Social Cubism II

The first part of the analysis is Psychological. This covers concepts like psychological needs not being met, individual’s psychological problems, demonizing and basic emotions such as fear and anger. This can apply to both individuals and the society itself in “V for Vendetta”. People are far more complex than characters in a movie but in “V for Vendetta” psychotic characteristics abound, including V himself! High Chancellor Sutler suffers from megalomania. His head of Secret Police, Mr. Creedy, is a complete sociopath. V suffers from amnesia and is homicidal. He has no problem killing others in pursuit of his goals and shows absolutely no remorse. Still, there is something good in V that is completely lacking in the characters representing the regime. In our society fighting injustice with violence is for the most part acceptable. Most people supported the invasion of Afghanistan as a way to respond to the attacks on September 11th. According to a CNN poll on September 28th 2001 over 75% of Americans favored using ground troops for the invasion. (4) It can be argued our government falsely accused Iraq’s Saddam Hussein of having a role in the attacks. This provided a justification at the time for our invasion of Iraq. In the movie, people wind up supporting V. The citizens can be analyzed from a psychological point of view as well.

The citizens in the movie have been traumatized by several mass casualty biological attacks blamed on terrorists but were in reality carried out by their own government. The government of High Chancellor Sutler uses the resulting fear to tighten control and rule out any oppositional narrative from being herd. With the on going threat to their physical safety, the public for the most part accepts the government’s view all of the oppression is necessary. Sutler’s regime detests anyone that not Christian Conservative. Anyone else is open to harassment, arrest and even death. Homosexuals are arrested and most likely executed. It is illegal to own a Koran. If a citizen is found owning with one, they are executed. Life goes on with those left pretending everything is normal. They have traded their freedom and ability to reason for security from a completely fictitious terror threat. According to the BBC Documentary “The power of Nightmares” the threat from Al Qaeda and other such groups has been blown way out of proportion. Our government has used this threat to expand powers through the Patriot Act far beyond anything we have previously known. (5) The citizens in the movie start to turn a blind eye to crimes being committed in the name of security. Anything different is scapegoated by the government. But in reality they are the real problem. Slowly, through the course of the movie, people start to see what has become of their nation and start to rebel in small ways. They start to question the state run media and stand up to the Fingermen. They hear V’s message as an alternative narrative to what they have been being told all along by their government. They awaken to the lies state run media is telling them. For physical safety, they have sacrificed higher needs like freedom of expression, respect from those in power and a sense of morality.

The second area for analysis is Ethnic and Religious. There are no minorities in V’s world, just white people. All the main characters are white. It is a world void of multiculturalism. The government of Chancellor Sutler has zero tolerance for anyone different. It is not clearly stated in the movie but one can imagine there is little to no immigration from other countries. It goes far beyond those with different skin color. Even among the white people there is no room for differences. Homosexuals are rounded up and murdered. There is a zero tolerance for any religion but Christianity. Anything different is vilified in the state run media on television by one network the BTN. Terror acts in truth committed by the state are blamed on Muslim fanatics. Religion shows it’s darker side in the character of Bishop Lilliman. He was appointed Bishop at Westminster Abbey by Sutler. He is one of the darkest characters in the entire regime. On the outside he seems a harmless man guided by faith in a position of power. Under a gentle exterior lies a pedophile and a coconspirator in state sponsored murder. He is a great symbol of the entire regime, seemingly normal but just underneath the surface dark and sinister. In this world there is an overdose of normalcy just underneath the people’s noses. V sets out to single handedly change all of this by reminding the nation of what was lost.

Linguistic is the third area for analysis. For an action movie “V for Vendetta” has an unprecedented richness for language. V is unlike almost any other super hero. He has the typical everyday super hero characteristics. But what makes V unique is his intelligence, knowledge and own dark humor. He can hack into government computer and communication systems and knows enough about art, music and history to make the men of the Renaissance proud. V is also a questioner of authority and legitimacy. “People should not fear their Government, Government should fear their people” V says. This is the opposite of what is going on at the time when government Fingermen patrol the streets acting with impunity to anyone who crosses their path. V makes much use of the power of art and music. His first act of terror is blowing up the Old Bailey preceded by playing Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture through the government’s own emergency communication system of loudspeakers throughout London. This wakes people up and lets them know something is about to change. Much of what V says can be taken on different levels. Near the end V tells Evey he is going to meet his maker. Many may take this to mean he is going to die which is true. His “maker” is also High Chancellor Cutler himself and his government. V wants to destroy what created him and in so doing destroy himself. This will in turn create something else, a nation without the Norsefire Party and without V.

