Produced bySilver Pictures,Virtual Studios andAnarchos Productions, Inc.,V for Vendetta was originally scheduled for release byWarner Bros. Pictures on 4 November 2005 (a day before the 400thGuy Fawkes Night), but was delayed; it instead opened in the United States on 17 March 2006, to mostly positive reviews from critics and became a box office success, grossing $134.7 million against a production budget between $50–54 million. Alan Moore, dissatisfied with the film adaptations of his other works,From Hell (2001) andThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), declined to watch the film and asked to not be credited or paid royalties.
Some political groups have seenV for Vendetta as an allegory of oppression by government; anarchists have used it to promote their beliefs. The film is credited for popularizing the use of theGuy Fawkes mask byanti-establishment political groups and activities.
In the near future, Britain is ruled by theNorsefire political party, a fascist and totalitarian regime led by High Chancellor Adam Sutler. The government controls the populace throughpropaganda and fear, imprisoning or executing those deemed undesirable, including immigrants, homosexuals, and people of alternative religions.
Evey Hammond works for BTN, the state-run television network. Fourteen years earlier, her brother was killed in a terrorist attack, prompting her parents to become anti-Norsefire activists; they were later arrested and died in prison. One evening, aGuy Fawkes-masked vigilante known as "V" rescues Evey from assault by the secret police and takes her to witness his bombing of theOld Bailey.
The following morning, on 5 November, V hijacks BTN to announce his role in the attack and urges the populace to rise against Norsefire by joining him outside theHouses of Parliament onGuy Fawkes Night in one year's time. Evey is knocked unconscious while helping V escape, and he takes her with him to prevent her arrest. V subsequently kills three key figures involved in Norsefire's rise to power, beginning with chief propagandist Lewis Prothero and the corruptBishop of London Anthony Lilliman, but Evey flees after witnessing the murder. V next painlessly kills remorseful researcher Dr. Delia Surridge.
Assigned to capture V, Chief Inspector Eric Finch uses Surridge's journal and information from former covert operative William Rookwood (V in disguise) to learn that two decades earlier, Norsefire conducted biological weapons experiments on political prisoners at the Larkhill Detention Facility, led by Surridge, to create a virus. Most subjects died, but the prisoner in cell "V" developed enhanced physical attributes and amnesia. He later escaped and destroyed the facility. Head of secret police Peter Creedy then released the virus in staged terrorist attacks against Britain, using the ensuing panic to install Norsefire in power and enrich party officials, including Sutler, Prothero, and Lilliman, by selling the cure.
Meanwhile, Evey takes refuge with her boss, talk show host Gordon Dietrich, who shows her his collection of illegal materials such as art, an antiqueQuran, and homoerotic photographs. Inspired by V and Evey's courage, Dietrich satirizes Sutler on his program, leading to his arrest and execution. Evey is also captured and tortured, finding solace in a hidden note from Valerie Page, a fellow prisoner who refused to betray her beliefs before dying. When Evey refuses to submit, she is released and discovers she was held by V, who subjected her to the ordeal to free her from fear. Though initially furious, Evey realizes that he has been avenging Valerie and the other Larkhill victims, and promises to see him again on 5 November. V later meets with Creedy, offering to surrender himself if Creedy delivers Sutler.
As Guy Fawkes Night approaches, V distributes thousands of Guy Fawkes masks across the nation, sparking widespread masked dissent and riots after the secret police kill a young masked girl. V meets Evey, and they share a dance before he shows her a train loaded with explosives in a abandoned tunnel beneath Parliament. Not intending to survive the night, V bequeaths the decision to start the train to Evey. She pleads with him to abandon his crusade and leave with her, but he refuses. Creedy meets with V and executes Sutler before demanding V unmask. Although mortally wounded in the ensuing fight with Creedy and his men, V kills them all, stating that his identity is unimportant compared to the idea he represents. He returns to Evey and dies in her arms after confessing his love for her. Finch arrives and, disillusioned with Norsefire, allows Evey to send V's body aboard the train.
With Sutler and Creedy dead, the military forces in London stand down as countless citizens dressed as V gather to witness Parliament's destruction. Finch asks who V was, and Evey replies, "He was all of us."
