The film “V for Vendetta” is a dystopia that talks about the near future, when a totalitarian government comes to power in the UK, restricting the rights and freedoms of citizens. The symbols of protest of anarchist resistance are the explosions of two culturally significant buildings in London – the central criminal court, the Old Bailey and the London Parliament. Both scenes are important for understanding the connection of the film concept with the dismantling of manifestations of material culture.
Material culture implies artificially created objects that allow people to adapt to the conditions of social life. Objects of material culture serve as objects of satisfaction of human needs. Architectural structures are direct objects of material culture, since they are created by human hands and serve to satisfy basic needs. Over time, objects of material culture can be endowed with historical and symbolic meaning, realized by a specific nation or a certain group of people.
Key scenes of the protest movement in the film are associated with objects of British material culture. At the beginning of the film, protest leader V invites the protagonist to watch the Old Bailey blow up (V for Vendetta, 00:09:00-00:11:00). The building, both in the film and in reality, is adorned with a statue of Lady Justice, which V undermines. The building is a criminal court, respectively, a stronghold of totalitarian power in the film. Its undermining marks the beginning of a large-scale protest against the violation of the principles of justice, the restriction of the rights and freedoms of citizens. The building is an object of material culture, being a symbol of the obligation of the state to act as a guarantee of observance of civil rights. Since, according to the plot of the film, people are protesting against a totalitarian government that does not comply with this guarantor, the building is undermined by the rebels.
The second scene related to the bombing of the real London building takes place almost at the very end of the film. The protest against the totalitarian regime symbolically ends with the bombing of the London Parliament building (V for Vendetta, 02:00:00-02:03:00). The Parliament building has the strongest symbolic meaning as an object of material culture. Parliament symbolizes the government, which, according to the plot of the film, was authoritarian and acted against the interests of its citizens. Such objects of cultural heritage are endowed with symbolic meaning by the citizens themselves, with the course of the historical process, cultural meanings can change and acquire new meanings. With the explosion of the symbol of the old power, a metaphorical point is put, which means the end of totalitarian rule.
The protest methods chosen by the character cannot be socially approved, as they pose a direct threat to public safety. However, V chooses an effective way to convey his message to a wide range of people. By blowing up two culturally significant buildings, V manages to win over a huge audience, which overthrow the government; the cultural aspect in this impact is crucial. The explosion of the statue of Lady Justice on the criminal court building makes people think about the very concept of justice and expresses open disagreement with current government policy. The final point of the protest – the blowing up of the Parliament building – causes in the minds of people the understanding of the break with the old regime, which encourages them to continue protesting. The use of cultural symbolism helps the protest movement win. With the destruction of old meanings, cultural objects, rebuilt and restored, will be assigned a new important symbolic meaning.
In conclusion, two key scenes of the film that are mirrored in their content are a demonstration of the symbolism of objects of material culture. Attributing special value to objects of cultural significance and endowing them with a special symbolic meaning is characteristic of any culture. By demonstrating his intentions in this way, the main character appeals to the mass consciousness of the people and therefore receives such a significant response.
Work Cited
V for Vendetta. Directed by McTeigue, James, Warner Bros. Pictures, 2006.