From the Archives: V for Vlasé (sic)

“Remember, remember the fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.” – from the nursery rhyme Guy Fawkes

Saw the movie V for Vendetta, finally. I’ve written about this as early as May 2005 in my friendster blog. I wrote later (in friendster) that it might come out November. Imagine that. I’m just glad they didn’t ban it totally. There have been rumors that the film’s showing has been delayed due to the terrorist attacks in England. It would seem natural that the film will get some flack because of that. Indeed, critics have focused on this particular aspect of the movie – the glorification of terrorism and anarchy (see for instance this review). However, I think that’s taking Alan Moore’s story out of its factual milieu, i.e., Thatcher’s England in the 80’s and transplanting it to present day circumstances. This is not to say that doing so is wrong, that is not the point. There is no point actually, except that the film has everything going against it: the Wachowski’s involvement and the criticisms heaped on them (e.g., plagiarism), Moore’s vehement objection and downright disowning of his great opus’ celluloid sibling, the tragic fact of its dreadful timing (i.e., London bombing); that I deem it just to underscore the fact that the movie’s guilt of the “criminal charges” against it is only by association. Taken by itself, Vendetta presents, insists on in fact, ideas that are provocative and forces one to think – hobgoblins to the little minds indeed and a bane to the intellectually lazy. It’s not a great movie mind, but something worth watching if only to incite (now there’s a word that can get you into trouble these days here in the Philippines) something which I fear we might be losing. So, again from the archives, here’s another quote:

Apolitical Intellectuals
One day
the apolitical
intellectuals
of my country
will be interrogated
by the simplest
of our people.
They will be asked
what they did
when their nation died out
slowly,
like a sweet fire
small and alone.
-- Otto Rene Castillo