I had just finished watching the movie V for Vendetta again, when it occurred to me to read the actual graphic novel again. I broke it out of improvised storage, dusted it off and tore through it. I rediscovered two wonderful things in it.
In the comic and the movie both, V takes over Englan's most powerful TV station during peak time and airs his broadcast of VTV to the English population, making a very heavy political statment and offering/forcing a challenge on them.
What really struck me here is;
1)The comic was written somehwhere in between '81 and '88 by an Englishman who considers himself, above all, a magician. We loves Alan Moore, we do we do. 2)The message in both versions has really stood the test of time and even modern day folks might get something from it.
3)The sheer difference between the two.
Here's the clip from the movie:
And here is me typing out his speech from the comic(someday I'll have a scanner again)....
Good evening London.
I thought it time we had a little talk.
Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.
I suppose you're wondering why I've called you here this evening.
Well, you see, I'm not entirely satisfied with your performance lately.
I'm afraid your work's been slipping, and, and, well, I'm afraid we've been thinking about letting you go.
Oh, I know, I know.
You've been with the company a long time now.
Almost....let me see.
Almost ten thousand years!
My word, doesn't time fly?
It seems like only yesterday...
I remember the day you commenced your employment, swinging down from the trees(pic of ape on display behind him), fresh-faced and nervous, a bone clasped in your bristling fist.
'Where do I start sir?' you asked, plaintively.
I recall my exact words.
'There's a pile of dinosaur eggs over there, youngster' I said, smiling paternally the while.
'Get sucking'
Well, we've certainly come a long way since then, have'nt we?
And yes, yes, you're right, in all that time you haven't missed a day.
Well done thou good and faithful servant.
Also, please don't think I've forgotten your outstanding service record(pic of first moon landing), or about all of the invaluable contributions that you've made to the company.
Fire, the wheel, agriculture...it's an impressive list old-timer.
A jolly impressive list, don't get me wrong.
But...well, to be frank, we've had our problems too.
There's no getting away from it.
Do you know what I think a lot of it stems from?
I'll tell you..
It's your basic unwillingness to get along within the company.
You don't seem to want to face up to any real responsibility, or to be your own boss.
Lord knows, you've been given plenty of opportunities.
We've offered you promotion time and time again, and each time you've turned us down.
'I couldn't handle the work guvnor' you wheedled 'I know my place'.
To be frank, you're not trying, are you?
You see, you've been standing still for far too long and it's starting to show in your work, and, I might add, in your general standard of behavior.
The constant bickering on the factory floor has not escaped my attention nor the recent bouts of rowdiness in the staff canteen.(pic of Tinnemen Square behind him)
Then of course, there's..Hmm.
Well, I didn't want to have to bring this up, but....
Well, you see, I've been hearing some disturbing rumors about your personal life.
No, never you mind who told me. No names, no pack drill.
I understand that you are unable to get on with your spouse.
I hear that you argue.
I am told that you shout.
Violence has been mentioned.
I am reliably informed that you always hurt the one you love, the one you shouldn't hurt at all.
And what about the children?
It's always the children who suffer, as you're well aware.
Poor little mites, what are they to make of it?
What are they to make of your bullying, your despair, your cowardice and all your fondly nurtured bigotries?
Really, it's not good enough, is it?
And it's no good blaming the drop in work standards upon bad management either, though, to be sure, the management is very bad.
In fact, let us not mince words, the management is terrible!
(pics of Hitler, Stalin and a few others)We've had a string of embezzlers, frauds, liars and lunatics making a string of catastrophic decisions.
This is plain fact.
But who elected them?
It was you! You who appointed these people! You who gave them the power to make decisions for you!
While I'll admit that anyone can make a mistake once, to go on making the same lethal errors century after century seems to me nothing short of deliberate.
(pic of nazis marching)You have encouraged these malicious incompetants who have made your working life a shambles.
You have accepted without question their senseless orders.
(pic of mushroom cloud)You have allowed them to fill your workspace with dangerous and unproven machines.
You could have stopped them.
