V For Vendetta

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot... But what of the man? I know his name was Guy Fawkes and I know, in 1605, he attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But who was he really? What was he like? 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 an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it... ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love... And it is not an idea that I miss, it is a man... A man that made me remember the Fifth of November. A man that I will never forget. 

Speaking of remembering...I still remember the first time seeing this movie when it came out to theaters with my friend Chris and his parents. Sitting there and watching this film in the dark it seemed like it went on for more than two hours but not in the way you're thinking. Time didn't drag on because I thought the movie was awful but because I was loving every minute of it!! Though I've never read the graphic novel written by Alan Moore on which the movie is based I'm sure that I would probably enjoy it just as much seeing as how... V For Vendetta is one of my favorite films.

Film Plot: Set in a dystopian United Kingdom under a totalitarian government and a fascist High Chancellor Adam Sutler (a thinly veiled portrayal of Adolph Hitler perhaps?) there is one man who is ready to stand up for the evils done to him and his country. He is the bold and charismatic fighter for freedom, the vigilante behind the mask of Guy Fawkes, the anti-hero and anti-villain rolled into one...he is only known as V.

After being saved by V from an attempted rape by the secret police, working class girl, the beautiful Evey Hammond unwittingly becomes a part of V's world when she helps him escape the television studio where she works to repay him for his earlier deed. While Evey agrees to stand up for what is right, she can't condone V's killing of government officials and escapes from V to the home of her boss but when he is captured by the secret police and Evey is imprisoned and interrogated to finding the whereabouts of V, she refuses to give in and becomes stronger and free to finally help V stand up for freedom but can they convince the rest of Britain to do the same?

Now I could go into the plot a little more or even spoil it for you but V For Vendetta is actually a movie I would recommend seeing or even reading the graphic novel if you haven't read it (or can find it which I haven't been able to do) because it is that good a movie. Natalie Portman is as always a phenomenal actress (even pre-Black Swan and her academy award) and carries the film well but Hugo Weaving as V steals the show even though his face is never seen which goes to show you that acting is a powerful thing and that the best actors never even have to be seen to be great.

No one will ever forget that night and what it meant for this country. But I will never forget the man and what he meant to me.

Next blog: Xanadu