Mary should watch the Count of Monte Cristo. She would get to see a thread of what inspired V, and it is not the Punisher. As for which version, I would personally recommend 2002, which is my personal favorite. The others are good too.
Always worries me when people take this quote from a dystopian movie and think that it defines the only 2 philosophical positions on the matter. Always remember, there are other options in the real world where neither has to be afraid of each other
The elites are shitting there pants because after four years of nothing but attack after attack after attack, MAGA is coming hard for you! You should be very afraid.
@prozak169 well maybe but the allowing more options than just two allows me to say that what we are actually nearer is just people not being very good at running a government and messing stuff up out of negligence rather than malice
I was moved more by the previous line: "Is there any pain?" "No." "Thank you!". In that short exchange, Delia realised that V knew she was repentant, and accepted the punishment for her misguided evil deeds with dignity and grace.
Re: 'Fingermen' In the graphic novel, the government's security apparatus was named for various parts of the human body. There was the Eye (video surveillance and analysis), the Ear (phone taps and hidden microphones), the Nose (criminal investigation and forensics), the Mouth (propaganda and disinformation), and the Head (the Prime Minister's office). And, finally, there were the Secret Police, responsible for everything a good Gestapo or KGB handles. That department is called the Finger.
I wish they would remake 1984. It wasn't a great movie. This movie was a love letter to it, though. So many movies and shows depicting fascist dystopia's. But very little Socialist/Communist dystopias, even though they've ruled far more countries than Fascism has, an still is.
The domino scene, where V tips over black and red dominoes to form a giant letter V, involved 22,000 dominoes. It took four professional domino assemblers 200 hours to set it up.
The fire symbolizing anger and the water symbolizing grief and loss, a near perfect encapsulation of his vengeful approach and how it differs from her more 'diplomatic' and measured one.
For me, it's a two way tie between that shot in V for Vendetta, and a similar but different moment from Shawshank Redemption. So much power and feeling in a few seconds of cinema.
@bluelagoon1980 that one is very good too but it doesn't compare to this moment (imo). It's the entire prison sequence as a whole with the letters she receives building up to that moment that makes it great.
Only if history is ignored. It's a cycle, genuinely the same pattern of events has repeated for millennia and it's a testament to how humans are such creatures of habit
"How can people not see the tyranny?" she asked. I've been asking myself that for over two decades, especially as it has become more and more invasive and apparent. Here in the UK not only do many people not recognise it, they support it and even demand it such is their conditioning.
irony /ī′rə-nē, ī′ər-/ noun 1. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning. 2. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning. 3. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
It's not said in the movie but they were working to create a super soldier and V was the only result. It's why he has superhuman strength and agility, and in the comics: intelligence.
I never read the comic but my understanding is that whatever they did to those people also resulted in the virus. They released it to the public and used the fear it created to take power. Then they made billions selling the treatment, which they had ready to go
In regards to the sketch comedy scene, Gordon did it because he was inspired by V's resistance. Gordon is as complicit as the news, in that his shows are reviewed and approved by the government to ensure they convey the right message/propaganda. Gordon's defiance was to throw out the approved script and mock the chancellor as inept, incompetent and a buffoon. But he's not mocking V. Sure V's character is funny, but the sketch is about the chancellor's inability to suppress V despite all his military might. It also reminds the people that saw V's broadcast months earlier that he is still fighting the government, and to positively associate that with a satisfying viewing experience. Where it all went sideways is that Gordon thought he was so famous and popular - and a part of the media establishment that the government relies upon - that he would be immune from any serious consequences. After all, the contraband he acquired in his basement is proof that he's been quietly resisting the authoritarian rule for years, and spent a considerable fortune doing so. He was used to getting away with it, so he didn't expect them to blackbag him.
Alan Moore wrote the graphic novel for this and Watchmen. The man is one of the most influential persons in the history of comics. He also did Batman The Killing Joke which some consider the best Batman story ever. Not to mention he did From Hell which has also been turned into a movie.
The whole "V testing Evey" sequence, where he's recreating what happened to him and others, always fucks me up. The whole heads being shaved, people being imprisoned for their political beliefs, religious beliefs and their sexuality, prisonsers being experimented on, bodies being burned, and Evey saying "I'd rather be shot behind the chemical sheds" combined with Evey being played by Natalie Portman and her being Jewish is just...a lot.
Catching his eyes while snatching EV on my first watch, it was automatically horrific, I'm not sure how it would've felt as the reveal hitting you all, but it is effed up either way.
If one phrase is to outlive everything else until civilization ends, that should be: People shouldn't be afraid of their goverments, goverments should be afraid of their people.
The thing about tyranny is that once you're living under it, fighting against it means risking not only your own life but also the lives of those you love.
This movie was made in the wake of 9/11. The people elected someone who put us into a war with the unsaid objective of getting revenge against the people who attacked us. However, just six month later when asked about the progress of finding that person the elected official said in a press conference was "more concerned about feeding the troops". In other words he couldn't care less about getting the one responsible for for the attack. Also the war he started literally had nothing to do with the people who attacked us and was just trying to finish the war his daddy failed to win. The press and other government representatives were terrified to call him out because anybody who did try was immediately shouted down, fired and were blacklisted by all other media outlets. The opening of the movie itself is a reminder of the Gun Powder Treason where similar "witch hunting" took place with the government power backing it.
His ability to convey emotion without facial expression is top tier. My brain still fools me into thinking the mask changes expressions throughout the film, although it's always the same.
Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.
In the comic, V Is much more of a chaotic figure and their hints he might actually be Valerie, It was a big takedown of Thatcher area politics… while different, it’s still a good adaption
There is a movie similar to this with Christian Bale called Equilibrium. It's a bit more futuristic and the fighting is like gun-fu. They call it gunkata.
