Script To Screen: “V For Vendetta”

Here is The Speech from the 2005 movie V For Vendetta [screenplay by The Wachowski Brothers].

Setup: A shadowy freedom fighter known only as “V” uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally.

INT. JORDAN TOWERV follows Roger Dascombe into the main control booth. The
door shuts behind them and they are alone.All around them are the laugh tracks and gunshots of the
evening's entertainment.V puts his hand into his cloak and pulls out a videotape. He
hands it to Dascombe.INT. FINCH'S OFFICEFinch glares at Creedy.FINCH
Why don't you just shoot me,
Creedy? Wouldn't that make
everything a lot simpler?CREEDY
Yeah, I suppose it would.Creedy smiles, his finger tightening on the trigger when --DOMINIC
Holy Christ! Creedy, you stupid
ape! If Finch is V then tell me
who is that?He points at the television where V sits calmly at a desk in
front of the "VTV" logo.V
Good evening, London.CREEDY
Bloody fuckin' hell.V
I thought it was time we had a
little talk.FINCH
He has to be at Jordan tower. Come
on!Finch and Dominic rush out of the room. Creedy looks at his
confused men.CREEDY
Don't just stand there! Follow
them!INT. LEADER'S OFFICEV smiles at the horrified Adam Susan.V
Are you sitting comfortably? Good.
Then I'll begin.The Leader screams, pounding on Fate.LEADER
Damn you! Damn you!He hits the intercom.LEADER
Lieutenant, ready my transport. I
want every armed man within a
hundred miles at Jordan tower.
Now!We move in at VTV.V
Right now, I imagine there are
hundreds of soldiers rushing here
to kill me because someone does not
want us to talk.We pull back in --INT. LIVING ROOMA family watching television. In the background, two
children are squabbling.MOTHER
Hush. Turn it up.The husband does. V's voice gets louder as we move towards
him.V
They are afraid that I am going to
say the things that are not
supposed to be said. They are
afraid that I am going to say the
truth.INT. APARTMENTA man sits on his couch, mesmerized by V.V
The truth is that there is
something terribly wrong with this
country, isn't there? If you look
about, you witness cruelty,
injustice and despotism. But what
do you do about it? What can you
do?He pops his beer tab and the beer foams over the couch but he
doesn't seem to notice.INT. FINCH'S POLICE CARThe car races wildly towards Jordan tower as Finch and
Dominic listen to the broadcast on the radio.V (V.O.)
You are but a single individual.
How can you possible make any
difference? Individuals have no
power in this modern world.
That is what you've been taught
because that is what they need you
to believe. But it is not true.INT. LEADER'S TRANSPORTThe Leader seethes, staring at three television monitors in
his limo which are all filled with V.V
This is why they are afraid and the
reason that I am here; to remind
you that it is individuals who
always hold the power. The real
power. Individuals like me. And
individuals like you.INT. KITTY KAT KELLERThe bar is almost completely soundless except for the voice
of V. People stare at the television as if the moment were
somehow suspended in time.V
I have come to offer you a deal.
If you accept, I will give you a
different world. A world without
curfews, without soldiers and
surveillance systems. A world that
is not run by other men but that is
run by you. I am offering you a
second chance.EXT. JORDAN TOWERThe military forces have begun to swarm.V
Four hundred years ago, a great
citizen made a most significant
contribution to our common culture.
It was a contribution forged in
secrecy and stealth although it is
best remembered in noise and bright
light.EXT. TELEVISION STOREA crowd has gathered, watching through the window.V
To commemorate that glorious night
at precisely the stroke of
midnight, the edifice of their
world will erupt with enough sound
and fury to shake the earth. All I
ask is that you join me at the
gates to watch as the past is
erased, the pathway cleared so that
together we can start toward a new
day.EXT. JORDAN TOWERThe Leader climbs out of his limo and is met by one of his
captains.LEADER
I want this man dead! I want him
shot on sight!CAPTAIN
Yes, sir.INT. FINCH'S CARFinch can see the forces gathering outside Jordan tower.V (V.O.)
But, you ask, who am I to make such
promises? A fair question but
hardly necessary as you know me
already. To know me any more you
need only look to a mirror.Finch catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.INT. CONTROL BOOTHVTV fills every screen.V
Truth be told, this wasn't even my
idea, was it? If you think back,
you'll remember that night,
whispering in your lover's arms. I
became a part of your plan just as
you have now become part of mine.
Give me the line of the queen and
I'll give you your secret dream.INT. JORDAN TOWER - HALLWAYA heavy battering ram is rushed down the hall, carried by
four soldiers.V (V.O.)
On the twelfth stroke of the fifth
day of the eleventh month, I hope
we shall all meet again.EXT. TELEVISION STOREThe crowd is much larger.V
Until then, I bid you goodnight.Every screen suddenly goes black. The crowd turns to each
other, unsure of what to do.INT. CONTROL BOOTHThe door explodes open. V is standing alone, almost as if
waiting for them.

Here is the scene from the movie:

Questions to ask to analyze the scene:

* What elements in the movie scene are the same as the script?

* What elements in the movie scene are different than the script?

* Regarding the differences, put yourself in the mindset of the filmmakers and speculate: Why did they make the changes they did?

* How did the changes improve the scene?

* Alternatively are there elements in the script, not present in the movie, that are better than the final version of the scene?

* Note each camera shot in the movie version. Which of them does the script suggest via sluglines or scene description?

* How does the script convey a sense of the scene’s tone, feel, and pace through scene description and dialogue?

* What ‘magic’ exists in the movie that is not indicated in the words of the script? How do you suppose that magic emerged?

One of the single best things you can do to learn the craft of screenwriting is to read the script while watching the movie. After all a screenplay is a blueprint to make a movie and it’s that magic of what happens between printed page and final print that can inform how you approach writing scenes. That is the purpose of Script to Screen, a weekly series on GITS where we analyze a memorable movie scene and the script pages that inspired it.

Comment Archive