Hugo Weaving asV, a masked, charismatic and skilled anarchist terrorist who had been the unwilling subject of experimentation byNorsefire.James Purefoy originally portrayed the character, but left six weeks into filming. He remained uncredited, with Weaving replacing him on set and redubbing Purefoy's scenes.[6]
Natalie Portman asEvey Hammond, an employee of the state-run British Television Network who is rescued by V from a gang of London'ssecret police and subsequently becomes involved in his life.
Stephen Rea asChief Inspector Eric Finch ofNew Scotland Yard and Minister of Investigations (the "Nose"), the lead investigator in the V investigation, who uncovers an unspeakable government crime. When asked whether the politics attracted him to the film, Rea replied "Well, I don't think it would be very interesting if it was just comic book stuff. The politics of it are what gives it its dimension and momentum, and of course I was interested in the politics. Why wouldn't I be?"[7]
Stephen Fry as Gordon Deitrich, a closeted gaytalk show host. When asked in an interview what he liked about the role, Fry replied "Being beaten up! I hadn't been beaten up in a movie before and I was very excited by the idea of being clubbed to death."[8]
John Hurt as Adam Sutler, the formerConservativeMember of Parliament andUnder-Secretary for Defence. High Chancellor Sutler is the founder of Norsefire and is Britain's authoritarian elected leader. Hurt also portrays two "Fake Sutler" actors lampooning him in an episode of Gordon Deitrich's talk show.[9][10]
Tim Pigott-Smith as Peter Creedy, Norsefire's Party leader and the head of Britain's secret police (the "Finger").[11]
Roger Allam as Lewis Prothero, the "Voice of London", a television propagandist for Norsefire and formerly the commander of Larkhill Detention Centre.
Ben Miles as Roger Dascombe, the head of the government's propaganda division (the "Mouth") and chief executive of the British Television Network.
Sinéad Cusack as Dr. Delia Surridge, the former chief medical officer at Larkhill Detention Centre (real name Dana Stanton), now aMedical examiner.
Natasha Wightman as Valerie Page, alesbian actress who was imprisoned and died in the cell next to V's at Larkhill. Her life story inspires Evey the way it did V.
V for Vendetta sets theGunpowder Plot as V's historical inspiration, contributing to his choice of timing, language, and appearance.[11] For example, the namesRookwood,Percy andKeyes are used in the film, which are also the names of three of the Gunpowder conspirators. The film creates parallels toAlexandre Dumas'sThe Count of Monte Cristo, by drawing direct comparisons between V andEdmond Dantès. (In both stories, the hero escapes an unjust and traumatic imprisonment and spends decades preparing to take vengeance on his oppressors under a newpersona.)[12][13][14] The film is also explicit in portraying V as the embodiment of an idea rather than an individual through V's dialogue and by depicting him without a past, identity or face. According to the official website, "V's use of the Guy Fawkes mask and persona functions as both practical and symbolic elements of the story. He wears the mask to hide his physical scars, and in obscuring his identity – he becomes the idea itself."[11]
As noted by several critics and commentators, the film's story and style mirror elements fromGaston Leroux'sThe Phantom of the Opera.[15][16] V and the Phantom both wear masks to hide their disfigurements, control others through the leverage of their imaginations, have tragic pasts, and are motivated by revenge. V and Evey's relationship also parallels many of the romantic elements ofThe Phantom of the Opera, where the masked Phantom takesChristine Daaé to his subterranean lair to re-educate her.[15][16][17]
We felt the novel was very prescient to how the political climate is at the moment. It really showed what can happen when society is ruled by government, rather than the government being run as a voice of the people. I don't think it's such a big leap to say that things like that can happen when leaders stop listening to the people.
As a film about the struggle between freedom and the state,V for Vendetta takes imagery from many classic totalitarian icons both real and fictional, including theThird Reich andGeorge Orwell'sNineteen Eighty-Four.[11][9] For example, Adam Sutler[9] primarily appears on large video screens and on portraits in people's homes, both common features among modern totalitarian regimes and reminiscent of the image ofBig Brother. There is also the state's use ofmass surveillance, such asclosed-circuit television, on its citizens – reminiscent of the comprehensive mass surveillance systems currently deployed in many nations, such as China or the United States. The name Adam Sutler is intentionally similar toAdolf Hitler. Both are given to hysterical speech; Sutler is also aracial purist, althoughJews have been replaced byAsians andMuslims as the focus of Norsefire ethnoreligious propaganda and persecution. Valerie was sent to a detention facility for herlesbianism and then had medical experiments performed on her,[18] reminiscent of thepersecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany andthe Holocaust.[16]
The filmmakers added topical references relevant to a 2006 audience. According to theLos Angeles Times, "With a wealth of new, real life parallels to draw from in the areas of government surveillance, torture,fear mongering andmedia manipulation, not to mentioncorporate corruption and religious hypocrisy, you can't really blame the filmmakers for having a field day referencing current events." There are also references to anavian flu pandemic,[19] as well as pervasive use ofbiometric identification andsignal intelligence gathering and analysis by the regime.
