Setting in V for Vendetta

The setting is the place where the scene takes place, and what this means to the message of the movie, or the characters of the movie. Scenes in the film V for Vendetta in which setting was very important, where the scenes where Evey was in prison. The director effectively used setting in these scenes to give a felling to the audience, help show Evey’s changes and also help to show some of the movies themes.

 

In the scenes from 1:07:49 in the film, Evey is being held in prison. The prison is in an unknown location, there is no evidence as to where it is. It is dark, with no natural lighting, which in itself sends a very cold and unpleasant feeling through the audience.  The walls, floor and ceiling are all grey concrete, which creates a cold, and very unwelcoming environment. Evey’s cell is isolating and scary, to Evey and the audience. When Evey first arrives in to her cell, there are some eye of god shots which show Evey feels like she is unimportant and feels small inside. The setting of the cell and prison make her feel scared and frightened and also make her feel terror for what will happen soon.  She is surrounded in a scary and sad setting, and all she has is fear.  The setting of the cell helped the director show how the main character of Evey is feeling, and what she is thinking, and this gives the audience deeper in insight into her character. The dark and cold, altogether give an unpleasant feeling to the scene, but this changes when Evey find the letter.

Evey finds a letter from another prisoner, Valerie. It details of Valeries life, and the director changes the setting of the scene entirely by showing snapshots of Valerie life. It cuts from the terror of the cell, to a warm, lighten home. It shows Valerie in the sunshine on a farm, and Valerie happy with her girlfriend in a flat. The lighting changes dramatically as it cuts from Evey in darkness, to Valerie in the warm beautiful life she once had. However, Valeries is captured and the setting in her story becomes bleaker. The contrast in the two settings is very important because it showing Eveys changes. It is showing how the world once was, happy, beautiful and loving, to what it now is, unfair, scary and oppressive. It is showing that for the first time, Evey is realizing what is really happening and what has happened in her country, and that change really does need to happen, so that no more innocent people like Valerie are hurt. The setting shows how the experience in enlightening Evey, and creating what she wants, and what she wants to fight for. The contrast of the setting shows how much the society has actually changed, and what a terrible place it is now. The most important thing the two settings do is create more reason and means for rebellion, and the audience really understands what has happened. To Evey, the scenes show she is realizing what she should fight for, which is peace and happiness, rather than continuing to live under fear and terror. These two settings are crucial in creating who Evey is, and help her make decisions in what follows.

Mise en Scene in V for Vendetta

Mise en scene is a narrative feature, of all the things on the screen, used to install a feeling into the audience, or used to help convey a theme of the text. Parts of Mise-en-scene particularly prevalent in the film V for Vendetta were lighting, costume, performance and setting. Although these techniques were used throughout V for Vendetta, they were used particularly well in the scene were Evey is first interrogated in the prison, at around 1:06:50 in the film.

Lighting

 

The lighting is extremely effective in the scene where Evey is first being interrogated by the mystery man. Just before the scene, Evey is ‘black bagged’ and the screen goes pitch black, just like what Evey would be seeing under the bag. This is quite scary to the audience, as we hear Evey screaming and see nothing. This lighting here is showing fear, and the audience really get a sense of the terror Evey is feeling.  The darkness draws the audience in, and suddenly the bag is taken off, with a high contrast of Eveys white face to the darkness the screen had been before. Eveys face is lighten up by a spotlight that only illuminates her. The light is bright white and very harsh, showing how Evey feels in this scene. This is very interesting to the audience’s eye, as Evey looks as if she is caught in a shaft of light, and everything else around her is darkness, she also becomes the audience’s centre of attention.  This spotlight lighting shows the focus is all on Evey in this scene, and that she is very important (a spotlight alike to this one is also used to illuminate the main star of a play while on stage) It shows the importance Evey to her capturers and her decision, and how her decision to divulge information or not will change the path of the movie. It also shows the importance of this moment to Eveys character, and how it has a big part to play in who she becomes and what she is fighting for. The bigger meaning of the spotlight is to do with Eveys character and how important the moment is in the storyline, but is also to do with one of the main themes of the movie, ruling people with fear. The interrogation room is not only cold and concrete, but its spotlight lighting on Evey is very ominous and threatening. It shows how the government gets what they want through installing terror and fear into their people. This theme is also shown through another aspect of lighting in this scene, the lighting on the interrogator. The interrogator has no light on him, and he is completely in black, just a silhouette.  We cannot recognise him, so we do not know him, but he holds the power to kill Evey, and this makes him very threatening and scarier. The audience reacts in the same way as Evey to the capturer, with terror and fright. The lighting on the man also helps show the main theme of ruling with fear, and how much society has changed.  Today someone in suspicion would sit down with a police officer like normal, however, Evey is towered over by a dark and mysterious power figure, showing how much more this government rules with fear.  