All you had to say was 'NO'.
You have no spine.
You have no pride.
You are no longer an asset to the company.
I will however be generous.
You will be granted two years to show me some improvement in your work.
If at the end of that time you are still unwilling to make a go of it....
You're fired.
That will be all.
You may return to your labors.
Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 25 Sep 2007 22:17
Captain America
Yes, we do love alan moore.
Posted: 25 Sep 2007 22:21
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Here's the second rediscovery. A rousing song on piano by the same character and his only audience is us.
The Vicious Cabaret
They say that there's a broken light for every heart on broadway
They say that life's a game and then they take the board away
They give you masks and costumes and an outline of the story
Then leave you all to improvise their vicious cabaret
In no longer pretty cities there are fingers in the kitties
There are warrants, forms, and chitties
and a jackboot on the stair
There's sex and death and human grime in monochrome for one thin dime
and at least the trains all run on time
but they don't go anywhere
Facing their responsibilities either on their backs or on their knees
there are ladies who just simply freeze
and dare not turn away
And the widows who refuse to cry will be dressed in garter and bowtie
and be taught to kick their legs up high
in this vicious cabaret
At last the 1998 show! The ballet on the burning stage! The documentary seen upon the fractured screen! The dreadful poew scrawled upon the crumpled page!
There's a policeman with an honest soul that has seen whose head is on the pole
and he grunts and fills his briar bowl
with a feeling of unease
Then he briskly frisks the torn remains for a fingerprint or crimson stains
and endeavors to ignore the chains
that he walks in to his knees
While his master in the dark nearby inspects the hands with brutal eye
that have never brushed a lover's thigh
but have squeezed a nation's throat
And he hungers in his secret dreams for the harsh embrace of cruel machines
but his lover is not what she seems
and she will not leave a note
At last the 1998 show! The situation tragedy! Grand opera slick with soap! Cliff-hangers with no hope!
The water color in the flooded gallery.
There's a girl who'll push but will not shove and she's desperate for her father's love
she believes the hand beneath the glove
may be one she needs to hold
Though she doubts her host's moralities she decides she is more at ease
in the land-of-doing-as-you-please
than outside in the cold
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play
there's a murderer at the matinee
there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through
and with sidelong looks await their cue
but the frozen mask just smiles
At last the 1998 show! The torch song no one ever sings! The curfew chorus line! The comedy divine!
The bulging eyes of puppets, strangled by their strings.
There's thrills and chills and girls galore
There's sing-songs and surprises
There's something here for everyone
Reserve your seat today
There's mischiefs and malarkies...
But no queers.
Or yids.
Or darkies.
Within this bastard's carnival.
THIS VICIOUS CABARET! __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 25 Sep 2007 22:23
Captain America
My favorite scene in the comic, which they didn't use in the pretty damn good movie, is when he confronts the pedophile priest with lines from "sympathy for the devil."
chilling.
great stuff. thanks, pak.
Posted: 25 Sep 2007 23:02
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Won't be long before we're watching the Watchmen on the big screen.
Can't wait. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 25 Sep 2007 23:05
Captain America
Quote: Won't be long before we're watching the Watchmen on the big screen.
Terrified, frankly.
I think it would be better as a mini-series on HBO. Twelve episodes with the Web site providing the supporting material.
Posted: 25 Sep 2007 23:08
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I'm thankful they're finally doing anything with it myself.
I think Garth Ennis's Preacher is getting that serialized treatment on HBO so there's still something to look forward to on that front. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 02:00
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Quote: the Watchmen
SORRY I don't know this but who are they never heard of them???? __________________
i'm telling you the MOAB will solve all our problems
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 02:13
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It is probably one of the best sets of comics ever written.
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 02:15
Captain America
Every one should read Watchmen. It's the best.
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 02:25
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Man i must be in my own world i collected comics till about 12- 13 yrs ago just didn't have the time or space with kids but man i have never heard of them ever damn i live in a bottle __________________
i'm telling you the MOAB will solve all our problems
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 02:43
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The graphic novel would cost you 26.99 Canadian, it's one of Time Magazine's 100 best novels of all time, and you could support Tim by buying it through one of his sites at Amazon. When the kids are old enough, you then have something to pass down to them.
