Report
"V For Vendetta" Is A Political Thriller That
Touches On Complex Issues - Opens Today
Only In Theaters From Warner Brothers
By: Stephanie R. Green
Contributing Arts & Entertainment Journalist
New York, NY March 17, 2006 - You may not be able to grasp the
full meaning of a vendetta until you’ve experienced the screen
version of V for Vendetta. Warner Bros. Pictures presents in
association with Virtual Studios, a Silver Pictures Production
in association with Anarchos Productions Inc., V for Vendetta
in theaters nationwide on Friday, March 17th. . Starring the
talents of Natalie Portman as Evey, Hugo Weaving as “V”,
Stephen Rea as Chief Inspector Finch and John Hurt as
Chancellor Sutler, and directed by James McTeigue. The
Wachowski Brothers, Andy and Larry, wrote the screenplay
based on the graphic novel illustrated by David Lloyd and
published by Vertigo/DC Comics.
I found that V For Vendetta could be described in one of two
ways, a political thriller that touches on complex issues and
ideas or as an entertaining action film with great sequences.
V is unselfish in his beliefs of bringing about great social
change but has a murderous vendetta towards all who have
done him wrong. V cautions against the dangers of
corruption, control, manipulation and repression, while
exploring the dangers of extremism whether it be a
government abusing its power or an individual attaining
vigilantism.
The film is based on the graphic novel which first appeared
in Warrior, an independent monthly comic magazine
published in 1981, which caught a cult-like following. The
novel was co-created by Alan Moore and David Lloyd; it ran in
twenty-six issues before the magazine folded, leaving fans
hanging mid-plot. After a five-year hiatus, V was completed
by Moore and Lloyd in 1989 and released in its entirety as a
graphic novel under the DC Banner.
The film version has maintained the enduring mystery of V, in
respect to Moore and Lloyd’s richly drawn character and
novel. V’s horribly burned and disfigured face remains
hidden behind a mask that carries the countenance of Guy
Fawkes, a legendary saboteur who came to a violent end
over 400 years ago. On November 5, 1605, Fawkes was
captured beneath the House of Lords with 36 barrels of
gunpowder hidden beneath pieces of iron and firewood.
While tortured, Fawkes revealed a conspiracy to blow up the
English Parliament and King James I, on the day the King
planned to open the Parliamentary session. Fawkes was
one of thirteen disaffected Catholics who hoped to end
James persecution of Catholics. The conspirators acquired
a cellar underneath the House of Lords. However, as more
accomplices were drawn into the plot, secrecy was
endangered and an autonomous letter to Lord Monteagle, a
Catholic, warning him to stay away from the opening, brought
about the plans demise. On the eve of November 4th,
Fawkes was caught in the cellar, arrested and brought before
the King. Fawkes and the other members of the group were
publicly hanged, drawn and quartered, as was customary for
traitors at that time.
Much like Fawkes, V hopes to create chaos from which the
country’s insidious regime will fall. V sees himself as
destined to disrupt a system he views as cruel and unjust. V
is on an extremely personal mission to wreak vengeance on
those who imprisoned and tortured him causing him to
become a monster. The Wachowski Brothers choose not to
create the film version verbatim to the graphic novel; following
are some of the many changes albeit they adhered to the
themes and integrity of the novel. The film is moved forward
in time, setting the flashback sequences in the 1990’s and
projecting the present day timeline into the future around
2020, Evey, a character in the story is older in the film than in
the novel, and because the novel has an enormous amount
of characters, many of them were amalgamated and some
were eliminated altogether.
One of the ingredients that make this film so deliciously
enjoyable is the manner in which the story transposes, and
how the story could occur in any country. Some of the
pertinent issues raised in the film are homosexuality,
corruption in the government, with the police in their brutality,
viruses and so forth. Following is the dialog I had with this
spectacular films creative team, Ms. Portman, Mr. McTeigue,
Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Silver.
Natalie what was your inspiration to take on the character
of Evey?
Portman: "I was very excited about the movie as a whole, just
the prospect of making a really edutaining two hour action
movie that actually has substance in it. And for the character,
I’ve always been so interested by what would lead someone
to commit violence, what would bring someone to the point
where they thought that violence was a justifiable means to
express their political beliefs and that was an exciting sort of
mindset to try and comprehend."
