Film techniques used to emphasize themes in V for Vendetta
In the film V for Vendetta, the director, James McTeigue uses symbolism, costume and dialogue to emphasise the idea of everybody having a right to individuality, and the right - and duty – to resist forced conformism.
James McTeigue uses symbolism in the film V for Vendetta to juxtapose the idea of individuality and the resistance of forced conformity. The first important symbol used in the film is V’s mask. This symbol is shown in all of the scenes V appears in and again in the very last scene. In this scene thousands of citizens gather wearing the masks and remove them. Masks often symbolize a character hiding their identity. This final scene when the citizens remove their…show more content… One of the most important verbal techniques used by James McTeigue is dialogue. The director shows the characters’ lack of individuality and resistance to conformity through verbal speech. During the second act of the film V for Vendetta, Gordon states “When you wear a mask for so long, you begin to forget who you were beneath it”. This statement not only emphasises the symbolism in the film but also shows Gordon’s lack of resistance to forced conformity. McTeigue chooses this line of dialogue to state the need to prevent putting on the mask to begin with. He wants viewers to believe that their individuality is important and they shouldn’t allow society to remove it from them. When asked by Evey to remove his mask near the end of the film V states “Evey, please . . . there is a face beneath this mask, but it's not me. I'm no more that face than I am the muscles beneath it, or the bones beneath them.” By which he means that his identity is not based on the person beneath his mask, he is who he chooses to be. McTeigue