Despite the America-specific references, the filmmakers have always referred to the film as adding dialogue to a set of issues much broader than the US administration.[9] When James McTeigue was asked whether or not BTN was based onFox News Channel, McTeigue replied, "Yes. But not just Fox. Everyone is complicit in this kind of stuff. It could just as well been the Britain'sSky News Channel, also a part ofNews Corp."[9]
The film was made by many of the same filmmakers involved inThe Matrix series. In 1988, producer Joel Silver acquired the rights to two ofAlan Moore's works:V for Vendetta andWatchmen.[24] After the release and relative success ofRoad House, writerHilary Henkin was brought on to flesh out the project with an initial draft – one that bears little, if any, relation to the finished product, with the inclusion of overtly satirical and surrealistic elements not present in the graphic novel, as well as the removal of much of the novel's ambiguity, especially in regard to V's identity.[25] The Wachowskis were fans ofV for Vendetta and in the mid-1990s, before working onThe Matrix, wrote a draft screenplay that closely followed the graphic novel. During the post-production of the second and thirdThe Matrix films, they revisited the screenplay and offered the director's role toJames McTeigue, an assistant director forThe Matrix trilogy. All three were intrigued by the original story's themes and found them to be relevant to the contemporary political landscape. Upon revisiting the screenplay, the Wachowskis set about making revisions to condense and modernise the story, while at the same time attempting to preserve its integrity and themes. James McTeigue cites the filmThe Battle of Algiers as his principal influence in preparing to filmV for Vendetta.[11]
Moore explicitly disassociated himself from the film due to his lack of involvement in its writing or directing, as well as due to a continuing series of disputes over film adaptations of his work.[26] He ended cooperation with his publisher,DC Comics, after its corporate parent,Warner Bros., failed to retract statements about Moore's supposed endorsement of the film. Moore said that the script contained plot holes[27] and that it ran contrary to the theme of his original work, which was to place two political extremes (fascism andanarchism) against one another. He argues his work had been recast as a story about "currentAmerican neoconservatism vs. currentAmerican liberalism".[28] Per his wishes, Moore's name does not appear in the film's closing credits. Co-creator and illustratorDavid Lloyd supports the film adaptation, commenting that the script is very good but that Moore would only ever be truly happy with a complete book-to-screen adaptation.[24] In 2021, Lloyd revealed that Moore had wanted to makeV for Vendetta into a movie around the time the comic book was originally being conceived.[29]
James Purefoy was originally cast as V, but dropped out after six weeks into filming. Although at the time it was reported this was because of difficulties wearing the mask for the entire film,[6] he later stated that it was really due to creative differences on how V should be portrayed.[30] He was replaced byHugo Weaving, who had previously worked with Joel Silver and the Wachowskis onThe Matrix series.