What kind of things did you do to get into the character?
Portman: "The graphic novel is an amazing place to start it’s
such a great resource to have, almost storyboard of the
movie and to have David’s illustrations of what she goes
through physically is an incredible place to start and then
obviously there is so many things you can refer to from
history."
What was your reaction to having your head shaved?
Portman: "I was excited to have my head shaved."
Do you feel that Evey was someone that could be like V?
Portman: "She’s certainly malleable."
You read the V script prior to reading the novel, what did it
do for you?
Portman: "I think the script is relatively faithful to the graphic
novel, but I also think one of the major changes was my
character, in that she’s a little bit more self aware at the
beginning which I think makes it more interestingly
progressive."
Can any of you talk about the thoughts that go through your
head every time we turn on the news it seems as if
something from the film V is actually a part of our current
events?
McTeigue: "It’s ironic how political things begin to happen.
You don’t have to be Nostradamus to see where things are
heading now. We shot this film in 2002 and I guess all the
stuff that you’re talking about is in the script, like the shooting
drop in the script, we did in November 2004 any of those
things that you see in the film mirroring events of today were
shot before, like the London bombings, the Avian Flu or the
rendition, or the Articles of Allegiance, any of those things got
put in the script very early, it’s just ironic that it played out the
way it did."
Lloyd: "The film keeps all of the spirit and integrity of the
novel. I feel there are a few key messages in the film. One
key message is “the individual right to be an individual”, “the
right of people to resist being forced by fears in different
forms”. I think it’s important for people to recognize the
power they have. The first tagline of the poster is: People
should not be afraid of the Government, the Government
should be afraid of the people, which is extremely important.
Silver: "The difference between David and The Wachowski
Brothers is they don’t like to relate to or engage in talking
about the movie and what it stood for, they just want to
present it and want the audience to take from it what they will,
and I’m proud of the work."
.
Because V wears a mask throughout his performance (so
the audience is not privy to his facial expressions), was
Hugo always your choice to play V?
McTeigue: "Hugo was really one of the earlier persons that
we thought about to do the role but he wasn’t available when
we started, we started with other actors but very shortly, we
made the decision to go with Hugo and stay with Hugo.
None of the dialog was usable underneath the mask
because the mask is in front of his mouth, so that entire
dialog went in later."
Mr. Lloyd, is it hard for you to be the public face sans Alan’s
connection?
Lloyd: "I don’t mind. I’m just enjoying supporting it, enjoying
these guys talking about it. They’ve done a good job of the
adaptation. I don’t think Alan would be happy with this unless
it was a perfect adaptation of the original. I think that’s the
only thing he would settle for. But, way back when we made
the contract with DC Comics in 1988 we signed over the
movie rights, we were not stupid, we were (I think) going into
it like babes in the wood, we knew that there was no way we
could control what was going to happen and frankly all I ever
hoped for was a very good adaptation. And, I tell you, the first
time I saw the poster on the Internet, the first one I saw which
was the mask, in which they rather copied the front cover of
the graphic novel and I knew that Larry and Andy were
involved in it, I thought yes, that’s just great! I had a lot of faith
in it because I knew they were fans of it and I was very
optimistic. The optimism has been proved correct and that’s
why I’m happy to do this. I’m sorry that Alan isn’t around
because many of the questions that people ask which I may
not be familiar with, Alan could answer."
Would I be correct to say that the film is less harsh than
the novel, is that the major difference between the two?
McTeigue: "No. It’s not that the novel is harsher it’s just that
there’s more in the novel than the film. In particular, one
gigantic portion of the book that we were unable to include
was the beautiful kind of construction that they’d created of
the way Britain would run under this totalitarian regime where
they’re kind of in a modern day world and we lost all of that.
We had to because we decided to focus on the story of V and
Evey, which is at the center of the book anyway, but we just
lost all of that stuff and I wish that we could’ve had more of
that, but it would’ve been a 19-hour movie. The ambience
and the nuance of the world were things we were unable to
add. The good thing is it still exists in the novel and it’s
available."
