Trivia about V for Vendetta

The movie V for Vendetta is definitely one of my favourites. Its hero's favourite movie was also my favourite book when I was a young boy and becoming interested in the injustice apparent in the society I lived in during the Great Depression.

I have watched it some fifty times in English, in French, and in French with Spanish subtitles. As the hero says about his favourite movie The Count of Monte Cristo, with Robert Donat playing Edmund Dantes, "It gets me every time." Vengeance against a vicious fascist government in Britain headed by a religious fanatic is what he is about. So the Monte Cristo motif of injustice, imprisonment, escape and pay back is also his own.

In this movie the letter V plays a prominent part. This little canter is for the benefit of those who have seen it and liked it. If you haven't, and you like any of the political rants that I sometimes indulge in, you will love it, or your entrance fee will be refunded at the ticket office. You may need to see it more than once to get it all.

In the first scene where V appears and saves Evey Hammond from the lecherous clutches of the Secret Police of the time he introduces himself to her, wearing the Guy Fawkes mask, hat and cloak of the historical character who attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with the King and the Lords present. Here is the speech and then a few of the places where V appears in the movie. If you see any more let me know and I shall be very pleased with you.

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Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

• The above monologue of V contains 49 words beginning with the letter "V" (with the "V" cut into a nearby poster making it a total of 50). In addition, several of the lines are composed in iambic pentameter. To the literate it summarizes his character and role.

• The Roman Numeral for the number 5 is V.

• There are 5 syllables in the title, "V for Vendetta".

• V is the 5th letter from the end of the alphabet.

• When Evey introduces herself, V sounds out her name: E-Vee E being the fifth letter of the alphabet, V being 5 and Y is the 25th letter of the alphabet…5 x 5

• The destruction of Parliament and the Old Bailey both involve fireworks forming a red V configuration, with the V's symbol being completed by a circular firework.

• In a dance with Evey, the song V chooses is number five on his jukebox.

• At the Larkhill Detention Facility, V's cell is cell 5, which in binary is 101, the. Room 101 is the torture room in the novel 1984.

• During the domino sequence (consisting of a series of black and red dominoes which form the V logo), an overhead view of train tracks can be seen which resemble the letter V.

• In the battle with Creedy and his men at Victoria Station, V forms a “V” with his daggers just before he throws them (with Creedy's men arranged in a V pattern).

• The first two thrown daggers each turn over five times before hitting targets.

• Creedy's revolver holds only 5 cartridge cases by the end of the slaughtering.

• The view of Big Ben, following V's battle with Creedy, forms a V as it shows11:05 (also a reference to the 5th of November in American date practice.)

• The cure to St. Mary's Virus was called Viadoxic, which begins with a V (as does "Virus").

• After being shot multiple times, but managing to kill Creedy and his men using 5 of his knives, V staggers off and leans against a wall for a second in pain. The blood mark he leaves on the wall is in the shape of a "V".

• When V confronts Creedy in the greenhouse, the music played is Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The distinctive four-note 'short-short-short-long' motif in the piece is Morse code for the letter V and the symbol of V for Victory in Britain during WW II. Churchill was famous for his V sign.

• Before the battle with Creedy's men, Chancellor Sutler is thrown at V's feet, bleeding from the forehead. The cut on his forehead is in the shape of a V.

• The shape of the scar on Evey’s forehead from Dominic’s gun is a wide V.

• While cleaning a mirror in V's Shadow Gallery Evey reads an inscription on the mirror “Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici.” There are 5 words and twenty-five letters (five squared) in the inscription, and all of those words start with the letter V. Translated it means “By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.” It’s a quote from Faust and is Aleister Crowley’s motto.

• When Evey comes back to see V before his attack (and the remainder of the film), Evey is wearing a v-neck top.

• V's favorite movie, The Count of Monte Cristo has five words in the title.

• Guy Fawkes Night takes place on the 5th of November, the 5th representing V.

• The title "V for Vendetta" contains 5 syllables and reflects V for Victory.

• The woman who dies in the cell next to that of V at Larkhill is named Valerie Page.

• November is the only month in the Gregorian calendar with the letter V in it.

• "Shadow Gallery", V's hideout, has five syllables

• V’s funeral in the explosion and fire was a symbolic Viking funeral

• Using standard values for the alphabet, both Sutler and Major Wilson his personal friend have name totals of 5.

• The three men whom Dominic finds out about, who include Rookwood, all have the same names as conspirators in the original Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

• The actor who plays Inspector Finch is actually married to an ex IRA woman who was arrested on the charge of attempting to blow up the Old Bailey.

• Evey played Viola in Twelfth Night as a little girl.