Posted on 03/08/2006 7:18:00 AM PST by goldstategop
[Note: You may perceive some of this column as a "spoiler".]
If you liked the politics of last weekend's Oscar nominees, you'll love "V for Vendetta."
It's an exciting, quality Bin Laden film.
But if you're like the rest of mainstream America--you support our troops, believe in firmly responding to terrorists on our own shores, and/or respect Christianity--then, don't waste your time at this piece of garbage masquerading as a superhero movie. It is anything but.
If most other Hollywood films subtly whisper of an agenda, "V" clocks you over the head with it with a still sizzling, iron frying pan of extreme leftism. It doesn't arrive in theaters until March 17, but already the mainstream (ie. liberal) movie critics and entertainment media are raving about this egregious attack on our war on terror.
"V for Vendetta"
Natalie Portman, Guy Fawkes Mask-wearing "V" Are Terrorist Heroes Based on the graphic novel series of the same name, "V" comes complete with all the bogeymen the far left loves to hate: NSA spying and wiretaps; government renditions and torture complete with Abu Ghraib hood fashions; lecherous, elderly Christian clerics in collars raping young girls; Islam, gay rights, and free speech under attack; and even a Bill O'Reilly-esque evil cable talk show host/wicked pharmaceutical billionaire/heinous military officer combo rolled into one character.
Oh, and by the way, the hero of the movie: He's a terrorist in a Guy Fawkes mask, who blows up important government buildings. Sound familiar? His mask might as well be a kefiyeh wrapped around his head in a Nick Berg video.
The movie takes place in futuristic England, and there is only one American star (Natalie Portman). But it's quite clear to whom the "commentary" is directed: Joe and Jane American. When this movie takes place, "the United States of America" doesn't exist anymore. America is in the midst of a civil war.
And America and the war on Iraq are the enemies--along with Christians and the right--in this movie. We are treated to newscasts about how "America's War [on terror] spread to England." One character--a gay, British Jay Leno type who hosts a latenight show--keeps a secret vault of prohibited items, including a giant poster of "the Coalition of the Willing," depicting the American and British flags surrounding a swastika. Think about our troops fighting and dying in Iraq, before you decide to give your dollars to this film. Do you really think they are Nazis?
Also in the secret vault of sacred prohibited items: a Koran. Portman, whose Evie is the "heroine" of "V," asks, why the Koran? "Are you a Muslim?" she asks the late-night host. "No, but its [the Koran's] images are beautiful." Then he comments about how he can be executed for possessing the Koran. (Not a peep in this film about the thousands who've been executed in the name of the Koran and "its beautiful images.")
Puh-leeze. If anything, both Britain and the U.S. have bent over backwards not only for the Koran, but for its extremist Muslim followers. Where Christian displays are absolutely forbidden in any schools, despite so-called "freedom of speech"; where Ten Commandments are removed from the Alabama Supreme Court, despite their being the basis for our legal system; children are required to learn about Islam, read from the Koran, and behave as Muslims in elementary schools, in the name of "tolerance" and "education."
In "V", while Islam and the Koran are treasured but prohibited, Christianity is pure evil. Nice juxtaposition, when in real life, the 19 hijackers, the '93 WTC, U.S. Embassy, U.S.S. Cole, and British subway bombers were hardly Christians. Hmmm . . . what religion were they? We don't recall Mohammed Taheri-Azar, saying on Friday in his post attempted-murder 911 call, that he tried to use his jeep to kill Americans in the name of Jesus. No, he mentioned someone else's name, another religion . . . which are both nowhere blasphemed in "V."
We've already mentioned the high-ranking Christian priest, who regularly rapes young girls procured for him through an "agency." Before the priesthood, he was an evil military officer at a hospital where politically dissident youth had experiments conducted on them for the government (complete with Abu Ghraib-style hoods).
Then, there's the government. It's run by a religious Christian zealot. But not just any Christian zealot.
No. Chancellor Sutler is the supreme evil Christian. In order to get elected, he and the Bill O'Reilly-esque character (remember, before he became a cable host, he was a pharmaceutical CEO and made billions) arranged for hundreds of Brits to die from chemically poisoned water. The government said that terrorists did it, a story which became accepted fact and the conventional wisdom in media coverage. The fear that ensued garnered Sutler the chance to rule England, along with the Marshal law powers the English parliament gave him.
It's no coincidence that the symbol used for his government is some sort of Cross-come-Swastika combo. Not offended yet?