  Costume

In this scene costume is also used to communicate with the audience.  Evey is dressed in a white singlet which creates a high visual contrast with her surroundings. This also brings our eye to Evey, and she stands out. As white is often associated with purity and innocence, it is suggesting Evey is truly innocent and full of virtue. As it also makes her stand out, the white singlet is also used to tell the watcher that Evey is the main focus in the scene, and the scene and what is happening is very important in her life.

The costume of the interrogator is non existent, he is a completely black silhouette, and there is no clothes or identity given to him. This creates a real sense of mystery around him, and makes him look scary and shady. Because there is no way to identify him, we, and Evey are more scared and frightened about who he is and what he has the power to do. We find out later, that the black silhouette is actually V. The director has had no costume on the capturer to create a higher sense of fear and power in the scene. The director used the white top to help further show how important the scene is to Evey, but also how she is truly pure at heart.  

 

Performance

 

Natalie Portman did an amazing performance in portraying Evey in this scene. She is shaking and her eyes are wide, her mouth open in a shocked expression. All of these aspects on Portman’s performance accurately show just how frightened and scared Evey is. The shaking especially shows she is in shock, and fears what will happen, and the wide eyes make her look like she is a deer caught in the headlights, they are full of dread and terror. It is obvious from Portman’s performance and body language how Evey is feeling. Portman’s performance was very important in this scene to heighten our sense of fear for Evey, and also shows what a big moment in Evey’s life this is. It also is important later on, when Evey is in the same situation again, and is cool, calm and collected. It shows accurately that indeed Eveys has no fear anymore, and in this scene she is visually full of terror, and later on, she has learnt to deal with fear.

The performance of the capturer is important as well. He acts in a very unfriendly and matter of fact way. His voice is quiet monotone, and he is very harsh. This shows the audience that he is the enemy in the scene, and he is holding the power to harm and kill Evey. His performance shock us and Evey, and also help to show one of the movies main themes, power over people. His performance shows how throwing threats around is scaring and manipulating the people. This shows that the government thinks that they can get and do whatever they want, by using fear and death as threats. It shows that ruling with fear is explosive and very bad for the people and society.  His performance gives in sight to the watcher of how bad things in this futuristic society really are, and we understand why it needs to change.

Props/Setting

The setting in this scene is definitely used to create a feeling and show a theme.  The scene is in an interrogation room. It is made out of concrete, is very dark and has no natural light. There is only a table, a chair and some table lights. The use of an interrogation room makes the focus on Evey, as she is under interrogation and is being treated like a criminal. Buy there being not much furniture, again makes the audience focus on Evey as she is the main thing in the scene. It also shows that Evey feels very uncomfortable in this alien environment. There is no natural light and this is really creepy. It personally made me feel more negative feelings towards the room and the situation, because without windows, it seems very trapping and uncomfortable. Having no windows also shows how Evey feels, isolated and alone. Having only bright white, artificial lighting also shows how the environment is very harsh and unforgiving, and made me personally feel creeped out. The concrete walls and floor makes the whole scene and situation feel very cold, gloomy, and scary. The director used this cold and harsh setting to show how scared and uncomfortable Evey is, and make the audience feel the doom and terror Evey may be feeling.

Symbols and Motifs in V for Vendetta

In the film 'V for Vendetta' directed by James McTeigue, the use of the narrative feature of  symbols and motifs accurately help to show the main themes of the movie. A symbol is a object which represents an idea. In V for Vendetta, the symbolism of the V, the party's emblem, the shot of Chancellor Sutler, and the mask all help to show the main ideas of the film.