The government of Sutler has a language all it’s own far different from that of V. It is direct and demonizing. There is no room for art or history. Right away they label V as a terrorist who kills innocents even showing police shooting people but spinning it as V killing them. They also control the media through the BTN. There is no alternative. They have their own propaganda show called “The Voice of London”. Lewis Prothero is the host who is a key mouth piece for reinforcing government control and views. He is course and condescending toward others and bases his positions on religious conservatism and an unquestioning nationalism. The dialogue of Chancellor Sutler reveals a lot about the man and his government. Later in the movie as control is slipping away, he tells his ministers in a shrill voice “...Remind them (the people) why they need us!” What follows are news stories about wars, disease and terror on the BTN. It is a message of fear meant to regain full control the population. Nothing coming from the government offers a notion of freedom or hope for a better future. Chancellor Sutler’s tone with his ministers is authoritarian and direct. He leads by threats, intimidation and orders. His imagery is larger than life. During his meetings with his various ministers, he is a giant image on a screen overlooking his underlings. The communication is one way. Inspector Finch dares to offer a slightly different view of the V investigation and is promptly reminded not to waste time on hunches and conjecture. He quickly apologizes to the high Chancellor.

The fourth and fifth areas to examine in the movie are the historical and political backgrounds. This can be looked at in two ways. The history of V is one and the recent history of Britain is another. V has no history before he was taken into the lab for experimentation. We do not know where he is from, what he did or even why he was taken. His history starts with destroying the lab that created him. The next twenty years of his life he prepares his revenge for his “creators”. For years he lies low in his underground home amassing an incredible collection of books, music and art works all the while clearing underground tracks leading to parliament for the final event of his revolution. His last year is followed much more closely as he eliminates one by one those responsible not only for what was done to him but the murder of 100,000 citizens. V does not lie to his only friend Evey when she asks if he is responsible for Prothero’s death and if he intends to murder others. He calmly answers yes to both questions. For a masked man, V has little to hide. He shares his story and motivation. He clearly believes in the use of violence but only against those who have harmed him and other innocents. The history of the rise of the Norsefire Party is much darker as told to Inspector Finch by a disguised V.

Like many oppressive governments who have come before The Norsefire Party gains power through democratic processes. It gains power when a frightened population surrenders it’s reason to fear. Just getting elected is not enough, decent has to be crushed. The darkest Character in the movie, Mr. Creedy, head of the secret Police, comes up with the ultimate way to consolidate all power. Instead of using a deadly biological weapon against a foreign enemy, it should be used on their own people and then blame terrorists. In three attacks 100,000 people are killed. A population in shock gives up freedoms for security. The government then provides the cure strengthening their hold on power and making them fortunes in profits in sales. A negative peace sets in and a strange sense of normalcy takes hold in the years following the attacks. People go to work, socialize, and watch TV as if everything is fine. Over the years the Norsefire Party builds a massive intelligence capability again not aimed at possible foreign enemies but their own citizens. They use this power to sweep away dissenters and those who are different. 

No casualty figures are given for those murdered by the government in the name of ‘security”.

The last two areas for consideration are economic and geographic. In the movie we do not get a sense of economic hardship among people in general. Things seem okay. It is worth noting those in the regime are extremely wealthy, far beyond the regular people we see in the movie. As the movie goes we see more crime but this seems to be more rebellion than crime committed out of economic hardship. There is a sense of a worldwide depression brought on by decades of war. The United States has fallen into civil war and chaos as a result of wars started earlier. It is an indirect reference to current day Iraq and Afghanistan. Britain is an island fortress in a world of war and depression. It is clear they have spent a lot on their military which the Sutler Regime is quite willing to use on unarmed civilians. Geographically, the movie takes place in one country, Briton and largely in the city of London. It is one ethnic group, white people. The conflict in the movie has little to do with jobs or land but everything to do with freedom and oppression.