V For Vendetta (Deluxe Edition) (DVD)

...the 2 disc set of V for Vendetta on DVD. Now this was not a film that I saw when released at the cinema at all as I didn't think that it would interest me. Well safe to say now after watching it that I was well wrong on this matter, please read on…..

---The Source---

V for Vendetta was originally a graphic novel released in the early part of the 1980's. Originally published as a strip in Warrior, a publication along ...
...The masked man known as V is immediately labelled as a terrorist by the Chancellor Adam Sutler played by John Hurt.

V rescues a young woman called Evey Hammond , played by Natalie Portman, and an unlikely bond between the two emerges which results with Evey becoming a close ally of V by understanding what V's aims are and why he is doing this. But though V may be charismatic and have a passion for justice he also is bitter and has ... more

Hello there and welcome to my 27th review on Ciao.

Today I have was given my Easter present from my beloved, knowing that I have a slight passion for these types of film she bought me the 2 disc set of V for Vendetta on DVD. Now this was not a film that I saw when released at the cinema at all as I didn't think that it would interest me. Well safe to say now after watching it that I was well wrong on this matter, please read on…..

---The Source---

V for Vendetta was originally a graphic novel released in the early part of the 1980's. Originally published as a strip in Warrior, a publication along similar lines as 2000AD which at this time was selling at its peak.

This told a story of a rebel in a broken society attempting to drive through change by any means, this was at a time when the Conservative Party was starting to campaign for re-election for there second term in power. The story is anti- Thatcher as that was the feeling at time.

When Warrior was cancelled in 1985 by the publishers, the last story was abandoned and was never printed. A number of companies were then fighting for writer Alan Moore and artist David Lloyd to work for them. After discussions DC Comics were triumphant and reprinted all the stories in full colour across 10 editions including the unfinished never before seen last story. These were published under the Vertigo label. Vertigo is a more adult and orientated graphic novels than the Superman or Batman titles and deal with more traumatic storylines than normal DC lines. Another good example of Vertigo publication is the Watchman series.

---The Film---

The film is set in the not too distant future; Great Britain has become ruled by a fascist dictator who controls the country with a rod of iron, bottom line a Police State. The Royal Family have been murdered; the London Underground has been closed, America is in crisis and on the verge of civil war. Permanent nightly curfews take place the UK and any person not complying with this is removed from society and never seen again. In the midst of all this chaos, a masked man known only as V, played by Hugo Weaving, dares to stand up and rebel against the government. The masked man known as V is immediately labelled as a terrorist by the Chancellor Adam Sutler played by John Hurt.

V rescues a young woman called Evey Hammond , played by Natalie Portman, and an unlikely bond between the two emerges which results with Evey becoming a close ally of V by understanding what V's aims are and why he is doing this. But though V may be charismatic and have a passion for justice he also is bitter and has his own personal agenda of revenge for something the government did to him long ago. As November the 5th approaches V says he and those who will follow him will stand up to the government once and for all, Detective Finch becomes more and more determined to uncover the truth about V, however when search uncovers unexpected answers this leads Finch to question himself as to whether he is playing on the correct side. It is not only a confrontation between the good and the bad; bit more obvious is the battle between fascism and anarchism that the film shows.

The film is a certificate 15 and has the running time is 128 minutes, and I have to say this time passes very quickly.

---Cast---

Evie Hammond is played very well by Natalie Portman. She appeared in Star Wars Episodes 1 to 3 as the mother of Luke and Leia. It is with this role that you see Portman impressively grow out of the teenage roles into more of an adult. She impressed me by the way you see her grow on screen with a total character change from what she started as to what she has become. She made her role as Evie very believable and what she goes through in the film, makes you feel for her as it shows what a state the country has become. You may remember when the film was released in 2006 the pictures of her with a shaved head.

Hugo Weaving, who appeared in the Matrix trilogy as Agent Smith, plays V. You never see his face throughout the film at all and this makes the performance focus more on what V says and in what manner and body movements are made, not at the facial expressions. For me I thought he portrayed the character well as a above the law vigilante who wants to settle debts. My favourite moment is when Weaving uses a total of 49 V words in his speech, it is delivered with confidence and also shows what drives the character. This for me said a lot about the character as he is not always good in what he does and has a complex persona that is borderline unbalanced.

Stephen Rea plays Finch. The Scotland Yard detective who is ordered by the Chancellor to hunt down V. Throughout the film, the character of Finch, starts to question himself on what he has found. This in turn leads to doubt as to what is right and wrong and leads Finch to be confused. The manner in which he is portrayed by Rea is good as this is effectively the go-between character that even though has a job to do is stuck in the middle and it is Rea's performance that grounds the film in reality with what is being discovered.

