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Instead of an entry on current events I’d like to take this space today to review the film “V for Vendetta” as I watched it today for the very first time. When it first came out I hadn’t given it much thought as I’m not particularly big on films. I didn’t even give thought to the political content of the film as I disregarded it casually as a Liberal Hack Movie since that’s what I’d read it was — “an attack on the Bush Administration.” Recenty, my girlfriend mentioned Guy Fawkes Day and I smiled and said, “He tried to blow up Parliament. People still celebrate the day. Some because he failed, and some because he tried!” and she said, “That’s right — I learned that in V for Vendetta!” which sparked my interest. So I watched it when I learned that a friend could loan me a copy and I must say, it’s magnificent. The acting is remarkable and the music is perfect. Now, to the actual story: of course it’s a play on the Bush Administration and I welcome it. The theme of the film, “The Government should fear its people,” is spot-on and everytime a government is satirized it is good for said government at anytime. When a government has lost the ability to laugh at itself, then it is deeply and inherently corrupt. As a satire, it perfectly mocks the Cable News Era and Secret Regimes past and present and future, too, from crooked and insubordinate military generals to the holier-than-thou thoughts of a tyrant.

Believe it or not I had to suppress tears when the ending occurred. In part because I have a softspot for explosions accompanied by the 1812 Overture but mainly — that is to say, completely — because I love a good democratic movement whether it’s in the Ukraine or a film. My sole complaint is that the book is, apparently, a book contrasting the dangers of tyranny with the dangers of anachy and the film leaves out anarchy. To be fair, it completely leaves it out by portraying V as a democrat rather than an anarchist but it was still something that I’d have liked to have seen in there. Anarchists suck.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 22nd, 2006 at 5:07 pm and is filed under Outside Retort (Current Affairs).