Director James McTeigue first metNatalie Portman during the filming ofStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, on which he worked as assistant director. In preparation for the role, Portman worked with dialect coach Barbara Berkery to speak in an English accent, studied films such asThe Weather Underground, and read the autobiography ofMenachem Begin.[11] She received top billing for the film. Her role in the film has parallels to her role inLéon: The Professional.[26] According to Portman: "the relationship between V and Evey has a complication [like] the relationship in that film. There's moments when it's father/daughter. There's moments when it's like lovers, it has moments when it's mentor/student. And many times [those are] all at once."[31]
V for Vendetta was filmed inLondon, England, and inPotsdam, Germany, atBabelsberg Studios. Much of the film was shot onsound stages and indoor sets, with location work done inBerlin for three scenes: the Norsefire rally flashback, Larkhill, and Bishop Lilliman's bedroom. The scenes that took place in the abandonedLondon Underground were filmed at the disusedAldwych tube station. Filming began in early March 2004 and lasted through early June 2004.[24]V for Vendetta is the final film shot bycinematographerAdrian Biddle, who died of a heart attack on 7 December 2005, 9 months after the movie's world debut.[32]
To film the final scene atWestminster, the area fromTrafalgar Square andWhitehall up to Parliament andBig Ben had to be closed for three nights from midnight until 5 am. This was the first time the security-sensitive area (home to10 Downing Street and theMinistry of Defence) had ever been closed to accommodate filming.[33] Then-Prime MinisterTony Blair's son, Euan, worked on the film's production and is said (according to an interview with Stephen Fry) to have helped the filmmakers obtain the unparalleled filming access. This drew criticism of Blair fromMPDavid Davis due to the film's content. However, the filmmakers denied Euan Blair's involvement in the deal,[34] stating that access was acquired through nine months of negotiations with 14 different government departments and agencies.[33]
The film was designed to have aretrofuturistic look, with heavy use of grey tones to give a dreary, stagnant feel to totalitarian London. The largest set created for the film was the Shadow Gallery, which was made to feel like a cross between a crypt and anundercroft.[35]
One of the major challenges in the film was how to bring V to life from under an expressionless mask. Thus, considerable effort was made to bring together lighting, acting, and Weaving's voice to create the proper mood for the situation. Since the mask muffled Weaving's voice, his entire dialogue was re-recorded in post-production.[33]
Three songs were played during the ending credits which were not included on theV for Vendetta soundtrack.[37] The first was "Street Fighting Man" by theRolling Stones. The second was a special version ofEthan Stoller's "BKAB". In keeping with revolutionary tone of the film, excerpts from "On Black Power" (also in "A Declaration of Independence") by Muslim minister andhuman rights activist leaderMalcolm X, and from "Address to the Women of America" by feminist writerGloria Steinem were added to the song. Gloria Steinem can be heard saying: "This is no simple reform ... It really is a revolution. Sex and race, because they are easy and visible differences, have been the primary ways of organising human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labour on which this system still depends." The final song was "Out of Sight" bySpiritualized.
Also in the film were segments from two ofAntonio Carlos Jobim's classicbossa nova songs, "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars". These songs were played during the "breakfast scenes" with V and Deitrich and were one of the ways used to tie the two characters together.Beethoven'sSymphony No.5 also plays an important role in the film, with the first four notes of the first movement signifying the letter "V" inMorse code.[38][39] Gordon Deitrich'sBenny Hill-styled comedy sketch of Chancellor Sutler includes the "Yakety Sax" theme. Inspector Finch's alarm clock begins the morning of 4 November with the song "Long Black Train" byRichard Hawley, which contains theforeshadowing lyrics "Ride the long black train ... take me home black train."
The film's story was adapted from Alan Moore andDavid Lloyd's graphic novelV for Vendetta; this was originally published between 1982 and 1985 in the British comic anthologyWarrior, and then reprinted and completed by DC. Moore's comics were later compiled into a graphic novel and published again in the United States under DC'sVertigo imprint and in the United Kingdom underTitan Books.[40]
There are several fundamental differences between the film and the original source material. Alan Moore's original story was created as a response toThatcherism and was set as a conflict between a fascist state and anarchism, while the Wachowskis changed the film's story ostensibly to fit a contemporaryUS political context. Alan Moore charged that in doing so, the story turned into an American-centric conflict betweenliberalism andneoconservatism, and abandoned the original anarchist–fascist themes. Moore states that "[t]here wasn't a mention of anarchy as far as I could see. The fascism had been completely defanged. I mean, I think that any references toracial purity had been excised, whereas actually, fascists are quite big on racial purity." Furthermore, in the original story, Moore attempted to maintain moral ambiguity, and not to portray the fascists as caricatures, but as realistic, rounded characters. The time constraints of the film meant that the story had to omit or streamline some of the elements of the original story.[11]
