The little details
make the movie…
Who was The Count
of Monte Christo?
• “It's necessary to have wished for death in order to
know how good it is to live.”
Edmond Dantès…
• The novel was written in 1844 by Alexandre Dumas
• Edmond Dantès was sent to prison for a crime he didn't
commit.
• Dantes escapes from prison and with his new wealth he
creates the identity of The Count of Monte Cristo.
• He is completely driven by revenge
• Dantès plans and takes revenge on those who falsely
imprisoned him (16 years after his initial imprisonment)
If you are interested… it has been made into a
film… barely like the book… but still awesome!
Why do you think V likes the
Count of Monte Cristo?
• What are the similarities between V and Edmond
Dantès? Why do you think V likes the film so much?
Use your knowledge of The Count of Monte Christo and
your understanding of V in V for Vendetta.
“How did I escape? With difficulty. How
did I plan this moment? With pleasure.
” Dantes
The comic books came first… 1980s to the early 1990s.
Names and dates
• The film was released in 2006
• Directed by James McTeigue
• Based on the comic by David Lloyd and Alan Moore
• Lloyd is quoted as saying:
"The Guy Fawkes mask has now become a common
brand and a convenient placard to use in protest against
tyranny – and I'm happy with people using it, it seems
quite unique, an icon of popular culture being used this
way…V for Vendetta is a story about one person against
the system.”
• The film has been seen by many political groups as an
allegory of oppression by government; libertarians and
anarchists have used it to promote their beliefs.
Use of the mask
1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky
• Written to describe and commemorate the Russian
victory over Napoleon
• Cannon explosions in the song – V replaces them with
bomb explosions
Motifs
• A motif is a repeated pattern in a film; a dominant or
recurring idea in an artistic work
TASK:
• Come up with a list of repeated patterns in the film
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Masks
Mirrors
Roses
Long corridors and tunnels
Norsefire slogans, logos, flags,
The letter ‘V’
The Count of Monte Christo
Allusions
An allusion is where you see something and it calls to mind
something else without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect
reference.
• The count of Monte Christo
• Direct comparisons drawn between Edmond Dantes and V.
Both have traumatic imprisonment, escape and plot
revenge, coming back with a new persona
• Prothero (Voice of London) is based on ranting, right
wing media figures in America
• George W. Bush
• George W. Bush is alluded to in Rookwood’s description of
Chancellor Sutler as “a deeply religious man… single
minded… and no regard for the political processes”
• Adam Sulter (his name evokes Adolf Hitler)
• His face appears on large screens, portraits in peoples
homes – reminiscent of George Orwell’s concept of Big
Brother in the book 1984 AND dictatorship countries eg.
North Korea
• Slogan ‘Strength through Unity. Unity through Faith’ is
similar to Orwell’s ‘War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery”
• Nazi regime
• Valerie was sent to Larkhill for being a lesbian.
• Nazi Germany did the same to gays during the Holocaust.
Images of Larkhill of mass graves like those of
Concentration camps.
• Norsefire colours, chants and behaviour
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Red and black colouring of flags like the Swastika
“England Prevails!” shouted like “Hiel Hitler!”
Rallies similar to the Third Reich
Shipping off ‘undesirables’ – ethnic and social minorities to
detention camps
“Life is a storm. One minute you will bathe under the sun
and the next you will be shattered upon the rocks. That's
when you shout, "Do your worst, for I will do mine!" and
you will be remembered forever.”
– Edmond Dantes