Sales pitch over. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 02:45
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One small addition-I thought you were Canadian.
It's $19.99 stateside. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 15:28
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I preferred V to Watchmen , I know, that's comic blasphemy. I'm supposed to grovel at anything Alan Morre puts out, but I just never cared for it.
I blog occassioanlly for a website called bureaucrash and the 'crasher in chief' did a great send-up of V's speech last Novemeber. If I can figure out how to imbed it and post it, I will. __________________
1 TIMOTHY 1
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 15:45
Captain America
Quote: I preferred V to Watchmen , I know, that's comic blasphemy.
Maybe, but there's more raw emotion to V, so in some ways, I think it's a more visceral read. I love Moore's work, but I can understand how it can be off-putting at times.
Posted: 26 Sep 2007 18:54
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Quote: I thought you were Canadian
heck no I live in Michigan which is close but no i am not canadian __________________
i'm telling you the MOAB will solve all our problems
Posted: 27 Sep 2007 02:42
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V and Watchmen and From Hell, for that matter, are all very heavy reads, each in their own way. They aren't actually for everyone. I could suggest Maus to you, but if you have a sore spot about the holocaust you may love it or absolutely hate it. It's all subjective.
Quote: the 'crasher in chief' did a great send-up of V's speech
I absolutely must see/hear this, preacher man. Do what you can.
Quote: no i am not canadian
Must be your handle. Sorry. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 27 Sep 2007 14:15
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Quote: I could suggest Maus to you
I read "Maus" in the mid-80's (?) it's on the recommended reading list I gave my wife when we started courting. She still hasn't got to it. It's extremely visceral, very brilliant, a touch vulgar at times, but so is life. All in all, one of the best comics ever done , I think. All the more impactful because it is a real story. __________________
1 TIMOTHY 1
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Posted: 27 Sep 2007 14:18 Last Edited By: preacher man
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Here's Jason's send up ofV's speech. __________________
1 TIMOTHY 1
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Posted: 28 Sep 2007 01:20
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Tell your friend to invest in the wig next time.
Nicely done, just a little 'on the fence' so to speak. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 28 Sep 2007 04:02
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Quote:
Nicely done, just a little 'on the fence' so to speak.
Wow, didn't get that out of it at all. __________________
1 TIMOTHY 1
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Posted: 28 Sep 2007 04:28
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That may be the wrong term, please pardon.
It was vague and unenthusiastic I was meaning.
At the same time, I am too lazy to make my own videos so he does get my admiration still.
Better? __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 05 Nov 2007 04:55
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Happy Holiday.
__________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 05 Nov 2008 07:43
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It's that time again folks.
A very happy Guy Fawkes day to all. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 05 Nov 2008 10:31
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Since the video featuring Ladies and Gentlemen by Saliva is no longer available, I felt compelled to replace it(even though it's probably my favorite video of the thousands I've watched on YouTube).
A little something different this time.
"Bittersweet" by Apocalyptica feat. Ville Valo (HIM) and Lauri Ylonen (The Rasmus)
__________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
Posted: 05 Nov 2008 15:01
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I'm glad I got that Ladies and Gentlemen song on my mp3 player before they took it off. I had a mp3 recording program that's no longer functioning now. __________________
Lucas McCain the Rifleman: A man doesn't run from a fight, Mark...but that doesn't mean you should go running *to* one, either.
Posted: 05 Nov 2008 19:30
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That song is all over the place on YouTube, due in no small part to it's original connection to the WWE. It just worked really well with the contents and timing that user had used. __________________
But the backdrops peel and the sets give way and the cast get eaten by the play, there's a murderer at the matinee, there are dead men in the aisles
And the patrons and the actors too are uncertain if the show is through and with sidelong looks await their cue, but the frozen mask just smiles
i'm telling you the MOAB will solve all our problems
