Guy Fawkes Mask Film

How the guy fawkes mask became an icon of the protest movement.

Guy fawkes mask film. Directed by james mcteigue. The movie found a devoted audience in frustrated citizens of a post 9 11 mid patriot act world and its use of guy fawkes iconography struck a chord. In a future british tyranny a shadowy freedom fighter known only by the alias of v plots to overthrow it with the help of a young woman. With hugo weaving natalie portman rupert graves stephen rea.

Guy fawkes was also turned into a rather immortal pop cultural icon by the 1980s alan moore david lloyd graphic novel v for vendetta and even more so with the release of the film adaptation in 2005. An explainer on the 2005 movie v for vendetta and specifically the guy fawkes mask worn by v hugo weaving in the warner bros. Time warner owns the rights to the image and is paid a fee with the sale of each official mask. Illustrator david lloyd stylised a smiling face with red cheeks a wide moustache upturned at both ends and a thin vertical pointed.

The film was also successful in terms of merchandise sales with hundreds of thousands of guy fawkes masks from the film having been sold every year since the film s release as of 2011. The use of a mask on an effigy has long roots as part of guy fawkes night celebrations. The guy fawkes mask is a stylised depiction of guy fawkes the best known member of the gunpowder plot an attempt to blow up the house of lords in london on 5 november 1605. Took up the idea and when the comic book became a film in 2006 a star of revolutionary iconography was born.

The closing scene was especially revered as hundreds of perturbed citizens donned fawkes masks of their own and took to the streets under the banner of a man who in the comic book dies telling people that they don t need a leader.