4/5/2006 9:05:00 AM ‘V for Vendetta’ masks haunting message
Bob O'Reilly Entertainment Writer
Chilling and arresting, the projected events in “V for Vendetta” are thought-provoking as well.
The anti-totalitarian action thriller with political overtones from Warner Bros. Pictures enjoyed box-office revenues of over $26 million during its explosive opening weekend at theaters nationwide. Quickly becoming number one across the nation, “V for Vendetta” has also been released in IMAX theaters worldwide, as well as in conventional theaters.
“V for Vendetta” is the fifth IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) film for Warner Bros. Pictures in 2006 and the 13th DMR collaboration between IMAX and Warner Bros. since 2002.
It is interesting to note, too, that an IMAX screen can be three times larger than the average 35mm screen, 4,500 times larger than the average V screen, and as wide as an NFL football field.
Based on the much-talked about novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd and the screenplay adaptation by “Matrix” talents Andy and Larry Wachowski, the riveting resulting motion picture mirrors a jarring glimpse inside a society, once free, suddenly finding itself controlled by a fascistic regime helmed by Chancellor Sutler, portrayed by two-time Oscar nominee John Hurt (“Midnight Express” and The Elephant Man”). Gone are all the trappings of a working democracy.
Fanning fear, Chancellor Sutler is able to control the citizens who have surrendered individual freedoms to obtain a questionable feeling of security.
Resembling the fascist leaders of the past, including that of Adolph Hitler, the Chancellor presents a compelling figure. Corruption is rampant, not only in the secular sections of society but in the hierarchy of the church, as well.
John Standing, one of England’s most respected stage, film and TV actors, takes the role of Bishop Lilliman, whose religious convictions, however strong, take a backseat to his perverse temptations.
The starring stellar actor behind the Guy Fawkes mask, worn by V, is Hugo Weaving (Agent Smith in the “Matrix” trilogy and as Elrond in all three installments of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy).
Natalie Portman (“Star Wars: Episode I, II and III”) stars as Evey Hammond, the young woman in whom V awakens a latent activism. She tells studio press, “One of the reasons he (V) is so invincible is because you can kill a man, but an idea can’t be killed. So V represents truth, resistance and individualism. But his vengeance taints his political idealism.”
Chief Inspector Finch (Stephen Rea) is the detective who hunts for V, racing to stop his string of murders and find him before he fulfills his dire promise to destroy Parliament on the 5th of November, the anniversary of Guy Fawkes Day (1905).
Rupert Graves is Dominic, Finch’s lieutenant. Graves tells studio press, “He and Finch begin to realize that their government isn’t as good as they had thought.”
Stephen Fry as TV host Gordon Deitrich presents a memorable character, who has been hired by Sutler’s government to produce a daily variety show. He is also Evey’s trusted friend and confidante. And he has secrets of his own. Fry, regarding his role, points out that “Dietrich must be dragged out of his moral apathy and make a stand. At one key point he rips up the censor-approved script and writes one which makes vicious fun of Chancellor Sutler.”
The resulting fate of Dietrich, a Jay-Leno like comedian, is unforgettable.
Certainly the character of Creedy (Tim Pigott-Smith), the head of Sutler’s secret police, is pivotal in the story line. Not only is he V’s final and most dangerous Nemesis, but it is he who holds the real power within his grasp.
Filling out the stellar cast are Ben Miles as Dascomb, Sutler’s head of propaganda, two-time Laurence Olivier Theatre Award-winning actor Roger Allan as Prothers, the arrogant, vitriolic host of a news program called “The Voice of London” and acclaimed Irish actress Sinead Cusack as Delia Surridge, a coroner with a past. Prothero’s evangelism has become a kind of nationalistic fascism.
The setting is London in the near future. The citizenry fear being “black bagged” by Fingermen, Minister Creedy’s secret police force.
Directed by James McTeigue, “V for Vendetta” reminds us of chilling events transpiring daily in our own lives. One is prompted to ponder how many liberties must a nation surrender to remain free? What happens when the judiciary itself has no voice except to follow the party line?
In a lobby visit, local theater entrepreneur Bob Toogood, reminded us that “V for Vendetta” after a strong opening a week ago last Friday, remains a major draw at the box office.
Rated R, for violence and some language, “V for Vendetta” projects a timely message from behind the Guy Fawkes mask worn so heroically by V.