If you have never seen The Count Of Monte Cristo it's a good movie, but as with all movies it does not do the book justice. I highly recommend you read the book before watching the movie but the movies are good as well. Also V was played by Hugo Weaving...aka Agent Smith from the Matrix which gave the voice and character the perfect mystery and characterization the movie needed.
I've loved the book and audiobook. Never got around to the movies. My gf was the opposite and was surprised to hear (we were listening to the book riding around our country) that the book wasn't purely about getting Merceds, but it kept going afterwards
Mary didn't show at the end because I'm not sure she realized, but everyone that died was in mask in the crowd when they're taking them off. The only time she's on screen outside of her picture and the flashback.
The ending when people are removing their masks is very interesting. The little girl that died, Gordon Dietrich, Valerie, all show up there. I think I saw one of the detectives too, all unmasking.
Although what V did to Evey was cruel and in a lot of ways twisted, it was also in a way very selfless. He loved her, and knew what he did to her was unforgivable, but it was only way he knew to giver her what she wanted most. Freedom from fear.
Stephen Fry is a spectacular actor and deeply layered person. I love his work, and even more so love his hilarious self-deprecating video of himself trying to assemble Ikea furniture.
Alan Moore distanced himself from the movie, as he has done for all adaptations of his work. Watchmen. From Hell. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The movie The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) with Guy Pearce and Jim Caviezel (and a baybay Henry Cavill!) is absolutely worth watching! Put that on a poll!
29:07 This is where we get into moral relativism. You are looking at what V did from the perspective of the society you live in. Evey lives in a very different society. V knows what it is like to emerge from fear and live free. He knows how beneficial it is to be free when you live in a dystopia. From V's perspective, Evey is like someone who has been shot in the leg. If he doesn't get that bullet (her fear) out then Evey will likely die. But he has to cut into her leg to reach the bullet. Were V's actions brutal? Yes. Were they inhumane? Yes. But Evey lives in a brutal and inhuman society. Although it doesn't happen as often as anyone would like, post-traumatic growth does exist. Now, it is possible that V could have spent years building Evey up in gentler way. But he didn't have time. He knew that eventually he'd be discovered or that his plans were likely to lead to his death.
That's a very pro-V way to read it, but I think it's much simpler: He used that logic as his excuse, but he really, desperately wanted to be understood by someone as a person rather than an idea. He needed someone to understand him, to know about Valerie, and to carry on that piece of history past his impending death
There is nothing to preach. When you live under complete tyranny ruled by fear what you know or don't know doesn't matter anymore. You think N.Koreans don't know they are being oppressed and live in fear? They know, but what can they do?
It's interesting to pair this film with the 1984 version of 1984, as it also takes place in a dystopian Britain and also stars John Hurt (at the opposite end of the hierarchy, as Winston Smith)
15:31: I can explain that one, it's an Anti-Iraq War slogan (Which was around the time the movie came out and deeply influence the movie), "Coaliton of the willing" was the branding used during the Iraq war for the countries that joined the US in the invasion.. it is juxtapose with "Will to power" a Nietzschean concept, later used by fascist.
Mary. I enjoy your videos and I appreciate your commentary. I'd like to respectfully disagree on one very important point. By disagree, I mean to say You are actually Wrong about who you believe is stronger. The People are certainly stronger than government. How? Because they are one in the same. Don't let yourself believe things like governments, corporations, religions, militaries, economies etc, are anything but groups of powerful People with Ideas and Motivations. I may not have articulated myself perfectly, but dammit, I'd like you to just reconsider your opinion the question and see if you still really believe Government is a separate entity from "the People", and that it is stronger. Why would you think it's stronger? Because of military firepower? Those guns could only be fired by People.
I agree. It saddens me that she felt that way. Just believing that is the first step to conceding to obedience. Fascism thrives on fear of the masses but remember, every tyrannical rule in history has collapsed due to the weight of it's people. A PURELY individualistic lifestyle is what a government who wants to keep their power push for. Keep the people focused on themselves. Caring for each other hurts their interest. Remember, hope not just in ourselves, but in each other is a powerful thing.
Seeing Portman's performance in V vs SW3, is proof positive that George Lucas may be brilliant at creating a world but he needs to leave the actors alone.
6:47 It's more clear in the graphic novel. Each part of the totalitarian state apparatus goes by a name that's analogous to a part of the body. The head is the chancellor, the hand is the executive branch, the finger is the secret police, the eye is the visual surveillance division, the ear is the audio surveillance division, the nose is the police department and the mouth is the propaganda division, i.e. the state-run broadcaster. So people who work for the secret police, the finger, are known as fingermen. It's not really addressed in the movie, unfortunately.
I read the graphic novel V for Vendetta, written by the great Alan Moore, in preparation for this movie way back when it originally released. I would have bet anything Hollywood didn't have the balls for the protagonist to be the one who captures and tortures Eve. The trailers showed scenes of her hair being cut, so I knew she does get captured, but I was sure they'd change the plot so she was captured by the State, and not V. Which depressed me, because that was such a pivotal moment which shatters the readers mind, transforms Eve forever, and elevates the book to the legendary status it holds today. Imagine my delight to see the Wachowskis had fought off studio pressure and kept that plot intact. Unfortunately, the movie failed to live up to the book in many other ways, but I will forever give credit to the bravery of that decision.
Yeah but those scenes in particular just stuck out as the most beautiful and touching in the movie, hell the rest of the movie in my opinion falls short to how well that whole section from her capture to her leaving V.
