V For Vendetta Film Analysis

Non-fiction is something we consume everyday: in the news, in history books, on the television, or in everyday conversation. What makes the choice of nonfiction for a performance interesting is how the performance subjects are often already known by the audience. How can a performer on a stage hope to compete against a new story, a photograph, or a video clip? This need, an abundance of available information and documentation to scrutiny a performance against, make construction of the performance piece particularly pertinent for Non-fiction. History is set in stone. So do performers have any freedom to choose what their piece is about? Or are they just constrained to accurately document the past?

Yes, and no. It all comes back to the performer’s …show more content…
In its most essential essence, V for Vendetta is a tale of suspense, designed as a gripping political thriller. Also, due to the popularity of the film adaptation, it is very much a known quantity. This a challenge, for how can a group of performers preserve the sense of surprise and drama for an audience who already knows every twist-and-turn the plot will meander through. Johnny and Amy’s group, however, has the answer. Their adaptation rushes forward at a brisk pace: a little girl recites a nursey rhyme recalling the Gunpowder Plot, a now adult character of Evey prepares at work, then must rush home past curfew, running into a security guard she must elude. This all builds, never-pausing-to-breathe, towards that iconic ill-fated first encounter between Evey and the titular V. Each scene up to this point is selected to be tense and unnerving. The audience is left in suspense through the eerie rhymes and constant movement between quick segments of scenes. The quick pacing and constant changes never give the audience a chance to settle into the calmness of a regular …show more content…
This is a moment that shouldn’t normally work. Most of the audience has seen the screen adaptation of V for Vendetta. They are familiar with the plot of the film and should, most definitely, expect to see the character of V. The big reveal shouldn’t work. It is obvious, but only in hindsight. In the middle of Johnny, Amy, and Sam’s performance, Evey stumbles to the ground while the audience is worried about her being caught by a policeman as Sam paces around the house. When Johnny emerges as V - leaping out, the curtain he previously hid behind swirling, a sinister mask hiding his face as he paces across the stage – there are audible gasps from the crowd. This wasn’t stale or derivative of the movie. It’s a genuine shock. This gives momentum to V’s performance, as he recites his vicious lines he feels unexpected, mysterious, and most of all dangerous. His performance is captivating to