V vs. V
October 23rd 2006 12:33
Well, I did want to save this for the fifth of next month but what the heck, there is no time like the present. And the time is always now!
I’d like to say from the outset of this writing; I loved the movie V for Vendetta. I loved the dialogue, the cinematography, the script, the actors and the characters. I like the way that Hugo Weaving had to over emphasize his body language in order to compensate for the mask. I love the fact that he was a Shakespearean knife fighting philosopher, that actually cared for people and had a human, playful side. I love the V speech he delivers at the beginning. The interesting thing about the character is that he is such a compelling contradiction in terms and yet they are terms that make perfect sense. He is a philosopher and a warrior, a poet and a barbarian, a man of compassion that brings vengeance. It is written almost like Chesterton’s comments on the cross in his book, The Ball and The Cross. The Cross is a struggle in stone and life is a struggle in the flesh.
On the subject of the comic book however (which I bought after seeing the movie) I was fairly disappointed. The main character was hardly a hero at all. He was an ass. Well, maybe not an ass, but really just a vaudevillian thug with a few good lines.
The movie also had some amazing scenes (great to the point that the Wachowski brothers at least have some kind of credibility). The knife fight at the end was fantastic, as were V’s lines (again, he had some GREAT lines in that movie) and I have a special place in my head for the scene where he confronted the doctor lady that was responsible for most of the medical work that made the actions of the government possible.
“Is it meaningless for me to apologise?”
“Never.”
JoshZ
I’d like to say from the outset of this writing; I loved the movie V for Vendetta. I loved the dialogue, the cinematography, the script, the actors and the characters. I like the way that Hugo Weaving had to over emphasize his body language in order to compensate for the mask. I love the fact that he was a Shakespearean knife fighting philosopher, that actually cared for people and had a human, playful side. I love the V speech he delivers at the beginning. The interesting thing about the character is that he is such a compelling contradiction in terms and yet they are terms that make perfect sense. He is a philosopher and a warrior, a poet and a barbarian, a man of compassion that brings vengeance. It is written almost like Chesterton’s comments on the cross in his book, The Ball and The Cross. The Cross is a struggle in stone and life is a struggle in the flesh.
On the subject of the comic book however (which I bought after seeing the movie) I was fairly disappointed. The main character was hardly a hero at all. He was an ass. Well, maybe not an ass, but really just a vaudevillian thug with a few good lines.
The movie also had some amazing scenes (great to the point that the Wachowski brothers at least have some kind of credibility). The knife fight at the end was fantastic, as were V’s lines (again, he had some GREAT lines in that movie) and I have a special place in my head for the scene where he confronted the doctor lady that was responsible for most of the medical work that made the actions of the government possible.
“Is it meaningless for me to apologise?”
JoshZ
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Comment by hewhocutsdown
V does the same. It's not a question of 'which is the answer, fascism or anarchism'. It's the understanding that they both have terrible tradeoffs, but Moore's vision was still the preference of a chaotic individualism even with the ugly side-effects.
Honestly, I enjoyed the movie as well; possibly too much and therein lies the problem. V is a bastard, and to show him as merely a saviour is to risk undermining the very essence of his character.
Comment by Nathan P. Mahney
NerdBlog
It's been a long time since I saw the film or read the book, but the book had a memorable impact on me. The movie I found to be quite forgettable, though it was a decent adaptation. There are strong ideas in both, and perhaps your preference depends upon which of the two was seen first.
Comment by Josh Z
My dislike of the comic book V is that he was too much of an ape and was apish even with what should have been angelic. The interesting thing about the movie V is that he was perhaps far too angelic, he still had plenty of ape to him.