just as Sutler did. Both men created an idea of fear for votes towards ‘freedom’.

“It’s time to have a look at your face. Take off your mask.” A crescendo begins to build up made of violins and low drum, the use of this non diegetic sound tells the viewer that another impact moment is coming again. In this case it a physical one but also a mental realization for the viewer. ‘V’ cannot take his mask off because Freedom does not have a face, for it is an Idea. Up until this final scene the only skin that has been shown by ‘V’ is his burnt hands, these burnt hands symbolize the hardships and scorn that take place in a revolution for freedom; how Freedom itself may suffer, but the idea itself is everlasting. At the peak of this moment ‘V’ slices down the two men that try to take off his mask, the diegetic sound of the knives is amplified for the viewer so they can begin to understand that ‘V’ cannot be killed easily. An idea can only defend itself with extensions of itself, ‘V’s extensions of himself are his knives for they move with him as if they are one. ‘V’s fight for Freedom is not yet over until he kills Mr Creedy with his bare hands, so Creedy is suffocated by an Idea. “The only thing we have in common Mr Creedy is we are both about to die…With my hands around your neck.” Mr Creedy being a blind man in power has not realized who ‘V’ really is and what he represents, though the non diegetic crescendo leads the audience to believe there may be a realization of a sort, for now it only implies the arrogance that power creates. “You’ve got nothing, nothing but your bloody knives and your fancy karate gimmicks. We have guns.” Mr Creedy shares the same belief of the Chancellor that through the show of power and force a resolution can be solved. “No, what you have are bullets, and the hope that when your guns are empty I am not longer standing, because if I am..you’ll be dead before you’ve reloaded.” Guns go off from all angles around ‘V’ in an overpowering diegetic sound that has been amplified, no non diegetic sound is present so the viewer concentrates on the fact that ‘V’ is not being killed by the bullet of just any gun. As the bullets run out ‘V’ takes two deep breaths, these breaths slow the scene down into a standstill for a short moment. All the viewer is left doing is breathing along with him, until the crescendo starts again in the sudden correlation of ‘V’ using the knives as an extension of himself to slaughter the Fingermen. As more men are killed non diegetic choir music and a low drum crescendo accompany the diegetic sound of knives flying through the air into their victims. Each death symbolizes justified destruction and how each individual comes one step closer to an accomplished freedom. The act of killing seems graceful when done by ‘V’, this is because his ultimate goal is a Freedom; something beautiful. Once the last Fingerman is murdered all sound stops abruptly as ‘V’ faces Mr Creedy. “Die. Die. Why won’t you die?!” Mr Creedy still doesn’t understand what ‘V’ is. “Beneath this mask is more than flesh. Beneath this mask is an idea. And ideas are bullet proof.”  This is one of the most important pieces of diegetic sound for it tells Mr Creedy as well as the audience who ‘V’ really is and what he represents. Mr Creedy could not figure this out himself for he is blinded by power, he only sees the physical things in front of him and that is why he is obsessed with guns. The bullet of a gun can wound anything physical, but having never been a conscious human being he doesn’t understand without being told. ‘V’s mask has been used to make ‘V’ something without identity and rather a symbol. He represents everybody and is not just one character but all the people in a society, all the people that this Totalitarian government has wronged. By wearing a mask, ‘V’ becomes something bigger than himself, he has become the living embodiment of an idea. Killed at the hand of Freedom, Mr Creedy was the last step towards a Free society therefor the idea is no longer. Viking funerals are foreshadowed throughout this scene, they were based on the idea of continuance of life. ‘V’ says that an idea cannot be killed as he is surrounded by several dead characters that attempted to kill him. The director has shown how an idea can manifest until it is no longer needed, ‘V’ has fulfilled his purpose to this society and can now manifest into something new. “We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the World. I’ve witnessed first hand the power of ideas, I’ve seen people kill in the name of them, and die defending them..but you cannot kiss and idea, cannot touch it, or hold it…ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love..” 

‘V for Vendetta’ is a fictional novel that has intertwined with our World, our ideas and our failures. ‘V’ is a symbol of Freedom to not only the people of this dystopian novel, but also a symbol to the people of this day and age. His actions towards the government were an awakening to all members of all societies both fiction and non fiction; the face of Freedom has come wearing a mask that shows the want for equality, justice and freedom. In the Domino and Fight Scene it is seen the lengths that an Idea will go to be achieved, how justified destruction can benefit a society that is willing for change. This London society was no longer in fear for they had come to the realization that they were being blinded by a greedy man seeking power. Hopefully American citizens will one day come to this awakening and see the affects that Donald Trump has made for his own satisfactions. Aided by montage and sound symbolism is enhanced making it the most important cinematography technique used throughout these two keys scenes, the director has used symbolism because this tells the underlying story of Freedom through rightful justice.