Touches On Complex Issues - Opens Today
Only In Theaters From Warner Brothers
By: Stephanie R. Green
Contributing Arts & Entertainment Journalist
New York, NY March 17, 2006 - You may not be able to grasp the
full meaning of a vendetta until you’ve experienced the screen
version of V for Vendetta. Warner Bros. Pictures presents in
association with Virtual Studios, a Silver Pictures Production
in association with Anarchos Productions Inc., V for Vendetta
in theaters nationwide on Friday, March 17th. . Starring the
talents of Natalie Portman as Evey, Hugo Weaving as “V”,
Stephen Rea as Chief Inspector Finch and John Hurt as
Chancellor Sutler, and directed by James McTeigue. The
Wachowski Brothers, Andy and Larry, wrote the screenplay
based on the graphic novel illustrated by David Lloyd and
published by Vertigo/DC Comics.
I found that V For Vendetta could be described in one of two
ways, a political thriller that touches on complex issues and
ideas or as an entertaining action film with great sequences.
V is unselfish in his beliefs of bringing about great social
change but has a murderous vendetta towards all who have
done him wrong. V cautions against the dangers of
corruption, control, manipulation and repression, while
exploring the dangers of extremism whether it be a
government abusing its power or an individual attaining
vigilantism.
The film is based on the graphic novel which first appeared
in Warrior, an independent monthly comic magazine
published in 1981, which caught a cult-like following. The
novel was co-created by Alan Moore and David Lloyd; it ran in
twenty-six issues before the magazine folded, leaving fans
hanging mid-plot. After a five-year hiatus, V was completed
by Moore and Lloyd in 1989 and released in its entirety as a
graphic novel under the DC Banner.
The film version has maintained the enduring mystery of V, in
respect to Moore and Lloyd’s richly drawn character and
novel. V’s horribly burned and disfigured face remains
hidden behind a mask that carries the countenance of Guy
Fawkes, a legendary saboteur who came to a violent end
over 400 years ago. On November 5, 1605, Fawkes was
captured beneath the House of Lords with 36 barrels of
gunpowder hidden beneath pieces of iron and firewood.
While tortured, Fawkes revealed a conspiracy to blow up the
English Parliament and King James I, on the day the King
planned to open the Parliamentary session. Fawkes was
one of thirteen disaffected Catholics who hoped to end
James persecution of Catholics. The conspirators acquired
a cellar underneath the House of Lords. However, as more
accomplices were drawn into the plot, secrecy was
endangered and an autonomous letter to Lord Monteagle, a
Catholic, warning him to stay away from the opening, brought
about the plans demise. On the eve of November 4th,
Fawkes was caught in the cellar, arrested and brought before
the King. Fawkes and the other members of the group were
publicly hanged, drawn and quartered, as was customary for
traitors at that time.
Much like Fawkes, V hopes to create chaos from which the
country’s insidious regime will fall. V sees himself as
destined to disrupt a system he views as cruel and unjust. V
is on an extremely personal mission to wreak vengeance on
those who imprisoned and tortured him causing him to
become a monster. The Wachowski Brothers choose not to
create the film version verbatim to the graphic novel; following
are some of the many changes albeit they adhered to the
themes and integrity of the novel. The film is moved forward
in time, setting the flashback sequences in the 1990’s and
projecting the present day timeline into the future around
2020, Evey, a character in the story is older in the film than in
the novel, and because the novel has an enormous amount
of characters, many of them were amalgamated and some
were eliminated altogether.
One of the ingredients that make this film so deliciously
enjoyable is the manner in which the story transposes, and
how the story could occur in any country. Some of the
pertinent issues raised in the film are homosexuality,
corruption in the government, with the police in their brutality,
viruses and so forth. Following is the dialog I had with this
spectacular films creative team, Ms. Portman, Mr. McTeigue,
Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Silver.
Natalie what was your inspiration to take on the character
of Evey?
Portman: "I was very excited about the movie as a whole, just
the prospect of making a really edutaining two hour action
movie that actually has substance in it. And for the character,
I’ve always been so interested by what would lead someone
to commit violence, what would bring someone to the point
where they thought that violence was a justifiable means to
express their political beliefs and that was an exciting sort of
mindset to try and comprehend."