 

One of the main things that the audience sees as a symbol is the V within a circle, often seen in red. This symbol is everywhere and  reoccurs many times in the film, which really hammers into the audience the importance of this symbol. It is one of the first things we see of modern times, and
reappear throughout the film. It is the symbol of the character V, and his movement and rebellion against he governments ways. It begins to appear more as the movie progresses, like being spray painted on walls and being made out of dominos. This shows how the symbol of the rebellion is growing stronger, and how, although it is just a symbol it now holds power in the people, and people believe in what it stands for. it becomes a symbol for the uprising, and for people rebelling against the controlling government and breaking free from the fear installed in them. The symbolism of the V helps to show one of V for Vendettas main themes, rebellion. It shows how when a symbol's idea  is believed in by people it gains power and becomes a force. I believe that this still happens today in the real world, with people willing to fight for their flag, or fight or do something for a cause or idea. The actual design of the logo shows V surrounded by a circle. This shows how the actual character of V began the revolution, and know the idea of it has spread around the people. It is also coloured red which is the colour of extremes. It's the colour of passion, seduction, violence, danger, anger, and adventure. This further shows what V is fighting for, the right to be able to be free and to do what you want to.  However, it also symbolizes the anger and thirst for revenge that V has, and shows that maybe his intentions arent as pure as the audience thinks.

There is also the symbolism of the baptism of the two main characters. We see the scene of Evey, standing, being washed in the rain, and cut into this is the scene of V in the fire. These scenes symbolize a rebirth, and show the importance of this moment to the characters spirit and being.

In the scene of V, he is surrounded by fire, showing he is burnt and scarred.  He was made and created by fire, which symbolizes he has anger from his rebirth. This is the moment that creates V, as a vengeful and violent human. This further shows that V is not entirely the perfect freedom fighter, he is full of angry fire, and is out to get revenge.

However, Eveys baptism is in the rain. She is being washed, perhaps symbolizing the washing away of her sins, and cleansing her being. This symbolizes she is pure and true, and is in the revolution for the right reasons. She welcomes the rain and her rebirth, where as V is angry. The symbolism of the Eveys baptism shows she is a good person, and that she isn't filled with anger as V is, but she is full of virtue and morality, and is part of the revolution for the right reasons. This is further enhanced by a real baptism, showing she is saintly and angelic, and has good values.
The symbolism of the baptisms help the audience understand the characters of V and Evey more, as to why they want to start the revolution. The audience sees their rebirth and the changing of these characters lives as they are reborn. The baptisms in both cases created theses two characters, and changed their future.

 

The Guy Fawkes mask is also a big symbol in V for Vendetta. The mask is what we see of the main character, V. Other people also start to wear the mask, and at the end, all of the protestors wear it. V wears it to hide who he is because he was burnt so badly in the fire. However, it becomes a symbol for the rebellion and fighting for freedom form the government. It is a mask of Guy Fawkes, and this makes it seem to the audience like V holds the same motives and Guy Fawkes does. One of the biggest things the mask represents is hiding who V is. This makes it so V could be anyone, showing that the freedom he is fighting for would mean something to everyone. This is further shown when Evey says "he was all of us."  As the audience and V himself do not know his past, the mask, the ideas he is fighting for becomes him when he has the mask on. His identity is the mask, and what the mask symbolises. By wearing the mask,  V becomes something larger than human. He becomes the living embodiment of an ideal. This is something that more people can follow and believe in. When other people start to wear the mask, it becomes even more of a symbol of rebellion, and when everyone wears it to the parliament, it shows that although everyone is different there is the same need for freedom and want for justice that V has, within everyone. The symbolism of the mask really helped show the films main ideas of rebellion, and how ideas are stronger than a man, and can be within everyone.

 

 

Mostly every time we see Chancellor Sutler, the shots of him are zoomed up close and projected onto the wall, making him giant in comparison with the other people in the scene. By the director doing this, it is symbolising the great power and strength of Sutler, and how he is in charge, and that he is all powerful. It shows he is the leader, and a kind of big brother. It also effectively shows how Sutler is villainous, because he is the only one so big, he is the dictator, and he rules with fear.  This depiction of Sutler as a large and all powerful character shows the themes of totalitarian and the terrible affect that ruling with fear has on a country.