V for Vendetta (3.9 Writing Assessment)

V for Vendetta is a dystopian film shot in a futuristic and totalitarian run London City with Natalie Portman playing Evey Hammond and being one of the two protagonists alongside Hugo Weaving who plays the character of V. In the film, the director James McTeigue utilizes the mise en scene and camera shots in the domino scene and fight scene to show the power of an idea. The final domino, V’s mask and the colours black and red as well as low angle, tracking, and birdseye view shots throughout both scenes, are examples of camera shots and the soundtrack.

Domino Scene (Camera shots & mise en scene)

The domino scene is featured near the end of the film and consists of the delivery of the Guy Fawkes masks, Inspector Finch’s recollection of the events at lark hill, and V initiating a series of dominos to fall creating a big V on the ground. Firstly, throughout this scene, the mise en scene shows the power of the idea through the use of V’s mask. When residents like Inspector Finch are shown receiving the mask at their front door stops, this shows the dispersion of power that V is laying down over the city. With at least “several hundred thousand” masks that have been delivered, V is showing how powerful the idea can be when people get behind it. Even though the residents do not ask for the masks to be delivered to there homes, in the final scene they all bind together to make a change. On V’s mask, there is a face, signifying the face of the idea so when the residents have this mask, they are now part of and contributing towards the idea by possessing it. Thus making the idea more powerful with the more people who have it. Secondly, the power of the idea is shown through the use of the final domino. When all the dominos are standing up, this signifies V’s life, and the things that have gone on in his life top make him into what he is now. When all of the dominos fall, this shows how V’s plan is coming together. When the two sides of the circle of dominos meet and are held up by the one single domino, this signifies Evey. Evey is the one thing stopping V from completing his plan of anarchy and terror. With the domino holding all of the other dominos up, Evey is holding V up. Evey is stopping the idea (V). Thirdly, the use of the mise en scene shows the power of the idea through the differently coloured dominos, (black & red). Black symbolizes revenge and the anarchy that V wants cause after being used as a lab rat at Lark Hill and the clour red symbolizes the love that V has for Evey. In the domino scene when the two sides of the circle of dominos come together, one is left upright, standing alone, supporting the rest from completely toppling over. This domino is black on one side and red on the other. When V walks over to inspect the domino, he is seen picking it up and looking at it with great attention and detail. During this time, V is contemplating, do I choose revenge, or do I choose love. Do I choose revenge, or do I choose Evey? The scene right after the domino scene shows Evey and V dancing together revealing that V has chosen love, he has chosen Evey but its not long before Evey carries on his legacy by sending the metro cart full of explosives down the railway to blow up parliament. With V’s body initially being the vehicle for the idea, V, himself, now is the idea and Evey is continuing on his legacy. By Evey doing so, the idea lives on showing the power that it beholds.

Fight Scene (Camera shots & mise en scene)

The fight scene is featured 112 minutes into the film and is the point in the movie where the Chancellor, Mr Creedy and V all die. During this scene, the director James McTeigue utilizes the mise en scene and camera shots to show the power of an idea. The camera shots and mise en scene used at the start of the scene show the empty houses with nobody looking at the TV, the deserted streets and the preconceived dead people. Whilst the chancellor is talking on the large screen, we know that the public is grouping up and that they are about to attempt to overthrow the government. Later on in the scene, we see the huge amount of people who have turned up to protest and show their support as they surround and walk past the memorial. Later on in the scene, we see the crowd take off their masks and uncover their faces. Some people who take off their masks have already died in the film so seeing them back in what seems like real life, with the rest of the public shows that the idea of V and freedom lives on. They all had rebellious characteristics like Gordan with his contraband. That was his way of experiencing freedom in their oppressive society so when he returns at the end of the film, it shows that V’s dictum, “you can’t kill an idea” lives on.