James Purefoy played V originally but quit after six weeks of filming. Hugo Weaving just dubbed scenes Purefoy had filmed since character wears mask all the time.
Judas was basically a "fingerman," in that he pointed out who was to be executed. "Fingering" someone is to point them out, with unscrupulous actions to follow.
This movie was so well done - and it stars one of the cast members from The Matrix...Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) as V. Even knowing that he is V now, I never would have known if I hadn't looked it up. That's a good piece of acting right there!
I absolutely love this movie. I'd go as far as calling it a masterpiece. Fantastic acting, an amazing story from Alan Moore, and a film that makes you think. There are so many fantastic quotes and this movie is terrifying because it feels like it could possibly become reality at some point. Remember, Remember the 5th of November.
The reason Creedy isn't as high a target as the Chancellor is that he knows how to manipulate people with fear, but he can't inspire the loyalty the Chancellor did to build his empire. He isn't a person that the people will follow, if they have a choice.
It takes a good actor to show such emotion and passion while wearing a mask. I was on duty in central London when they filmed the final crowd scene. And yes, she did have her hair fully cut off.
6:54 "Fingerman" makes more sense if you've read the graphic novel. In this world, the secret service is called "Finger", probably using the word as a verb meaning to identify someone.
Never read the graphic novel, I always thought it was obvious what it meant. But I am British, it could be cultural differences to know know if you aren't.
@@wyterabitt2149 Yeah, Alan Moore disliked the film for many reasons. One of those reasons being the film was an Americanized simplification that lost what he was trying to say about the fascist and anarchist responses to Margaret Thatcher's policies. There were certainly parallels between Thatcher's England and the Reagan/Bush era America. But in 2005 (when the film was released) America had not seen a situation similar to what was happening in 1970's through 1980's England. IMO, Trump changed that to a certain extent. I think that those of us who grew up during the rise of neoliberalism have a better appreciation for what Moore was trying to say. The difficulty in translating the graphic novel for American audiences is that America has never had a real Anarchist movement. Alan Moore also disliked that the Wachowskis took an anarchist fighting for an idealized anarchic government and turned him into an antihero looking for revenge. I'm sure they made that change to appease Hollywood, as the big wigs were no doubt horrified at the idea of an anarchist as a hero.
6:36 there's a reason for that, but it is better explained in the graphic novel. The government was divided in "organs". Media department were the "Eyes", intelligence was the "Ears". Prothero as a spokesperson from the government was the "mouth". And so, the secret police meant to keep a close watch onto people are the fingermen: As to, to point out those out of line.
John Hurt played *Winston Smith* in *Nineteen Eighty Four* - and in *V for Vendetta* he basically plays *Big Brother* V's mask is, of course, a mask of Guy Fawkes
This is one of the best What u call "Dark Romance" and not to forget one of the best Anti hero, the story the lines, the music everything about this movie it hits the spot
She wasn't kissing V (the man), she was kissing what V stood for. That's the symbolism in kissing the mask instead of human lips. She was kissing the "idea" that V stood for and taught her.
HIGHLY recommend EQUILIBRIUM(2002) with Christian Bale! Excellent movie, but it didn’t do overly well, and kind of got lost in the shadows of V for vendetta over the years.
this movie's based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore, so originally it's his story, and he made it to warm people about the dangers of fascism. Also, you'll notice certain... plot points, let's say, are seeming very similar to certain real-life events (like in 2020), nothing to see there, of course. Also, also, please never say that the people cannot win against g.ov irl, that's just not true. Don't let them ever convince you of that.
I have to wonder if, with the Wachowskis still being closeted at this time, that Evie kissing the mask had any special significance. "You wear a mask for so long you forget who you were beneath it."
I keep finding it ironic that only a few people reacted to this movie on Nov 5, 2024 and no one dared or even considered that a world like in this movie may happen if Trump won. I bet more people will be upset about me politicizing a political movie and comicbook, and fewer will be upset about me being anti Trump. And yet, this movie is all about a man saving a world from the choices they made that let it happen.
This movie would already be a perfect picture of the US if Trump had not won. He can slightly slow the destruction of this nation that I once loved but not for long. I am happy there are still enough people who are not completely brainwashed by the extreme left liberal propaganda to resist it, for even a short while.
I am not upset at people who are anti trump, no question he is a disaster. but he is also what the democratic party prefer to the prospect of giving americans even the rights that Mary has in her country. In that sense, you were already in whatever mess Trump will bring with Clinton/Obama/Harris
33:20 “How do the people not realize this is tyranny?” They do, but they have given up their rights little by little over the years until it’s too late to do anything about it. This is why people in the USA push back on any gun control attempts. It’s little by little they’ll take at a time, until the people are only left with sticks and stones and no way to stop tyranny. This also reminds me of the poem “First They Came” by Martin Niemoller. Look it up. Cheers.
Gun control is objectively good and owning guns does less than nothing to "resist tyranny." The people who are most enthusiastic about gun owningship are open fascists who talk about teaming up with cops and soldiers to round up people who critivize America.
A great reaction, Mary, you got most of the points of the film, background bits which you might not know. The mask which 'V' wore was a stylised version of the face of Guy Fawkes, who along with many others planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London on the 5th of November 1605, he was made scapegoat by the other conspirators, 'The Gunpowder Plot' as it became known was driven by supporters of the Roman Catholic Church who were being victimise at that time due to the worship of it being banned. "Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot, we see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot", bonfires and fireworks are let off in the U.K. on the 5th of November each year to celebrate the failure of the attempt to destroy the Government of the time. Alan Moore wrote 'V for Vendetta' in reaction to the Government under the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, it was a government of austerity later known as 'Thatcherism', which was also imposing civil liabilities upon the people of the U.K. during her time in office. I hope that this helps explain things a little?
