ID: V from V for Vendetta saying “people should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people”
Bonus image:
Full quote:
“Authority, when first detecting chaos at its heels, will entertain the vilest schemes to save its orderly facade but always order without justice, without love or liberty, which cannot long postpone their world’s descent to pandemonium.
Authority’s collapse sends cracks through bedroom, boardroom, church and school alike. All misrule. Equality and Freedom are not luxuries to lightly cast aside. Without them, order cannot long endure before approaching depths beyond imagining.”
I feel like I look like a 14 year old edgelord when I tell people how much I love that movie, but there are so many great nuggets in both the dialogue and story.
I would say a 14 year old edgelord couldn’t begin to appreciate this movie or the ideas in it (that isn’t to say any 14 year olds, just the edgelords).
Either way, you shouldn’t give a fuck, it’s a great and meaningful film (I’ve not read the graphic novel myself, but I only hear good things) that should be required viewing, not something to be embarrassed about liking.
The graphic novel has some differences, mostly related to the era it was written in. Do yourself a huge favor and go ahead and read it. Like Watchmen and The Killing Joke, it’s not just the writing, but also the panel layout, colors, and framing.
Until you’ve read “This Vicious Cabaret” in it’s original layout you haven’t really experienced V for Vendetta.
They say that there’s a broken light for every heart on Broadway
They say that life’s a game, then they take the board away
They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story
Then leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret…
I do love watching film media first, and then reading the book. When the film version is done well, the book is like DVD extras. When the film is done poorly, the book redeems the story
Enjoy your DVD extras
Not many people I know personally like watching before reading but I definitely prefer it in that order as well. If I read an amazing book before watching its film adaptation, the film will never live up to the book. The Martian was this way for me.
So i have trouble visualizing things, particularly people, and especially faces. When i watch a show or movie i can register a face to a name, and that in turn let’s me “see” them in my minds eye as I read.
The Expanse was just about perfect for that, i just had to mentally stretch Naomi to 2+meters tall, and things like that
I think I like reading first and then anything else. If the film is different or worse, it doesn’t actually detract from the book. I try to look at it as someone having a try at a tribute rather than replacing the book. Hitchhikers Guide was different, and many complained, but “hey it’s different” is a silly complaint when Hitchhikers Guide was different in literally every medium but film and book are always going to be the most seen. Foundation is different but nonetheless enjoyable. The emperor Cleon is never like that in the books but instead in the show, personifies the entire empire, ruthless, vain, powerful but performative, human and not. How else to portray a 10,000 year empire in a few dozen episodes of TV? I saw the Lord of the Rings films before the book but Christ I could not read those books without some higher level, more tangible image of what I am reading.
It’s definitely my intention to read it at some point.
If we were neighbors I’d let you borrow my (very well-worn) copy
I appreciate that, thanks! Though it’s less about getting a copy, and more about finding the time and brain space to actually read anything of any significant length. One day though…
Era is true, but not quite right.
Moore roughly described it as taking a graphic novel about British anarchism vs British fascism and turning it into a story about American neoliberalism vs neoconservativism and still setting it in Britain even though there wasn’t anything British about it anymore.
Too right. It was a gross oversimplification, thank you for building on it
What’s a DVD?
It’s like a record, but your dad doesn’t get as mad when you throw it at your brother
Well that’s always a good thing.
I’m in, lube me up.
Yeah, I don’t let it stop me, it’s just in the back of my mind sometimes. It seems like it might have that sort of aesthetic (IMO) to someone who hasn’t actually watched it and just looks superficially at a trailer or etc.
The graphic novel is on my must-read list, it’s just unfortunate that my must-read list is so long. 😁
Yeah, I see what you mean about how it might look to an observer. You still shouldn’t give a fuck though lol
And I very much relate to the other statement, only I’ve given up on making a list because my brain is just too frazzled to ever get to it… 😬
His V laden intro is fantastic and the film is great, not looking so edgy these days
Alan Moore is edgy as shit, but also he’s very correct about a lot.
Since mankind’s dawn, a handful of oppressors have accepted the responsibility over our lives that we should have accepted for ourselves. By doing so, they took our power. By doing nothing, we gave it away. We’ve seen where their way leads, through camps and wars, towards the slaughterhouse.
…There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn’t there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression…
So many great quotes…
If you haven’t already, I invite you all to read the graphic novel
Here’s the television studio scene as a taste:
Sorry I prefer a more syndicalist political lifestyle where we are the government. “The people should not be afraid of the people, the people should be afraid of the people.” breaks my brain.
as long as any government holds anything secret the people will always distrust and see them as other.
The government should just be us administering our collective power
Maybe fear shouldn’t be the driving force if we want to make progress as a society.
Maybe if we weren’t already controlled by fear your point would have some merit, but we are, and it is a complete impossibility to break free from oppression without fighting back.
Happy Bonfire Night everybody! 🔥🎆
Hope you’ve got your Guy Fawkes effigies ready to go, I like to stuff mine with newspaper :-D
You should maybe arm yourself then?