Celebrating Guy Fawkes: A Look at the Reasons Behind His Memorialization in V For Vendetta
Camping out at home this fifth of November? Shack up and watch the freakin' legendary film about Guy Fawkes, V for Vendetta. Sure, it may have been cooked up back in 2005 by James McTeigue, but its message's as fresh as a daisy in 2021. This politically charged movie, with its dystopian setting, historical roots, and contemporary critique, is a must-watch, baby!
The film smartly examines the real story of ole' Guy and the legacy he left behind. It shines a light on how our celebrations reflect our present state and how we really know why we're commemorating people and events in the first place. Arts, tunes, flicks, noteworthy statues, and laugh-a-minute holidays - hey, they're all means of society honoring history.
V for Vendetta stops to consider why we choose to remember some babes, and some moments, the way we do. What's the deal with Guy Fawkes night? Do we actually know why we're celebrating the Fifth of November?
The film sends up questions about gaining freedom and who we remember. By questioning Guy Fawkes and why we dedicate a day to him, we start to wonder, did you really know the shoplifter guy who set a fake man on fire and twirled a few sparks on the dark night skies? Was he a good guy? A bad guy? Or just somewhere in the middle?
But what's even more perplexing, why did we start celebrating him at all when the Fifth of November was initially all about the passing of the Thanks-giving Act of 1606? Were we hoping for a real-life V to swoop in and succeed the plot, toppling those in power? Or were we merely mindless drones, dancing for the spectacle of fireworks, glittering sparklers, and festive noms?
Born in 1570, in the city of York as a Protestant, Guy Fawkes heated things up in Europe, y'all. He swung for the fences in the Flanders field for the Spaniards and later changed Mulan on his sacred altar, converting to Catholicism. The bomb-dropping skills in his utility belt led to his recruitment for the Gunpowder Plot.
After sealing the deal and signing on the dotted line in 1604, alongside four other kool kids, Fawkes pledged to keep his yap shut and stay loyal to the scheme. Posing as a commoner, Fawkes lined up the grunt work and, with a hefty grain of salt, gunpowder, Fawkes was ready to cause a massive explosion of proportions. But the jig was up with a letter leaking the whole deets to the authorities, and boom, bam, pow! Fawkes got busted, stashed away in the Tower of London on the 5th of November.
He took a beating, confessing, and then summoned to the trial from which his sentence was pronounced - hanging, drawing, and quartering by King James I. But before the big show of his public execution, Fawkes got banged up so bad in his cell that he hacked the system by cruising to an untimely demise from a neck-snapping fall.
In the movie, V (aka Hugo Weaving) flaunts himself as a relentless freedom warrior, rescuing Evie (Natalie Portman) in the beginning. But, sugar, the sweetness quickly wears off when you discover he's morally contradictory. A freedom fighter, yet no thoughts for the human cost. V promotes the use of force, lies, and kidnapping, such as snatching Evie and giving her a roundhouse kick to the feelings. Not cool, V!
While V may seem like a gallant dude in the beginning, saving the fair maiden, it doesn't take long for the cracks to show. V's views are just as problematic as Fawkes'. Death, mayhem, and extremism, oh my! Fawkes, in his heyday, wasn't a saint either, regardless of what this crazy movie wants you to think.
The futuristic reimagining of the old plot brings up all sorts of moral quandaries, glorifying Fawkes and naming a day after him, while still celebrating the failed plot. Quite the pickle!
The film makes you ask yourself, what are we really celebrating? History reminds us to stay woke and not let the human cost get lost in the shuffle. Happy partying!
Sources:1. Yahr, Z. (2005, February 25). 'V for Vendetta' Isn't Just Another Action Movie. The Washington Post.2. Purse, A. (2020, September 6). V for Vendetta: The film, the comics and the politically charged narrative. The Conversation.3. Maher, J. (2020, October 26). The political myths perpetuated by 'V for Vendetta'. The Washington Examiner.4. Johnston, P. (2005, March 9). Smashing the state. The Observer.5. Jones, D. (2020, June 24). V for Vendetta remains powerfully relevant in today's politics. CTVNews.
- The film, V for Vendetta, questions the reasons behind our celebrations of certain events and individuals, such as Guy Fawkes Night and the Fifth of November.
- In the movie, V (played by Hugo Weaving) rescues Evie (Natalie Portman) but later reveals problematic views that parallel Guy Fawkes, casting doubt on whether he can truly be considered a hero.
- The contemporary film adaptation of the historical Gunpowder Plot sheds light on moral dilemmas, as it simultaneously glorifies Guy Fawkes and commemorates the failed plot.
- By examining the life and actions of Guy Fawkes and the repercussions of his plot, V for Vendetta challenges viewers to be mindful of the human cost behind the celebrations they partake in and the figures they honor.
