V for Vendetta – a Dystopian Movie

V for Vendetta is a dystopian movie, directed by James McTeigue. In the movie, the protagonist named V tries to destroy the totalitarian society of the futuristic London. V for Vendetta is an action-thriller film primarily set in the Jordan Tower, where Evey Hammond works. The ways in which the director used symbols such as the Guy Fawkes mask, and the scarlet Carson roses, display themes such as freedom, control and anarchy.

The ways that the director has used film text to explore freedom, vengeance and control in the symbols and motifs would be when the 'V' symbol and Scarlett roses are used. V turned to gardening during his time at Larkhill, he grew Scarlett Carson's in memory of Valerie, they symbolise freedom and are representative of hope and a better society. V leaves a rose with every one of his victims to convey the message of moral justification and an ethical, higher purpose. The use of the rose sends a message that freedom and vengeance is possible. Each time a rose appears in the film, it appears in extreme close-up, giving the impression of how powerful 'V''s desire for vengeance is. The scarlet Carson's were also grown by the lesbian lover of Valerie, who wrote the autobiography on toilet paper that she passed to V during their incarceration.

There was a quote on the toilet paper "But America's war grew worse and worse and eventually it came to London. After that there were no roses anymore. Not for anyone" meaning that so many people lost their lives in the horrible wars. An important scene which discusses freedom is 'V''s speech to the nation, that exposed the lies created by Norsefire and v urges the people to fight against the oppressive government. Vs efforts to take down London's government is portrayed when he slashes his symbol into the government slogan poster, showing his intentions to bring down the government through undermining their message of conformity, bringing anarchy to the people of London Body text 2 Arguably the most important and recognisable symbol inV for Vendetta was the Guy Fawkes mask, which symbolised anarchism, revolution and civil disobedience, this is scene, when demonstrators in Egypt and the oppressed Wall Street in New York wore the iconic mask to show their disapproval of the government.

The mask has a certain anonymity surrounding it, meaning anyone can wear the mask and embody the spirit of rebellion. In the end scenes we see people with guy Fawkes masks charging towards the government, the masks symbolising that they are very powerful, transforming individual, flawed people into something more powerful and creating movements. In the Domino scene, where 'V' sets up dominos in the shape of his emblem, the scene goes on to show a montage of significant events that have happened in the past, present and future. The first domino falls and knocks down all of the other dominos, symbolising that one idea can reshape a nation and force the government into chaos. One domino remains standing representing 'V's final task, to destroy the parliament house. Conclusion In conclusion, the director James McTeigue used symbols such as the Guy Fawkes mask, the 'V' sign and Scarlett Carson's to display themes of control, anarchy, revolution and vengeance.

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