I love how Hugo Weaving has played characters who stand for oppression in the Red Skull and Agent Smith (Matrix), while here he plays a character who stands for freedom.
A lot of V's actions make a lot more sense from the book where he understands the cyclical nature of power, hence V having to prepare Evie to become V.
In the graphic novel, V's motives are a bit more ambiguous. In that novel, one could argue that he was no anarchist but rather, on a very personal vendetta. The whole anarchist thing mearely pretext. To be clear, I'm not arguing that, I think it's somewhere in the middle.
I strongly suggest that you go and check out the graphic novel/comics as well! They're fantastic and very dark. If you weren't put off by it in this movie, they're worth looking into. :)
The TV host made that segment because someone has to step up. He knew full well the consequences, but also realized that the message was more important than his life. It's the theme of the whole movie, that individual contributions matter, if you want a better world then fight for it
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Question, I've always thought natalie Portman's "English" accent sounded more Australian than English, as an aussie would you agree?
This was based on a comic book/ graphic novel by Alan Moore they didn’t create this he did
Mary should watch the Count of Monte Cristo. She would get to see a thread of what inspired V, and it is not the Punisher. As for which version, I would personally recommend 2002, which is my personal favorite. The others are good too.
Same comic book writer who did "The Watchmen."
Posting V for Vendetta on November 5 2024. Well done 👍
Yeah
It's also an election day somewhere as well 😁 Funny how many similarities you can see if you want to 😸
I didn't even notice. Well played.
@@Michal_Valoellol Trump is V. Democratic Party is this society and created COVID-19 to win the election
@@Michal_Valoel If you delude yourself to
*”People shouldn’t be afraid of their governments.*
*Governments should be afraid of their people.”*
Always worries me when people take this quote from a dystopian movie and think that it defines the only 2 philosophical positions on the matter.
Always remember, there are other options in the real world where neither has to be afraid of each other
@@randommusic4567 I find that governments that are afraid of their people do horrendous things in the name of reigning them in.
The elites are shitting there pants because after four years of nothing but attack after attack after attack, MAGA is coming hard for you! You should be very afraid.
@@randommusic4567 we are a lot closer to dystopia than utopia, that's for sure.
@prozak169 well maybe but the allowing more options than just two allows me to say that what we are actually nearer is just people not being very good at running a government and messing stuff up out of negligence rather than malice
17:20 The part of this scene that always breaks me is when she asks "Is it too late to apologize" and V says "Never."
I was moved more by the previous line: "Is there any pain?" "No." "Thank you!".
In that short exchange, Delia realised that V knew she was repentant, and accepted the punishment for her misguided evil deeds with dignity and grace.
Re: 'Fingermen'
In the graphic novel, the government's security apparatus was named for various parts of the human body. There was the Eye (video surveillance and analysis), the Ear (phone taps and hidden microphones), the Nose (criminal investigation and forensics), the Mouth (propaganda and disinformation), and the Head (the Prime Minister's office).
And, finally, there were the Secret Police, responsible for everything a good Gestapo or KGB handles. That department is called the Finger.
Interesting.
Been a long time since I read it, thanks for the reminder.
Also, would lump in Garland’s DoJ under Biden-Harris with Gestapo and NKVD/KGB.
@@r.d.hargrave8159 K
in general, The Hand was the internal security, the Finger specifically being the secret/party police
@@r.d.hargrave8159 You may well have read it, but you clearly missed the point as it went flying over your head.
John Hurt playing this role is ironic since he's in 1984.
in about the total opposite role...
I wish they would remake 1984. It wasn't a great movie. This movie was a love letter to it, though. So many movies and shows depicting fascist dystopia's. But very little Socialist/Communist dystopias, even though they've ruled far more countries than Fascism has, an still is.
@@brandondornan9524 Shhhh, you can't say that out loud...
@@brandondornan9524 ...you're guilty of Thoughtcrime...
@@workonesabs crimethink :P
The domino scene, where V tips over black and red dominoes to form a giant letter V, involved 22,000 dominoes. It took four professional domino assemblers 200 hours to set it up.
Fortunately for V, he had a whole year 😁
V was reborn in fire and Evey was reborn in water. That moment is one of the most powerful moments in all cinema. Bring so much emotion to me.
The fire symbolizing anger and the water symbolizing grief and loss, a near perfect encapsulation of his vengeful approach and how it differs from her more 'diplomatic' and measured one.
For me, it's a two way tie between that shot in V for Vendetta, and a similar but different moment from Shawshank Redemption. So much power and feeling in a few seconds of cinema.
@bluelagoon1980 that one is very good too but it doesn't compare to this moment (imo). It's the entire prison sequence as a whole with the letters she receives building up to that moment that makes it great.
V's TV speech to the masses has become more and more relevant with each passing year.
It really does
Only if history is ignored. It's a cycle, genuinely the same pattern of events has repeated for millennia and it's a testament to how humans are such creatures of habit
It's predictive programming, as is Children of Men.
“Fascism is Capitalism in decay” - Vladimir Lenin
"How can people not see the tyranny?" she asked.
I've been asking myself that for over two decades, especially as it has become more and more invasive and apparent.
Here in the UK not only do many people not recognise it, they support it and even demand it such is their conditioning.
Ironic bit about the Beethoven's Fifth scene:
"V" in Morse code is short-short-short-long. The opening 4 notes of the symphony.
Nice. Didn't know.
irony /ī′rə-nē, ī′ər-/
noun
1. The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning.
2. An expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning.
3. Incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
@@punkrockpearl84🤡
It's not said in the movie but they were working to create a super soldier and V was the only result. It's why he has superhuman strength and agility, and in the comics: intelligence.