Under religious Christian zealot Sutler, gays are rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and executed. Ditto for any dissidents, any left-wing activists, anyone who dares speak out against or flout the Chancellor's actions. Tell that to the ACLU, which seems to be running legal policy in our country, these days, and its partner in crime, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the wealthiest "public interest" group in the U.S., to the tune of hundreds of millions. We don't see any prospect of them being rounded up by the government anytime soon, unfortunately.
Under the religious Christian Chancellor, "unjust" Gitmo-style military tribunals and absurd NSA-style wiretapping is going on at every corner. Throughout the movie, we are shown vans of law enforcement personnel listening in to every home. As if that's what NSA wiretapping was about. It isn't, but "V" drills it into you the way the ACLU wants you to see it: every conversation in every kitchen, etc., secretly being listened in on and laughed at by guys in sweaty, rumpled shirts and ties.
The evil government law enforcement chief, Creedy, runs a meticulously ubiquitous surveillance program nationwide. If only our FBI's Robert Mueller were so competent, we'd be safe. Instead, he's cavorting with extremist Muslims and testified in depositions to ignorance of the most basic newspaper facts about Al-Qaeda.
Overall, the most outrageous thing about "V" is the ending. Instead of vanquishing terror, all of Britain sides with the terrorist hero of this movie. They celebrate his murder of all the top officials in government, his blowing up of the Houses of Parliament and other government buildings.
Terrorists and terrorism are the heroes, the government fighting them and trying to keep us safe are the enemy.
This is the glorious revolution? Osama Bin Laden must be very proud.
FYI that's an unconfirmed quote. It's not been found in any of his writings.
"If the movie adaptation is half as good, it is certainly worth watching, politics aside."
Usually I'm able to leave politics out of my entertainment. I can watch or listen to leftists and forget their politics. But, given the description of this piece of junk, there is no way I'm giving anyone associated any of my money. Not even for a rental. I hope they swim in red ink on this one.
...martial law,....
&&
I noticed that, too.
This one also jumped out:
...Cross-come-Swastika combo
Debbie, I think you mean "cross-cum-swastika combo".
I love this writer, but I think she may have been in too much of hurry to get this piece on line.
Word.
Greatest ... comic ... ever.
Debbie Schlussel didn't like it? Awesome. I'm there.
I'm a little disturbed by all of the references to America (which don't appear anywhere in the book), but if this movie stays true to the original story, it will be intelligent and thought-provoking, qualities sadly lacking in movies these days.
If it's a good movie, I can tolerate blatant propaganda
In my experience, this author is equally sloppy with fact-checking, so I wouldn't put much stock in the description.
Mine too. Did you notice how in "Braveheart" one battle scene echoed "Nevsky" and Prokofiev? There are other echoes throughout screendom...
It's not naive, it's understanding that you own your brain. If I decide to ignore a leftist "message" in a movie book or song then for me it ceases to exist. I watch movies to be entertained not to be preached to, it's really not that hard to ignore any preaching and just watch the entertainment. V for Vendetta is a great graphic novel, yes it has a very leftist "message" if you let it, but if you ignore that and just deal with the direct plot it's still great. If they did a good job on the movie it'll be the same thing. I'm seeing the movie on opening night and don't care what the "message" is or who else does or doesn't see iether the movie or the "message".
I've seen it attributed to a speech made on January 7, 1790, as reported in the Boston Independent Chronicle on January 14, 1790.
I assume that can be easily confirmed or denied by someone with access to the right library.
"'V' for Vendetta"?
How 'bout "'F' for F*** no"?
A Christian husband and wife team of screenwriters were offered the opportunity to update "The Day the Earth Stood Still" screenplay for a new version of the classic film.
They really wanted to do it, but realized that the entire film leads up to the "you violent Earth people are violent" speech at the end, which could easily be tweaked to support whatever pet message the producers were pushing with the change of a few lines, from "you polluting Earth people pollute" to "you religious Earth people hate same-sex marriage". They passed.
"Post 9/11, if you love freedom and decency, you have no interest in either the silly game of low scoring (soccer) and the bizarre has-been-pop-star-come-plastic-surgery-victim (Michael Jackson)."
Most rational people tuned her out after that little piece of brilliance.
Guncite talks about trying to find it:
http://www.guncite.com/gc2ndbog.html
So who gets to decide whether a work is acceptable or not? As you've said, everything we take in affects brain patterns. What is to be denied for our own good? What is garbage? That, my friend, is the road to censorship. That's fine if that's the way you want to go, but be aware it's precisely the world depicted in V.
Plus Nevsky has one of the best soundtracks ever.
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