Many of the characters from the graphic novel underwent significant changes for the film. V is characterised in the film as a romantic freedom fighter who shows concern over the loss of innocent life.[41] However, in the graphic novel, he is portrayed as ruthless, willing to kill anyone who gets in his way. Evey Hammond's transformation as V'sprotégée is also much more drastic in the novel than in the film. Gordon, a very minor character in both versions, is also drastically changed. In the novel, Gordon is a small-time criminal who takes Evey into his home after V abandons her on the street. The two share a brief romance before Gordon is killed by a Scottish gang. In the film, however, Gordon is a well-mannered colleague of Evey's, and is later revealed to be gay. He is arrested by Fingermen for broadcasting a political parody on his TV program, and is later executed when aQuran is found in his possession.[26]
The film adopts extensive imagery from the 1605Gunpowder Plot, in which a group of Catholic conspirators plotted to destroy the Houses of Parliament in order to spark a revolution in Great Britain.[24] The film was originally scheduled for release on the weekend of 5 November 2005, the Plot's 400th anniversary, with the tag line "Remember, remember the 5th of November", taken from a traditional British rhyme memorialising the event. However, the marketing angle lost much of its value when the release date was pushed back to 17 March 2006. Many have speculated that the delay was caused by the London tube bombing on the7 July and the failed21 July bombing.[42] The filmmakers have denied this, saying that the delays were due to the need for more time to finish the visual effects production.[43]V for Vendetta had its first major premiere on 11 December 2005, atButt-Numb-A-Thon, followed by a premiere on 13 February 2006 at theBerlin Film Festival.[44][9] It opened for general release on 17 March 2006 in 3,365 cinemas in the United States, the United Kingdom and six other countries.[4]
The cast and filmmakers attended several press conferences that allowed them to address issues surrounding the film, including its authenticity, Alan Moore's reaction to it and its intended political message. The film was intended to be a departure from some of Moore's original themes. In the words of Hugo Weaving: "Alan Moore was writing about something which happened some time ago. It was a response to living inThatcherite Britain ... This is a response to the world in which we live today. So I think that the film and the graphic novel are two separate entities." Regarding the film's controversial political content, the filmmakers have said that the film is intended more to raise questions and add to a dialogue already present in society, rather than provide answers or tell viewers what to think.[9]
The original graphic novel by Moore and Lloyd was re-released as a hardback collection in October 2005 to tie into the film's original release date of 5 November 2005.[45] The film renewed interest in Alan Moore's original story, and sales of the original graphic novel rose dramatically in the United States.[46]
A novelisation of the film, written bySteve Moore (no relation to Alan Moore) and based on the Wachowskis' script, was published byPocket Star on 31 January 2006.[47] Spencer Lamm, who has worked with the Wachowskis, created a "behind-the-scenes" book. TitledV for Vendetta: From Script to Film, it was published by Universe on 22 August 2006.[48]
V for Vendetta was released on DVD in the US on 1 August 2006,[49] in three formats: a single-disc widescreen version, a single-disc fullscreen version, and a two-discwide-screen special edition.[50] The single disc versions contain a short (15:56) behind-the-scenesfeaturette titled "Freedom! Forever![51] Making V for Vendetta" and the film'stheatrical trailer, whereas the two-disc special edition contains three additional documentaries, and several extra features for collectors. On the second disc of the special edition, a shortEaster egg clip of Natalie Portman onSaturday Night Live can be viewed by selecting the picture of wings on the second page of the menu.
ItsBlu-ray edition was a top seller in the United States in late May 2008.[52] It was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray in October 2020.[53]
For the film's 20th anniversary, Warner Bros. is working withFathom Entertainment and Saga Arts to re-release the film in theaters on November 1 and 5, 2026.[54]
By December 2006,V for Vendetta had grossed $134,686,457, of which $70,511,035 was from the United States. The film led the U.S. box office on its opening day, taking in an estimated $8,742,504, and remained the number one film for the remainder of the weekend, taking in an estimated $25,642,340. Its closest rival,Failure to Launch, took in $15,604,892.[4] The film debuted at number one in the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden and Taiwan.V for Vendetta also opened in 56IMAX cinemas in North America, grossing $1.36 million during the opening three days.[55]
DVD sales were successful, selling 1,412,865 DVD units in the first week of release which translated to $27,683,818 in revenue. By the end of 2006, 3,086,073 DVD units had been sold, bringing in slightly more than its production cost with $58,342,597.[56] As of November 2020, the film has grossed$65.4 million fromDVD andBlu-ray sales in the United States.[57]