John Hurt who appeared as the Elephant Man and Alien plays Chancellor Adam Sutler. He is the Oswald Mosley type Prime Minister who runs the country as an Ant Farm, with things such as Homosexuality and classical music outlawed. He plays the role with gusto and is convincing in what he does, although most of his scenes are on a TV screen he is seen I the flesh in a scene towards the end of the film.

The rest of the cast are made up of British actors such as Tim Piggott-Smith as Creedy, Chief of Police Sinead Cusack as Delia Surridge and Stephen Fry as Dietrich, a TV host with dark secrets. For those who liked the sitcom called Coupling Ben Miles appears throughout the film, he played Patrick in the TV series. These work very well and give a good sense of foundation to the story being set in the UK. In fact the elocution has really paid off with this and this was also something that impressed me as Hugo weaving uses a number of accents convincingly throughout the film, Natalie Portman, who was born in Israel, speaks with a cute English plum accent slightly reminiscent of Gwyneth Paltrow in Sliding Doors.

If I was to give a film of a similar nature, I would say that something along the lines of The Omega Man or 1984 as I found these to be also thought provoking films such as this one as there is a strong message being put across on the screen.

---Extras---

As this was the second time that this was released on DVD, the Extras have been bumped up as necessary. They include:

• Designing the near future
• Remember, Remember: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot
• England prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics
• Freedom Forever: The Making of V For Vendetta
• Cat Power Montage
• Trailers
• Soundtrack Information
• Languages

I feel that I shouldn't really go into depth on some of the extras for the sake that I will give away various plot points and spoil some of the story. What I can say is that the extras contain a number of featurettes running about 10 to 20 minutes long and are very detailed in areas of describing what the original comic books were about and the making of the movie and the aims of the film as well some of the background around who Guy Fawkes actually was. The release trailer is eye catching to say the least and should be watched before the film.

---Overall---

A very thought provoking film, even more frightening as it is set in a very near future. I enjoyed this more than I expected, not only for the action but also for the story and the plot. What I liked was the fact that it was balanced between three characters, V, Evie and Police officer Lynch. With the story treated as separate strings that eventually come together by the end of the film.

With director by first time director James McTiege, who was Assistant Director on the Matrix Trilogy, has done a very good job as he manages to raise the suspense at the right time while sending chills down your spine in other parts. The middle of the film is slightly weighed down compared to the end and beginning but with what is going on in the story that would be expected as the speed of the story in the first third could not be maintained, so the slow down in space had to be done. Also in the manner that it is done means that the momentum starts to build up again to ensure that the climax is just right.

The music is used to score certain events in the film perfectly, not only for what is happening but also as part of the story itself. The music comes into its own throughout the film at various points in the Shadow Chambers and amplifies a scene to get maximum potential from it. The best example will be the last ten minutes with how the story unfolds. It was also good to hear a Julie London track used so effectively as well.

The film is by the Warchowski Brothers, Andy and Larry, have been responsible for other films such as The Matrix Trilogy, Assassins and the upcoming Speed Racer. This is one film that I did not see at the cinema and really wished I had due to some of the set pieces of destruction that tells the story. I have read the books as well and can say that this has been slightly dumbed down, but that has happened because of the scale of the original books and the attempt to consolidate it all into just over 2 hours to give the film I believe has been successful without losing any of the momentum and messages of the books.

This does raise the question of whether the terrorist such as V can be a hero without taking on terrorist characteristics or whether the hero operates above terrorism. This question can be discussed till the cows come home, but the bottom line is that it is fighting fire with fire to solve an issue.

Also please be aware that some of the language or as some say 'verbal profanities' used by the characters can be a bit on the strong sides at times with the C word being utilised accordingly in one scene. I was happy to see that the appearance of V has been kept very close to that of the graphic novel, the mask V uses and the clothes he wears has been literally lifted from the book.

---Price---

I have seen this in Tesco's for as little as £6.73, HMV for £10, Virgin for £ 7.99, on the net this can be bought even cheaper. For a two disc set with extras it is very good value for money. Play is selling this at £4.99. The DVD comes in a cardboard sleeve as part of 'The Movie and More' series that Warner Brothers are releasing at the moment. This has been relased before but not with the amount of extras that are in this set.

If you would like to see the inspiration of the film, the consolidated editions of V for Vendetta can be purchased as one graphic novel for about £10 - £15 on Amazon or Play. If you are a comic collector like me this really is essential reading as this is a lot more violent than what the film.

Thanks for reading. Till next time.

Tim
 

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