I never read the comic but my understanding is that whatever they did to those people also resulted in the virus. They released it to the public and used the fear it created to take power. Then they made billions selling the treatment, which they had ready to go
🤡
One the most underrated titles in DC’s catalog of films.
Vertigo Comics
@@aTofuJunkie Vertigo licensed by DC.
@@aTofuJunkie Vertigo is a label that's part of DC
how is it underrated? it's a cult classic.
@@miwoj I mean it’s not as instantly recognizable to most people as other DC movies are.
"fingermen" is a great term for a group of people who can point a finger and label someone as guilty.
In regards to the sketch comedy scene, Gordon did it because he was inspired by V's resistance. Gordon is as complicit as the news, in that his shows are reviewed and approved by the government to ensure they convey the right message/propaganda.
Gordon's defiance was to throw out the approved script and mock the chancellor as inept, incompetent and a buffoon. But he's not mocking V. Sure V's character is funny, but the sketch is about the chancellor's inability to suppress V despite all his military might. It also reminds the people that saw V's broadcast months earlier that he is still fighting the government, and to positively associate that with a satisfying viewing experience.
Where it all went sideways is that Gordon thought he was so famous and popular - and a part of the media establishment that the government relies upon - that he would be immune from any serious consequences. After all, the contraband he acquired in his basement is proof that he's been quietly resisting the authoritarian rule for years, and spent a considerable fortune doing so. He was used to getting away with it, so he didn't expect them to blackbag him.
Alan Moore wrote the graphic novel for this and Watchmen. The man is one of the most influential persons in the history of comics. He also did Batman The Killing Joke which some consider the best Batman story ever. Not to mention he did From Hell which has also been turned into a movie.
If I remember correctly, unfortunately he's never liked any film adaptation of his work
@@elizabethstrong6057 That's why his name never appears in any of the movies made from his works.
Watchmen too
IMO, V For Vendetta is one of the most important, influential movies ever made.
It's pretty good, despite the pro-sodomy propaganda.
@@juld55are you kidding?! The antagonist is a Christian nationalist. I guess we know whose side you’re on lol
@@MrDevintcoleman LMAO
@@MrDevintcoleman fascist, considerable difference
Im fairness, high Chancellor Adam Sutler had a reason to dislike aliens after that xenomorph busted out of his chest.
Twice!
@@michaelrussell3890 “miss, what did he have” “ he had the special” “that’s what I am having, change it to the soup” “good call”
You're commenting this everywhere
@@sumairali1688 and you are reading it everywhere
@@trulybtd5396 Of course that's why pointed it out
The whole "V testing Evey" sequence, where he's recreating what happened to him and others, always fucks me up.
The whole heads being shaved, people being imprisoned for their political beliefs, religious beliefs and their sexuality, prisonsers being experimented on, bodies being burned, and Evey saying "I'd rather be shot behind the chemical sheds" combined with Evey being played by Natalie Portman and her being Jewish is just...a lot.
Catching his eyes while snatching EV on my first watch, it was automatically horrific, I'm not sure how it would've felt as the reveal hitting you all, but it is effed up either way.
If one phrase is to outlive everything else until civilization ends, that should be: People shouldn't be afraid of their goverments, goverments should be afraid of their people.
No 🤡
The government should not exist as an entity separate to, and with power over the people.
@@jsmithers. Bootlicker who likes his own comments?
@Schmopit 🤡
The thing about tyranny is that once you're living under it, fighting against it means risking not only your own life but also the lives of those you love.
"OMG, can V come already?"
That's what she said.
THE RUNNING MAN (1987) is another dystopian film. Aged surprisingly well.
Looking forward to the remake, which will stay closer to the novel :: fingers crossed ::
I freaking love that movie even if some of the costumes were a little over the top. It still has a great overall plot.
Equilibrium was also dystopian style movie
One of my favorite movies
Equilibrium is one of the best movies ever
I came to say the same!
Great movie with similar themes. Really solidified Christian Bale's future as Batman
Equilibrium is Fahrenheit 451
"Brazil" is another good dystopian film.
Here, here.
Beat me to it, great film!
Yep, came here to post this! Amazing film.
I really liked this movie and unfortunately kind of reminds me of what's going on in the world today. The entitlement of the ruling class.
It's always been going on.
This movie was made in the wake of 9/11. The people elected someone who put us into a war with the unsaid objective of getting revenge against the people who attacked us. However, just six month later when asked about the progress of finding that person the elected official said in a press conference was "more concerned about feeding the troops". In other words he couldn't care less about getting the one responsible for for the attack. Also the war he started literally had nothing to do with the people who attacked us and was just trying to finish the war his daddy failed to win.
The press and other government representatives were terrified to call him out because anybody who did try was immediately shouted down, fired and were blacklisted by all other media outlets.
The opening of the movie itself is a reminder of the Gun Powder Treason where similar "witch hunting" took place with the government power backing it.
@parker469a The people who attacked us would be chasing their tails if they wanted to catch who orchestrated the attack. 🤔
Hugo Weaving was fantastic, impeccable. Never mess with him, EVER!
It's a crime he didn't win the Oscar for this role.
His ability to convey emotion without facial expression is top tier. My brain still fools me into thinking the mask changes expressions throughout the film, although it's always the same.
@@richard_n The fervor in this country at the time this movie came out was going to allow that to happen.
Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.
Remember, Remember
The Fifth of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot
I can think of no reason
The gunpowder treason
Should Ever Be Forgot
In the comic, V Is much more of a chaotic figure and their hints he might actually be Valerie, It was a big takedown of Thatcher area politics… while different, it’s still a good adaption
There is a movie similar to this with Christian Bale called Equilibrium. It's a bit more futuristic and the fighting is like gun-fu. They call it gunkata.