The film was also successful in terms of merchandise sales, with hundreds of thousands ofGuy Fawkes masks from the film having been sold every year since the film's release, as of 2011.[58]Time Warner owns the rights to the image and is paid a fee with the sale of each official mask.[59][60] David Lloyd stated: "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 ofpopular culture being used this way."[61]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 73% approval rating based on 258 reviews, with an average rating of 6.80/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Visually stunning and thought-provoking,V For Vendetta's political pronouncements may rile some, but its story and impressive set pieces will nevertheless entertain."[62]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[63] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[64]
Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two thumbs up" rating.Roger Ebert stated thatV for Vendetta "almost always has something going on that is actually interesting, inviting us to decode the character and plot and apply the message where we will".[15]Margaret Pomeranz andDavid Stratton fromAt the Movies stated that despite the problem of never seeing Weaving's face, there was good acting and an interesting plot, adding that the film is also disturbing, with scenes reminiscent of Nazi Germany.[65]
Jonathan Ross from the BBC blasted the film, calling it a "woeful, depressing failure" and stating that the "cast of notable and familiar talents such as John Hurt and Stephen Rea stand little chance amid the wreckage of the Wachowski siblings' dismal script and its particularly poor dialogue."[66] Sean Burns ofPhiladelphia Weekly gave the film a 'D', criticising the film's treatment of its political message as being "fairly dim, adolescent stuff,"[67] as well as expressing dislike for the "barely decorated sets with television-standard overlit shadow-free cinematography by the late Adrian Biddle. The film is a visual insult."[67] On Alan Moore removing his name from the project, Burns says "it's not hard to see why,"[67] as well as criticising Portman's performance: "Portman still seems to believe that standing around with your mouth hanging open constitutes a performance."[67]
Harry Guerin from the Irish TV networkRTÉ states the film "works as a political thriller, adventure and social commentary and it deserves to be seen by audiences who would otherwise avoid any/all of the three". He added that the film will become "a cult favourite whose reputation will only be enhanced with age."[68] Andy Jacobs for the BBC gave the film two stars out of five, remarking that it is "a bit of a mess ... it rarely thrills or engages as a story."[69]
Empire magazine named the film the 418th greatest movie of all time in 2008.[70]
On 17 April 2006, the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists organised a protest againstDC Comics andTime Warner, accusing it of watering down the story's original message in favour of violence and special effects.[73][74]David Graeber, an anarchist scholar and former professor atYale University, was not upset by the film. "I thought the message of anarchy got out in spite of Hollywood." However, Graeber went on to state: "Anarchy is about creating communities and democratic decision making. That's what is absent from Hollywood's interpretation."[73]
Film criticRichard Roeper dismissed Christian criticism of the film on the television showEbert and Roeper, saying that V's "terrorist" label is applied in the film "by someone who's essentially Hitler, a dictator."[75]
LGBT commentators have praised the film for its positive depiction of gay people.Sarah Warn ofAfterEllen called the film "one of the most pro-gay ever". Warn went on to praise the central role of the character Valerie "not just because it is beautifully acted and well written, but because it is so utterly unexpected [in a Hollywood film]."[18]
David Walsh of theWorld Socialist Web Site criticised V's actions as "antidemocratic," calling the film an example of "the bankruptcy ofanarcho-terrorist ideology;" Walsh writes that because the people have not played any part in the revolution, they will be unable to produce a "new, liberated society."[76]
The film made history by being broadcast on China's national TV station,China Central Television (CCTV) on 16 December 2012 completely uncensored,[77] surprising many viewers. While many believed that the government had banned the film, theState Administration of Radio, Film and Television stated that it was not aware of a ban; CCTV makes its own decisions on whether to censor foreign films. Liu Shanying, a political scientist at theChinese Academy of Social Sciences who used to work for CCTV, speculated that the showing indicated thatChinese film censorship is getting loosened.[78]
^Alan Moore, dissatisfied with the film adaptations of his other works,From Hell (2001) andThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), declined to watch the film and asked to not be credited or paid royalties.
^"Gunpowder, treason and plot".The Age. Melbourne: Fairfax Digital. 19 March 2006.Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved19 March 2006.
^Moore, Alan; David Lloyd (November 2005).V for Vendetta. Vertigo.ISBN1-4012-0792-8.Inspector Finch recognises the background noise as Beethoven's Fifth, and states: "It's Morse code for the letter "V""
Foy, Joseph J., ed. (2008). "R for Revolution: Hobbes and Locke on Social Contracts and Scarlet Carsons (Dean A. Kowalski)".Homer Simpson Goes to Washington: American Politics through Popular Culture.University Press of Kentucky. pp. 19–40.ISBN978-0813125121.
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