This week, a V For Vendetta special. England may well prevail, but I'm in South Africa at the moment, so bear with me.

In interviews, Jim McTiegue, director of "V For Vendetta," has expressed ignorance about Alan Moore wishing his name off the book."I don't know whether he really doesn't want it made. Obviously the rights were out there for the film to be made. So at some point he wanted the film to be made."

When DC Comics bought the rights to "V For Vendetta" from Alan Moore, David Lloyd and Dez Skinn, the graphic novel/trade paperback market was in its infancy. The rights, including movie rights, would have reverted to the original owners after a period of time after "V For Vendetta" had gone out of print.

That never happened. And no one at the time would have predicted that twenty years on the book would still be in print.

"The graphic novel is great, we made a great adaptation of it, but it is a film. You cannot make a word for word adaptation of a graphic novel." Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez may disagree.

Last word from Jim "So I hope that in the end he's happy with it."

Here's the extended interview with Alan Moore from this week's Culture Show and a discussion by him of the movie.

It's not going to happen, is it? As to Moore's request to have his name removed from the project, it's been agreed to by Warner Bros. Apart from on publicity outside of the US and the UK, it seems. Or on the novelisation. Or on the novelty bubble bath bottle... (okay, I made that last one up, but come on, merchandising people, I want my matey with a V mask, okay?) I now hear that Warner Italy have destroyed their print run of "V per Vendetta" posters in order to remove the Alan Moore credit. There is still a promotional poster listing all the four poster images, where you can just read "Alan Moore," but the final posters have the credit removed. Will any other countries follow suit?

Probably the biggest change from comic to movie is thematic, the central dichotomy of Fascism Vs Anarchy, one presented as the only alternative to the other. A challenging political-philosophical point to make, it's reflected in V's devil-may-care attitude to the consequences of his actions, being an end in themselves. The movie rejects this theme, positing Fascism Vs Democracy, a much simpler and easily resolvable dilemma. Indeed, that the two aren't contradictory, defeats that central thematic point.

Already there's a movement being organised (I know, I know) by anarchists to protest this change in the movie, including leaflets to be distributed outside cinemas, talking up the politics of the book and encouraging people to learn more about anarchism. Website soon.

But yesterday the noted Observer film reviewer Mark Kermode called the movie "the closest thing I'd seen to a big-screen advertisement for anarchy in the UK."

The Observer is the Sunday sister paper to The Guardian. The Guardian Newsroom gallery is also showing original art from the series, as well as colour proofs, original sketches and other V paraphenalia. I was honoured to be invited to the preview night, and took a few Ellisian photos... it was attended by David Lloyd, Glenn Fabry, Ilya, David Hine and more.

Check out those V snacks! It was also wonderful to see the art in its original form. Highly recommended. The exhibition runs until Friday 17 March. Admission is free. The Newsroom is at 60 Farringdon Road, London EC1R.

There's a real-world political aspect, too... two weeks ago, gossip column Popbitch (from which I draw much of my inspiration, reported):

N for Nepotism

How to blow up the Houses of Parliament

Two years ago, Richard Curtis was refused permission to film in 10 Downing Street for "The Girl In The Cafe." Government officials said they were sorry, but it was a government building, not a film set. Yet last June, "V For Vendetta," the Wachowskis' new film, which opens here this month, managed to get Whitehall shut down for four nighs to film the Tube and Houses of Parliament getting blown up by a bomber dressed as Guy Fawkes.

So either the Prime Minister's people are huge fans of the "Matrix" and fantasy movies, or they're less sniffy about granting access to parliamentary buildings if Euan Blair is given a job as a runner by the producers...

Popbitch also ran one of my old stories about "Superman Returns" this week... I should give them the full scoop.

Talking of British politics, the week before I left had one government minister declaring a huge increase in street cameras all across the UK to catch motorists on mobile phones, as well as camouflaging speed cameras.

A number of comic book stores, as part of publicity for the movie, have received posters, masks and inspiring stencils and chalk. Expect the sidewalks and walls near your favourite comic shop to get a little more anarchic.