If you have never seen The Count Of Monte Cristo it's a good movie, but as with all movies it does not do the book justice. I highly recommend you read the book before watching the movie but the movies are good as well. Also V was played by Hugo Weaving...aka Agent Smith from the Matrix which gave the voice and character the perfect mystery and characterization the movie needed.
Also as the Red Skull/ Johann Schmidt in Captain America: The First Avenger
I've loved the book and audiobook. Never got around to the movies. My gf was the opposite and was surprised to hear (we were listening to the book riding around our country) that the book wasn't purely about getting Merceds, but it kept going afterwards
The story of the scarlet carsons absolutely murders me every single time.
I cry just thinking about it, none the less watching it.
Valerie's story gets me every time at the end
It's one hint that's easily missed. when Evie reads about the scarlet carsons; We've already seen V handing them out at this point
Mary didn't show at the end because I'm not sure she realized, but everyone that died was in mask in the crowd when they're taking them off. The only time she's on screen outside of her picture and the flashback.
The ending when people are removing their masks is very interesting. The little girl that died, Gordon Dietrich, Valerie, all show up there. I think I saw one of the detectives too, all unmasking.
You best start believing in dystopias, y'all... you're in one...
Hopefully after today I will have a few years to live without oppressive fear of the Biden-Harris-Garland wannabe-totalitarian regime.
not for long :)
Brazil (1985) is another great dystopian movie, with a side of humor. It also takes place during Christmas.
The original working title was "1984 ½"
I thought you were going to say that Brazil is currently going through a similar scenario to the one in the film, which would be very true too.
Portman did have her head shaved. She actually was okay with it as she had always wanted to try it.
She shaved her head for v for vendetta, do you think she also shaved her v for vagina?
Yep, and since they filmed her being shaved there was only one chance to get it right for the film, and Portman absolutely nailed it.
Although what V did to Evey was cruel and in a lot of ways twisted, it was also in a way very selfless. He loved her, and knew what he did to her was unforgivable, but it was only way he knew to giver her what she wanted most. Freedom from fear.
Stephen Fry is a spectacular actor and deeply layered person. I love his work, and even more so love his hilarious self-deprecating video of himself trying to assemble Ikea furniture.
Alan Moore distanced himself from the movie, as he has done for all adaptations of his work. Watchmen. From Hell. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The movie The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) with Guy Pearce and Jim Caviezel (and a baybay Henry Cavill!) is absolutely worth watching! Put that on a poll!
The book by Alexandre Dumas is also worth reading.
The only thing Alan Moore was ok with, was the adaptation of For The Man Who Has Everything, in Justice League Unlimited.
29:07 This is where we get into moral relativism.
You are looking at what V did from the perspective of the society you live in. Evey lives in a very different society.
V knows what it is like to emerge from fear and live free. He knows how beneficial it is to be free when you live in a dystopia.
From V's perspective, Evey is like someone who has been shot in the leg. If he doesn't get that bullet (her fear) out then Evey will likely die. But he has to cut into her leg to reach the bullet.
Were V's actions brutal? Yes. Were they inhumane? Yes.
But Evey lives in a brutal and inhuman society.
Although it doesn't happen as often as anyone would like, post-traumatic growth does exist.
Now, it is possible that V could have spent years building Evey up in gentler way. But he didn't have time. He knew that eventually he'd be discovered or that his plans were likely to lead to his death.
That's a very pro-V way to read it, but I think it's much simpler: He used that logic as his excuse, but he really, desperately wanted to be understood by someone as a person rather than an idea. He needed someone to understand him, to know about Valerie, and to carry on that piece of history past his impending death
@@ErdTirdMans2 things can be true
This is a film that has eerily increased in relevance over the years.
Happy Guy Fawkes Day! It's also election day in the US - HELP US GOD!
"He is such a tyrant! I wish the people would just wake up!"
Preach it girl
There is nothing to preach.
When you live under complete tyranny ruled by fear what you know or don't know doesn't matter anymore.
You think N.Koreans don't know they are being oppressed and live in fear? They know, but what can they do?
I love this film. It breaks me down, it lifts me up and, in the end, it inspires me. Thanks for this reaction!
It's interesting to pair this film with the 1984 version of 1984, as it also takes place in a dystopian Britain and also stars John Hurt (at the opposite end of the hierarchy, as Winston Smith)
There's a, probably _very_, old joke, "Guy Fawkes was the last man to go to parliment with entirely honest intent."
Until V.
The Benny Hill bit is my favourite part of this movie.
Props to *Hugo Weaving* for playing V. 👏🏼👏🏼🎭
V wore a piece of armor under his outfit. They still went through but it was enough to keep him alive long enough to see Evey
15:31: I can explain that one, it's an Anti-Iraq War slogan (Which was around the time the movie came out and deeply influence the movie), "Coaliton of the willing" was the branding used during the Iraq war for the countries that joined the US in the invasion.. it is juxtapose with "Will to power" a Nietzschean concept, later used by fascist.
Alan Moore, the comic writer, also wrote Watchmen and From Hell, which were adapted to film.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen as well
Mary. I enjoy your videos and I appreciate your commentary. I'd like to respectfully disagree on one very important point. By disagree, I mean to say You are actually Wrong about who you believe is stronger. The People are certainly stronger than government. How? Because they are one in the same. Don't let yourself believe things like governments, corporations, religions, militaries, economies etc, are anything but groups of powerful People with Ideas and Motivations.
