BBC News: "V for Vendetta masks: Who's behind them?"

Given the apparent growing popularity of the V for Vendetta masks among protesters, I found the relatively in-depth article today on the BBC News website interesting:

www.bbc.co.uk...

The sinister Guy Fawkes mask made famous by the film V for Vendetta has become an emblem for anti-establishment protest groups. Who's behind them?
..
British graphic novel artist David Lloyd is the man who created the original image of the mask for a comic strip written by Alan Moore. Lloyd compares its use by protesters to the way Alberto Korda's famous photograph of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara became a fashionable symbol for young people across the world.
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The film of V for Vendetta ends with an image of a crowd of Londoners all wearing Guy Fawkes masks, unarmed and marching on parliament.

It is that image of collective identification and simultaneous anonymity that is appealing to Anonymous and other groups, says Rich Johnston, a commentator on the world of comics.
...
Johnston sees the mask as fundamentally a violent image. "It's not a symbol of passive resistance but a symbol of active terrorism - it's about bringing down a government and a country and that could be quite scary and alienating to some people."

The idea of the V mask being appropriated as a political symbol is inherently ridiculous, he suggests.

"It's like assuming you can bring down a government using a light sabre or a He-Man sword."

I wonder if Warner Bros gets a royalty from the sale of the masks? Presumably it does. At the very least, the widespread use of the mask must promote interest in the movie V for Vendetta and promote DVD sales...

Originally posted by IsaacKoi
I wonder if Warner Bros gets a royalty from the sale of the masks? Presumably it does. At the very least, the widespread use of the mask must promote interest in the movie V for Vendetta and promote DVD sales...

After wondering about that issue, I found this New York Times article:

www.nytimes.com...

Masked Protesters Aid Time Warner’s Bottom Line

...

What few people seem to know, though, is that Time Warner, one of the largest media companies in the world and parent of Warner Brothers, owns the rights to the image and is paid a licensing fee with the sale of each mask.
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Indeed, with the help of Anonymous, the mask has become one of the most popular disguises and — in a small way — has added to the $28 billion in revenue Time Warner accumulated last year. It is the top-selling mask on Amazon.com, beating out masks of Batman, Harry Potter and Darth Vader.
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Warner Brothers did not respond to a request for comment on the mask’s newfound popularity as a tool of protesters.

reply to post by IsaacKoi

i doubt many people will buy one now they realise money goes to warner..
its easy to make your own..either with paper or from a blank mask.
if you go to a craft or toy store you should be able to find a plain white plastic mask that you can paint to look similar to the v for vendetta one..

The film of V for Vendetta ends with an image of a crowd of Londoners all wearing Guy Fawkes masks, unarmed and marching on parliament.

... Johnston sees the mask as fundamentally a violent image. "It's not a symbol of passive resistance but a symbol of active terrorism

This is an interesting comment, following that description. In the film the main antagonist was extremely violent, but the protesters they speak of were practicing civil dissent without violence. To view this mask in a group setting as a symbol of "active terrorism" just baffles me.

I myself considered it a symbol of unity and strength in numbers. In the final climatic scene in v for vendetta the military stood down when faced with this crowd and no orders from command. The commander on scene ordered a stand down and the protesters walked right by them. The military was not attacked, and no violence was necessary.

If the s ever does htf I suggest we remember this.

reply to post by Seiko

depends on what your definition of terrorist is..
the people with the masks know who the real terrorists are, more people will work it out soon enough.

remember according to the media and 1% including the government, the 99% are the terrorists

reply to post by IsaacKoi


Real protesters should steer clear of masks IMO..
It will only lead to infiltrators using masks and causing trouble..

Get a T shirt with the "V" on it instead but don't cover your face..

those masks are so stupid. first of all, Guy Fawkes did not plan the November 5th assassination attempt as put foreword by the movie, Robert Catesby was the actual person behind the plot. second their plan was to assassinate King James and replace him with his daughter Elizabeth so they could reinstate the Catholic church back into power, not quite anti-establishment, and third, those masks, before becoming known as a protest sign, were associated with a 4chan meme know as "epic fail guy"...I don't think I have to elaborate on that one.

As far as I am concerned the masks will always be a symbol of shifting from one form of slavery to another..

Very sad that it lines the pockets of some corporate.

Is there some drug I can take to understand you guys/gals? You're a slave, your masters are so far above the law they actually make the laws!

Be glad they let you talk freely amongst each other IE. the internet.

Don't screw it up.

I personally agree with the masks and thinking that every mask purchased goes to WB is crazy you could make one at home. I for one would wear the mask not to incite violence but to let TPTB know that the people are as one and also for the fact that the UK is the most watched people in the world news.bbc.co.uk... and would feel safer with my face covered so to avoid any backlash.

Symbols for movements usually are rediculous...but that is the point of a symbol... it is to give a united point of referencce that takes on a life of it's own...

For instance...a Tea Party...a Tea bag... an ancient symbol of the sun or enlightenment, the Swastika... how about a rising sun.... or something as simple as a star... a white star, a red star...or a cross....how about a crescent moon and star.... a Hammer and Sickle... even two little letters that are notorious, SS.

Whay should it be any different with a mask...it achieves the goal of mass unity, anonymity, and makes a bold statement in one fell swoop..

By the way... I loved the movie.

The lulz of this article.

Does the bbc not realize that is pretty much what the chancelor in the film also said about the masks?