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Title: Movie News: V for Vendetta Author: Anarcho Date: April 25, 2005 Language: en Topics: V for Vendetta Source: Retrieved on 28th October 2021 from http://www.anarkismo.net/article/329
In Moore’s graphic novel, V is an anarchist fighting a fascist state in
a grim post-world war III future. It made compulsive reading when it
came out in late 1988, inspired as it was by Moore’s disgust of
Thatcher’s Britain. It also included some excellent anarchist propaganda
Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel (i.e. comic for grown-ups) “V for
Vendetta” is being made into a movie as I write. Its opening date is
planned to be this years Guy Fawkes night, befitting the fact that V,
the hero of the book, dresses like him and succeeds in blowing up the
Houses of Parliament.
Why should you be interested? Simply because, in Moore’s graphic novel,
V is an anarchist fighting a fascist state in a grim post-world war III
future. It made compulsive reading when it came out in late 1988,
inspired as it was by Moore’s disgust of Thatcher’s Britain. It also
included some excellent anarchist propaganda (such as V’s TV appeal to
the people to take responsibility for their own lives and get rid of the
criminals they allow to have power or his “discussion” with the statue
of justice at the beginning of the book). While its glorification of
“propaganda by the deed” is troublesome and no guide to action (and why
should it, it is a comic book set in an imaginary fascist future after
all!), V was no mindless terrorist. His targets were carefully selected
and included sources of power (both real and symbolic) as well as state
criminals. His actions, therefore, express the best aspect of
“propaganda by the deed,” the holding to account of those in power for
their oppression and repression.
As such, given its political nature and its grim account of both the
rise of British fascism and live under such a regime, it is of interest
to libertarians. Like Watchmen (also, incredibly, being made into a
film), it is a modern classic. Making a movie of it was inevitable and
we can only hope it will be good (the people who made the Matrix are
involved so the special effects may be good). Unfortunately, Alan
Moore’s comics have generally been butchered when made into films. This
seems to be happening to “V for Vendetta” as well. The following is the
movie’s plot synopsis:
“V for Vendetta takes place in an alternate future in which Germany wins
WWII and Great Britain becomes a fascist state. A terrorist freedom
fighter known only as ‘V’ begins a violent guerrilla campaign to destroy
those who’ve succumbed to totalitarianism, and recruits a young woman
he’s rescued from the secret police to join him.”
So does our anarchist hero become simply a “freedom fighter”? As for
“Germany wins WWII” that utterly misses the point of the book, which is
about home bred fascism. Moore obviously believed that Britain could
become fascist — and with Thatcher in office who could blame him? In the
book, we did it to ourselves and that puts V’s struggle in a slightly
different light — if a fascist regime is created or supported by a
majority, does that make struggle against it “terrorism”? Not from an
anarchist perspective, of course, but under Thatcher rebels were
constantly subjected to the argument that direct action was
“undemocratic” as the people had voted for her authoritarian agenda.
Perhaps “V for Vendetta” will fair better than those works by Moore
which have already been turned into films. Let us hope so, although I’m
not holding my breath. In today’s climate, an anarchist hero may be too
much. V may be turned into a generic “freedom fighter” who liberates the
masses who are too repressed, stupid or apathetic to do it themselves.
The potential elitism of V’s tactics (imposed by the necessities of the
superhero comic book genre and the nature of the regime V is fighting
rather than expressing any core idea of anarchism) may be brought to the
fore while his redeeming anarchism, his belief that people can govern
themselves without bosses and politicians of any sort, consigned to
memory hole. His anarchism may become transmuted into a general plea for
“liberty” (even “democracy”!) and against the totalitarian form of
government only. The real message may, therefore, be lost or, at best,
mentioned in passing.
If so, it would be a great shame. But at least the film may get people
reading the original graphic novel which is still a masterpiece by a
master of his craft.