I may not have articulated myself perfectly, but dammit, I'd like you to just reconsider your opinion the question and see if you still really believe Government is a separate entity from "the People", and that it is stronger. Why would you think it's stronger? Because of military firepower? Those guns could only be fired by People.
I agree. It saddens me that she felt that way. Just believing that is the first step to conceding to obedience. Fascism thrives on fear of the masses but remember, every tyrannical rule in history has collapsed due to the weight of it's people. A PURELY individualistic lifestyle is what a government who wants to keep their power push for. Keep the people focused on themselves. Caring for each other hurts their interest.
Remember, hope not just in ourselves, but in each other is a powerful thing.
Seeing Portman's performance in V vs SW3, is proof positive that George Lucas may be brilliant at creating a world but he needs to leave the actors alone.
6:47 It's more clear in the graphic novel. Each part of the totalitarian state apparatus goes by a name that's analogous to a part of the body. The head is the chancellor, the hand is the executive branch, the finger is the secret police, the eye is the visual surveillance division, the ear is the audio surveillance division, the nose is the police department and the mouth is the propaganda division, i.e. the state-run broadcaster. So people who work for the secret police, the finger, are known as fingermen. It's not really addressed in the movie, unfortunately.
It's my birthday and I always watch this movie on this day.
I read the graphic novel V for Vendetta, written by the great Alan Moore, in preparation for this movie way back when it originally released. I would have bet anything Hollywood didn't have the balls for the protagonist to be the one who captures and tortures Eve. The trailers showed scenes of her hair being cut, so I knew she does get captured, but I was sure they'd change the plot so she was captured by the State, and not V.
Which depressed me, because that was such a pivotal moment which shatters the readers mind, transforms Eve forever, and elevates the book to the legendary status it holds today.
Imagine my delight to see the Wachowskis had fought off studio pressure and kept that plot intact.
Unfortunately, the movie failed to live up to the book in many other ways, but I will forever give credit to the bravery of that decision.
Yeah but those scenes in particular just stuck out as the most beautiful and touching in the movie, hell the rest of the movie in my opinion falls short to how well that whole section from her capture to her leaving V.
🤡
James Purefoy played V originally but quit after six weeks of filming. Hugo Weaving just dubbed scenes Purefoy had filmed since character wears mask all the time.
Wachowski brothers. Not sisters.
Knocked it right outta the park with this one as per usual, Mary!
I hope you try 2002's Count of Monte Cristo at some point; I promise you'll love it.
This was a comic then graphic novel that came out in the mid-80s.
There's no "then". Comic book = graphic novel. They're one and the same.
@RichardStrong86 Comic book 22-24 Pages Graphic novel 60+ pages
Learn the difference tourist.
Judas was basically a "fingerman," in that he pointed out who was to be executed. "Fingering" someone is to point them out, with unscrupulous actions to follow.
"Ideas are bulletproof"
This movie was so well done - and it stars one of the cast members from The Matrix...Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith) as V. Even knowing that he is V now, I never would have known if I hadn't looked it up. That's a good piece of acting right there!
I absolutely love this movie. I'd go as far as calling it a masterpiece. Fantastic acting, an amazing story from Alan Moore, and a film that makes you think. There are so many fantastic quotes and this movie is terrifying because it feels like it could possibly become reality at some point. Remember, Remember the 5th of November.
Your watching this on the 5th of November, this is Perfect I love this movie, and it changed the World
The reason Creedy isn't as high a target as the Chancellor is that he knows how to manipulate people with fear, but he can't inspire the loyalty the Chancellor did to build his empire. He isn't a person that the people will follow, if they have a choice.
It takes a good actor to show such emotion and passion while wearing a mask. I was on duty in central London when they filmed the final crowd scene. And yes, she did have her hair fully cut off.
6:54 "Fingerman" makes more sense if you've read the graphic novel.
In this world, the secret service is called "Finger", probably using the word as a verb meaning to identify someone.
Our “finger men” are the 51 intelligence agents that lied to all of us. Here we come mother-fuckers, hope you’re ready.
Never read the graphic novel, I always thought it was obvious what it meant. But I am British, it could be cultural differences to know know if you aren't.
@@wyterabitt2149 Yeah, Alan Moore disliked the film for many reasons. One of those reasons being the film was an Americanized simplification that lost what he was trying to say about the fascist and anarchist responses to Margaret Thatcher's policies.
There were certainly parallels between Thatcher's England and the Reagan/Bush era America. But in 2005 (when the film was released) America had not seen a situation similar to what was happening in 1970's through 1980's England.
IMO, Trump changed that to a certain extent.
I think that those of us who grew up during the rise of neoliberalism have a better appreciation for what Moore was trying to say.
The difficulty in translating the graphic novel for American audiences is that America has never had a real Anarchist movement.
Alan Moore also disliked that the Wachowskis took an anarchist fighting for an idealized anarchic government and turned him into an antihero looking for revenge. I'm sure they made that change to appease Hollywood, as the big wigs were no doubt horrified at the idea of an anarchist as a hero.
6:36 there's a reason for that, but it is better explained in the graphic novel.
The government was divided in "organs". Media department were the "Eyes", intelligence was the "Ears". Prothero as a spokesperson from the government was the "mouth".
And so, the secret police meant to keep a close watch onto people are the fingermen: As to, to point out those out of line.
I forgot the vocabulary of the one called V. incredible.
“There is a face beneath this mask, but it isn't me. I'm no more that face than I am the muscles beneath it, or the bones beneath that.”
The roses, Scarlet Carson's, are the same kind of roses that Ruth grew for Valerie.