What kind of things did you do to get into the character?
Portman: "The graphic novel is an amazing place to start it’s
such a great resource to have, almost storyboard of the
movie and to have David’s illustrations of what she goes
through physically is an incredible place to start and then
obviously there is so many things you can refer to from
history."
What was your reaction to having your head shaved?
Portman: "I was excited to have my head shaved."
Do you feel that Evey was someone that could be like V?
Portman: "She’s certainly malleable."
You read the V script prior to reading the novel, what did it
do for you?
Portman: "I think the script is relatively faithful to the graphic
novel, but I also think one of the major changes was my
character, in that she’s a little bit more self aware at the
beginning which I think makes it more interestingly
progressive."
Can any of you talk about the thoughts that go through your
head every time we turn on the news it seems as if
something from the film V is actually a part of our current
events?
McTeigue: "It’s ironic how political things begin to happen.
You don’t have to be Nostradamus to see where things are
heading now. We shot this film in 2002 and I guess all the
stuff that you’re talking about is in the script, like the shooting
drop in the script, we did in November 2004 any of those
things that you see in the film mirroring events of today were
shot before, like the London bombings, the Avian Flu or the
rendition, or the Articles of Allegiance, any of those things got
put in the script very early, it’s just ironic that it played out the
way it did."
Lloyd: "The film keeps all of the spirit and integrity of the
novel. I feel there are a few key messages in the film. One
key message is “the individual right to be an individual”, “the
right of people to resist being forced by fears in different
forms”. I think it’s important for people to recognize the
power they have. The first tagline of the poster is: People
should not be afraid of the Government, the Government
should be afraid of the people, which is extremely important.
Silver: "The difference between David and The Wachowski
Brothers is they don’t like to relate to or engage in talking
about the movie and what it stood for, they just want to
present it and want the audience to take from it what they will,
and I’m proud of the work."
.
Because V wears a mask throughout his performance (so
the audience is not privy to his facial expressions), was
Hugo always your choice to play V?
McTeigue: "Hugo was really one of the earlier persons that
we thought about to do the role but he wasn’t available when
we started, we started with other actors but very shortly, we
made the decision to go with Hugo and stay with Hugo.
None of the dialog was usable underneath the mask
because the mask is in front of his mouth, so that entire
dialog went in later."
Mr. Lloyd, is it hard for you to be the public face sans Alan’s
connection?
Lloyd: "I don’t mind. I’m just enjoying supporting it, enjoying
these guys talking about it. They’ve done a good job of the
adaptation. I don’t think Alan would be happy with this unless
it was a perfect adaptation of the original. I think that’s the
only thing he would settle for. But, way back when we made
the contract with DC Comics in 1988 we signed over the
movie rights, we were not stupid, we were (I think) going into
it like babes in the wood, we knew that there was no way we
could control what was going to happen and frankly all I ever
hoped for was a very good adaptation. And, I tell you, the first
time I saw the poster on the Internet, the first one I saw which
was the mask, in which they rather copied the front cover of
the graphic novel and I knew that Larry and Andy were
involved in it, I thought yes, that’s just great! I had a lot of faith
in it because I knew they were fans of it and I was very
optimistic. The optimism has been proved correct and that’s
why I’m happy to do this. I’m sorry that Alan isn’t around
because many of the questions that people ask which I may
not be familiar with, Alan could answer."
Would I be correct to say that the film is less harsh than
the novel, is that the major difference between the two?
McTeigue: "No. It’s not that the novel is harsher it’s just that
there’s more in the novel than the film. In particular, one
gigantic portion of the book that we were unable to include
was the beautiful kind of construction that they’d created of
the way Britain would run under this totalitarian regime where
they’re kind of in a modern day world and we lost all of that.
We had to because we decided to focus on the story of V and
Evey, which is at the center of the book anyway, but we just
lost all of that stuff and I wish that we could’ve had more of
that, but it would’ve been a 19-hour movie. The ambience
and the nuance of the world were things we were unable to
add. The good thing is it still exists in the novel and it’s
available."
