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“Remember, remember the fifth of November”
This refrain that started as a tribute to British anarchist Guy Fawkes became the catchphrase of the titular masked freedom fighter in Alan Moore’s iconic comic V For Vendetta.
Originally published in 1982 in the British anthology comic Warriorbefore being republished by DC Comics. Moore created a vision of a dystopian future London and a hero named V, cloaked in a cape and Guy Fawkes mask, who teams with a teenage girl to free their country from the fascist leadership that oppresses them. Moore’s book was a direct reaction to the conservative leadership of Margaret Thatcher’s England. It would take more than two decades to bring the story to the big screen; however, it became clear elements needed to be tweaked to properly resonate with a modern audience.
Enter the Wachowskis, fresh off the huge success of The Matrix trilogy and devoted comic book fans. They adapted Moore’s story with a more modern lens but a desire to remain true to the core themes of the original work. Keeping the setting of London but expanding the political commentary to be more broadly focused opened the story up to a wider audience. The film also uses many elements of George Orwell’s seminal dystopian novel 1984 in both design and story structure. This includes the clever casting of John Hurt (star of that novel’s film adaptation) as the High Chancellor of the villainous Norsefire political party who looms over the movie on massive screens.
Something the movie retains from Moore’s comic is the mysterious and cipher-like hero of the story. Known only as V, we never see him out of his mask, his identity consciously a mystery to both the characters and the audience. Moore said he hid V’s name and face to keep him an enigma, as he wanted readers to come to their own conclusions about the nature of the central vendetta. We are only given the bare bones of V’s origin in shadowy flashbacks that more indicate the cruelty inflicted by the government than the specific details of who the man behind the mask was. He is one of many of tragic stories in this nightmare society.
It is that symbology that contributes to the comic and film’s undying impact. The Guy Fawkes mask was given to the character by comics artist David Lloyd, who wanted him to be more of a freedom fighter than a traditional superhero. The iconography is key to the story, as the climax finds thousands of Londoners donning the mask to take to the streets in an act of rebellion against the totalitarian regime. V transcends being an individual and becomes a symbol of a movement, a desperate cry for freedom. Natalie Portman sums it up in her final lines in the film. When asked about V’s identity, she responds, “He was Edmond Dantes, and he was my father and my mother, my brother, and my friend. He was you and me. He was all of us.”
This symbology has leapt off the page and screen in the two decades since the film’s release. The Guy Fawkes mask can be seen all over the world as a symbol of protest and a call for freedom. A legacy few fictional characters has been found in reality, which speaks to the potency of Moore’s original ideas and the brilliant adaptation that the Wachowskis and director James McTeague gave us.
Though Moore, who is famously a bit prickly, made his complaints about the film known, I would argue the major changes made in the adaptation are what opened the story up to the world. The comic is certainly still a striking work of art, but reading it as an American in today’s era can feel somewhat distancing. The film, on the other hand, is as fresh as ever; it does simplify the central battle of oppression versus freedom but in a way that welcomes audiences rather than pandering to them. This is a deeply political film but not a specific one. The themes can be grasped in any culture and by all audiences that can connect to the battle for personal autonomy and individualism.
If you have not seen the film, the good news is Warner Brothers Pictures is rereleasing it in theaters appropriately on November 5. Trust me when I say it still packs a punch, mixing political and moral ideas with adrenaline-pumping action that makes it one of the most engaging sci-fi movies to come out of a major studio. Phenomenal performances from an all-star cast, including Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman, Stephen Fry, and many more, fill out the roster of incredible characters. It’s a movie that still has much to say and hopefully makes you ask a lot of questions.