John Hurt played *Winston Smith* in *Nineteen Eighty Four* - and in *V for Vendetta* he basically plays *Big Brother*
V's mask is, of course, a mask of Guy Fawkes
This is one of the best What u call "Dark Romance" and not to forget one of the best Anti hero, the story the lines, the music everything about this movie it hits the spot
V for vendetta is amazing movie love the video Mary stay motivated Dream big 1 mill on the way
It’s a graphic novel movie, aka a comic book movie.
She wasn't kissing V (the man), she was kissing what V stood for. That's the symbolism in kissing the mask instead of human lips. She was kissing the "idea" that V stood for and taught her.
V for Vendetta on November the 5th, now i go to vote to keep a tyrant out of office.
Fuck yeah, my dude. We're cancelling the apocalypse today.
@disastergoblin65 fuck yeah brohim
lol
Sad
I agree, keep her out!!!
Reactions to this movie show you the people who have been through their own trial-by-fire, and those who haven't.
HIGHLY recommend EQUILIBRIUM(2002) with Christian Bale! Excellent movie, but it didn’t do overly well, and kind of got lost in the shadows of V for vendetta over the years.
Only down side to this movie is too many people can't keep up with what's going on or understand how deep and multilayered this is.
One of my all time favorite movies, shame I’ll miss the premiere due to getting ready for work, but it’ll be a good watch as I settle down after work.
this movie's based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore, so originally it's his story, and he made it to warm people about the dangers of fascism. Also, you'll notice certain... plot points, let's say, are seeming very similar to certain real-life events (like in 2020), nothing to see there, of course. Also, also, please never say that the people cannot win against g.ov irl, that's just not true. Don't let them ever convince you of that.
Comic wizard Alan Moore
*you should check out From Hell, another movie based on a comic he wrote
I have to wonder if, with the Wachowskis still being closeted at this time, that Evie kissing the mask had any special significance. "You wear a mask for so long you forget who you were beneath it."
I keep finding it ironic that only a few people reacted to this movie on Nov 5, 2024 and no one dared or even considered that a world like in this movie may happen if Trump won. I bet more people will be upset about me politicizing a political movie and comicbook, and fewer will be upset about me being anti Trump. And yet, this movie is all about a man saving a world from the choices they made that let it happen.
Not sure where president elect Trump comes into this, but the UK is almost there as a distopuan police state, a very prophetic film.
This movie would already be a perfect picture of the US if Trump had not won. He can slightly slow the destruction of this nation that I once loved but not for long. I am happy there are still enough people who are not completely brainwashed by the extreme left liberal propaganda to resist it, for even a short while.
I am not upset at people who are anti trump, no question he is a disaster. but he is also what the democratic party prefer to the prospect of giving americans even the rights that Mary has in her country. In that sense, you were already in whatever mess Trump will bring with Clinton/Obama/Harris
Wanna know how they don't realize? Keep your eye on America these coming years.
33:20 “How do the people not realize this is tyranny?”
They do, but they have given up their rights little by little over the years until it’s too late to do anything about it. This is why people in the USA push back on any gun control attempts. It’s little by little they’ll take at a time, until the people are only left with sticks and stones and no way to stop tyranny. This also reminds me of the poem “First They Came” by Martin Niemoller. Look it up. Cheers.
Republicans have been slowly stripping citizens of freedoms under the guise of safety since 2001. (Your rifle isn't stopping a black hawk, my friend.)
Gun control is objectively good and owning guns does less than nothing to "resist tyranny." The people who are most enthusiastic about gun owningship are open fascists who talk about teaming up with cops and soldiers to round up people who critivize America.
Saw you uploaded a reaction, decided to check this out and my god ! It’s just brilliant, everything was so well executed!
I love this film, and every year it becomes more and more relevant
"She's a poet!" Lol!!! That's a very old poem about Guy Fawkes, the person in the opening flashback.
A great reaction, Mary, you got most of the points of the film, background bits which you might not know. The mask which 'V' wore was a stylised version of the face of Guy Fawkes, who along with many others planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London on the 5th of November 1605, he was made scapegoat by the other conspirators, 'The Gunpowder Plot' as it became known was driven by supporters of the Roman Catholic Church who were being victimise at that time due to the worship of it being banned. "Remember, remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot, we see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot", bonfires and fireworks are let off in the U.K. on the 5th of November each year to celebrate the failure of the attempt to destroy the Government of the time. Alan Moore wrote 'V for Vendetta' in reaction to the Government under the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, it was a government of austerity later known as 'Thatcherism', which was also imposing civil liabilities upon the people of the U.K. during her time in office. I hope that this helps explain things a little?
I love how Hugo Weaving has played characters who stand for oppression in the Red Skull and Agent Smith (Matrix), while here he plays a character who stands for freedom.
100%
On the reverse, John Hurt played the opressed man in "1984"
I highly recommend Equilibrium! If you haven't already seen it lol
A lot of V's actions make a lot more sense from the book where he understands the cyclical nature of power, hence V having to prepare Evie to become V.
This movie is great. Thank you Miss Mary for the movie.😊
It really isn't very subtle, Ad(am Sut)ler, you can fill in the blanks.
27:26 Yes! And they did it all in one take!
She loved it!
In the graphic novel, V's motives are a bit more ambiguous. In that novel, one could argue that he was no anarchist but rather, on a very personal vendetta. The whole anarchist thing mearely pretext. To be clear, I'm not arguing that, I think it's somewhere in the middle.
I strongly suggest that you go and check out the graphic novel/comics as well! They're fantastic and very dark. If you weren't put off by it in this movie, they're worth looking into. :)
The TV host made that segment because someone has to step up. He knew full well the consequences, but also realized that the message was more important than his life. It's the theme of the whole movie, that individual contributions matter, if you want a better world then fight for it