Big Think
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Oct 23
How "V for Vendetta" became more than a movie | Tim Brinkhof
How "V for Vendetta" became more than a movie. In hindsight, it's not surprising that a film about the power of political symbols became a powerful political symbol in its own right. By Tim BrinkhofFew movies leave a legacy as large as V for Vendetta. Although it was met with mixed reviews and modest commercial success upon its release, the film has never truly left the zeitgeist.
"If we had put some of the stuff that's happening today into the film back when we were making it, the studio would have told us we were being ridiculous. But V almost seems tame now." James McTeigue, Director of V for VendettaV's grinning, mustachioed Guy Fawkes mask has become a popular sight at demonstrations across the globe, from the U.S. and Venezuela to Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. But how did this happen, and what does it mean?
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Oct 23
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"Ideas are bulletproof." V, in V for Vendetta (2006)Guy Fawkes Day. Fawkes was executed for his involvement in the 1605 Gunpowder Plot: an unsuccessful attempt by Catholic conspirators to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate the Protestant King James. Over time, the day evolved into a night of bonfires and fireworks, and Fawkes was seen less as a villain than as a folk figure.
Since the hackers of Anonymous decided they would all wear the same kind of mask, they had to pick one that was readily available in stores, and instead of Batman's, they ended up settling for V's."There's value in abstracting away from what you're trying to comment on. With the film, we sprinkled enough in there that although the story is set in the U.K., you believe it could happen anywhere." James McTeigue, Director of V for Vendetta

Oct 23, 2026 · 6:02 PM UTC

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Oct 23
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Early in the film, V hijacks the state broadcast network to announce a visual spectacle of his own: the destruction of Parliament. In the end, the symbol of government (the building) makes room for the symbol of the people: the masks.
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Big Think
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Oct 23
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"V for Vendetta" returns to theaters for its 20th anniversary on November 1 and 5. Get tickets: fthment.com/3U2trqk

Made in partnership with @FathomEnt.
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