V for Vituperation
The Wachowski brothers, writers of the Matrix trilogy, will be celebrating the release of yet another future based thriller, V for Vendetta. The film, touted as closely following the identically titled graphic novel by Alan Moore, appears to be the latest in a long line of Hollywood productions that take pot shots at the government, specifically the current administration.
With taglines like: People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people. and The only verdict is vengeance the film is sure to be a big hit with antiestablishmentarians. Terrorists are glorifed, governments are villified, and anarchy is hailed as an appropriate form of civil disobedience.
The sad fact is that as with other agenda driven Hollywood fare, V will have a subtle influence on the belief systems of the indiscriminating American audience. And that just what the filmmakers hope will happen. I find this particularly disheartening because I love a good action flick just as much as any All-American, homeschooling, church-going mom of four. Bullets flying, buildings blowing up, bad guys getting smoked - Wahoo! Can't I just watch the film without having to listen to political interpretations? Apparently not.
The W brothers describe their work as designed to make audiences think - these boys are political and provoking and so you can expect like minded viewers to use this work of fiction as a metaphor for everything from the war on terror to global warming.
Interestingly and probably the least known bit of info about this film is that Alan Moore, writer of the original story has not only distanced himself from it but has accused producer Joel Silver of lying about Moore's involvement with the project. (From Wikipedia)
...Producer Joel Silver misquoted Moore at a press conference for the upcoming V for Vendetta film, produced by Warner Brothers (which also owns DC Comics). Silver stated that producer Larry Wachowski had talked with Moore, and that "he [Moore] was very excited about what Larry had to say."[4] Moore, who claims that he told Wachowski "I didn't want anything to do with films... I wasn't interested in Hollywood," demanded that DC and Warner Brothers issue a retraction and apology for Silver's "blatant lies." No retraction or apology appeared, and in response Moore announced his departure from Wildstorm/DC/Warner Bros. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Dark Dossier, a hardcover graphic novel, will be his last work for the publisher. Future installments of LoEG will be published by Top Shelf Productions and Knockabout Comics. Moore has also stated that he wishes his name to be "Alan Smitheed" from comic work that he does not own.
Interesting that Moore considers himself railroaded by Hollywood. Welcome to the club, Alan.
Arm yourself, conservatives, this will film could be the Farenheit 911 of 2006 and we'll be hearing fiction based rhetoric for the foreseeable future. Here are some great blogs to help prepare you for the illogical arguments you'll be facing:
Review from one who has already seen it