Talking of which, and I'd hate to encourage any illegal behaviour, but if you "see" any new V signs aerosoled on walls, do take a photo of your-- of the perpertrator's work-- and email it to this column.

A nephew of Patrick Moore???

There's also allegations of illegal subliminal advertising for "V" going on in Saturday Night Live.

In a Natalie Portman sketch, one blogger reports blips of V appearing within. He's put up a frame-by-frameable Quicktime version on a link, and told people where to look in the sequence. A few frames are cut into the clip of a grafitti outline of what appears to be V.

Is this of dubious ethical standing? Or in keeping with V's subversive politics?

Still, if all this nonsense is making you less keen to see the film, let's put a stop to that with the V For Volume:

The Drinking Game.

Every time they use bullet-time lines, when the original comic declined to use such comic book stylings, take a swig.

Every time they use a sledgehammer to make a subtle point, glug.

Every time they say "eggy in a basket", finish the glass.

Every time they refer to the company "FedCo" finish the case.

Every time they portray anarchy as everyone dressing up in the same outfit, slide under your chair.

See? Even if you hate the film, you'll at least enjoy yourself.

Nevertheless, even without alcohol, and sarcastic asides aside, I reckon I'm going to enjoy the film very much.

And to finish, a mashup video by myself and a writing colleague, based on the V trailer and footage from... well... another film.

Please enjoy "V For Vera Drake"... then send it round the world.

Note: This item of news is based on a "traffic light" rating (green = reliable, yellow = possible, red = unreliable), and has a "traffic light" rating of "yellow".

 

Moore's vendetta against V For Vendetta
New York Times, Petter Ricci, various AMFS fans
March 13, 2006

The online version of the New York Times contains an article on Alan Moore by Dave Itzkoff. The article covers Moore's career in comics, as well as his involvement and feelings overing film adaptations of his work, in particular, V For Vendetta.

Here are some excerpts:

Moore at DC

"Alan was one of the first writers of our generation, of great courage and great literary skill," said Paul Levitz, the president and publisher of DC Comics. "You could watch him stretching the boundaries of the medium."

But by 1989, Mr. Moore had severed his ties with DC. The publisher says he objected to its decision to label its adult-themed comics (including some of his own) as "Suggested for Mature Readers." Mr. Moore says he was objecting to language in his contracts that would give him back the rights to "Watchmen" and "V for Vendetta" when they went out of print — language that he says turned out to be meaningless, because DC never intended to stop reprinting either book. "I said, 'Fair enough,' " he recalls. " 'You have managed to successfully swindle me, and so I will never work for you again.' "

Mr. Levitz said that such so-called reversion clauses routinely appear in comic book contracts, and that DC has honored all of its obligations to Mr. Moore. "I don't think Alan was dissatisfied at the time," Mr. Levitz said. "I think he was dissatisfied several years later."

On consulting for the V For Vendetta film:

"I explained to [Larry Wachowski] that I'd had some bad experiences in Hollywood," Mr. Moore said. "I didn't want any input in it, didn't want to see it and didn't want to meet him to have coffee and talk about ideas for the film."

But at a press conference on March 4, 2005, to announce the start of production on the "V for Vendetta" film, the producer Joel Silver said Mr. Moore was "very excited about what Larry had to say and Larry sent the script, so we hope to see him sometime before we're in the U.K." This, Mr. Moore said, "was a flat lie."

"Given that I'd already published statements saying I wasn't interested in the film, it actually made me look duplicitous," he said.

Through his editors at DC Comics (like Warner Brothers, a subsidiary of Time Warner), Mr. Moore insisted that the studio publicly retract Mr. Silver's remarks. When no retraction was made, Mr. Moore once again quit his association with DC (and Wildstorm along with it), and demanded that his name be removed from the "V for Vendetta" film, as well as from any of his work that DC might reprint in the future.

The producers of "V for Vendetta" reluctantly agreed to strip Mr. Moore's name from the film's credits, a move that saddened Mr. Lloyd, who still endorses the film. "Alan and I were like Laurel and Hardy when we worked on that," Mr. Lloyd said. "We clicked. I felt bad about not seeing a credit for that team preserved, but there you go."

To read the entire article, click here. (Note: you may have to login.)