V for Vendetta (2005)

Natalie Portman: Evey

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Quotes 

• Evey Hammond : My father was a writer. You would've liked him. He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up.

  V : A man after my own heart.

• [first lines] 

  Evey Hammond : [voiceover]  Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot... But what of the man? I know his name was Guy Fawkes and I know, in 1605, he attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. But who was he really? What was he like? We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world. I've witnessed first hand the power of ideas, I've seen people kill in the name of them, and die defending them... but you cannot kiss an idea, cannot touch it, or hold it... ideas do not bleed, they do not feel pain, they do not love... And it is not an idea that I miss, it is a man... A man that made me remember the Fifth of November. A man that I will never forget.

• V : [Evey pulls out her mace]  I can assure you I mean you no harm.

  Evey Hammond : Who are you?

  V : Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.

  Evey Hammond : Well I can see that.

  V : Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation; I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

  Evey Hammond : Oh. Right.

  V : But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona.

  V : Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

  [carves "V" into poster on wall] 

  V : The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

  V : [giggles] 

  V : Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

  Evey Hammond : Are you, like, a crazy person?

  V : I am quite sure they will say so. But to whom, might I ask, am I speaking?

  Evey Hammond : I'm Evey.

  V : Evey? E-V. Of course you are.

  Evey Hammond : What does that mean?

  V : It means that I, like God, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence. Are you hurt?

• V : I told you, only truth. For 20 years, I sought only this day. Nothing else existed... until I saw you. Then everything changed. I fell in love with you Evey. And to think I no longer believed I could.

  Evey Hammond : But I don't want you to die.

  V : That's the most beautiful thing you could have ever given me.

• [last lines] 

  Evey Hammond : No one will ever forget that night and what it meant for this country. But I will never forget the man and what he meant to me.

• V : Would you... dance with me?

  Evey Hammond : Now? On the eve of your revolution?

  V : A revolution without dancing is a revolution not worth having!

• Evey Hammond : [reads]  Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici.

  V : [translates]  By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

  Evey Hammond : Personal motto?

  V : From "Faust".

  Evey Hammond : That's about trying to cheat the devil, isn't it?

  V : It is.

• Evey Hammond : Who are you?

  V : Who? Who is but the form following the function of what, and what I am is a man in a mask.

  Evey Hammond : Well I can see that.

  V : Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation, I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

• Evey Hammond : [watching a news report about Prothero's death]  V, yesterday I couldn't find my ID. You didn't take it, did you?

  V : Would you prefer a lie or the truth?

  Evey Hammond : Did you have anything to do with... that?

  V : Yes, I killed him.

  Evey Hammond : You...? Oh god.

  V : You're upset.

  Evey Hammond : I'm upset? You just said you killed Lewis Prothero!

  V : I might have killed the fingerman who attacked you, but I heard no objection then.

  Evey Hammond : What?

  V : Violence can be used for good.

  Evey Hammond : What are you talking about?

  V : Justice.

  Evey Hammond : Oh. And are you going to kill more people?

  V : Yes.

• Finch : Who was he?

  Evey Hammond : He was Edmond Dantés... and he was my father. And my mother... my brother... my friend. He was you... and me. He was all of us.

• Evey Hammond : I don't even know what you really look like.

  [Evey tries to remove V's mask] 

  V : [V stops her]  Evey, please. There is a face beneath this mask but it's not me. I'm no more that face than I am the muscles beneath it or the bones beneath them.

  Evey Hammond : I understand.

  V : Thank you.

• V : It is to Madame Justice that I dedicate this concerto, in honor of the holiday that she seems to have taken from these parts, and in recognition of the impostor that stands in her stead. Tell me Evey, do you know what day it is?

  Evey Hammond : Um, November the 4th.

  V : [midnight church bells ring]  Not anymore. Remember, remember the 5th of November. The gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

• Evey Hammond : Is everything a joke to you, Gordon?

  Gordon Deitrich : Only the things that matter.

• V : [V invites an unknowing Evey to join him in setting off a bomb]  I'm a musician of sorts, and on my way to give a very special performance.

  Evey Hammond : What kind of musician?

  V : Percussion instruments are my speciality.

• Evey Hammond : You were in the cell next to her. That's what it's all about... you're getting back at them for what they did to her... and to you.

  V : What was done to me created me. It's a basic principle of the Universe that every action will create an equal and opposing reaction.

  Evey Hammond : Is that how you see it? Like an equation?

  V : What was done to me was monstrous.

  Evey Hammond : And they created a monster.

• Evey Hammond : Where did you get all this stuff?

  V : Oh, here and there, mostly from the Ministry of Objectionable Materials.

  Evey Hammond : You stole them?

  V : Oh, heavens, no. Stealing implies ownership. You can't steal from the censor; I merely reclaimed them.

  Evey Hammond : God, if they ever find this place...

  V : I suspect if they do find this place, a few bits of art will be the least of my worries.

• Evey Hammond : What is that you're making?

  Gordon Deitrich : We call it "eggie in the basket". My mum used to make them.

  Evey Hammond : This is weird.

  Gordon Deitrich : What?

  Evey Hammond : The first morning I was with him, he made me eggs just like this.

  Gordon Deitrich : Really?

  Evey Hammond : I swear.

  Gordon Deitrich : That is a strange coincidence. Although, there's an obvious explanation.

  Evey Hammond : There is?

  Gordon Deitrich : Yes, Evey. I am V. At last you know the truth. You're stunned, I know. It's hard to believe isn't it, that beneath this wrinkled, well-fed exterior there lies a dangerous killing machine with a fetish for Fawkesian masks. ¡Viva la revolución!

  Evey Hammond : That is *not* funny, Gordon.

  Gordon Deitrich : [sighs]  Yeah, I know. I'm useless without a studio audience.

• V : May I inquire as to how you have avoided detection?

  Evey Hammond : A fake ID works better than a Guy Fawkes mask.

• Guard : Look, all they want is one little piece of information. Just give them something... anything.

  Evey Hammond : Thank you... but I'd rather die behind the chemical sheds.

  Guard : Then you have no fear anymore. You're completely free.

• Evey Hammond : But why would you keep it?

  Gordon Deitrich : I didn't have to be Muslim to find the images beautiful, or its poetry moving.

• V : [as "The Count of Monte Cristo" ends]  Did you like it?

  Evey Hammond : Yeah. But it made me feel sorry for Mercedes.

  V : Why?

  Evey Hammond : Because he cared more about revenge than he did about her.

• V : [V enters Evey's field of vision as she walks into the Shadow Gallery, directly from the prison]  Hello, Evey.

  Evey Hammond : You. It was you.

  V : [quietly]  Yeah.

  Evey Hammond : [gestures behind her]  That wasn't real... Is Gordon - ?

  V : I'm sorry, but Mr. Deitrich's dead. I thought they'd arrest him, but when they found a Koran in his house, they had him executed.

  Evey Hammond : [whispers]  Oh God...

  V : Fortunately, I got to you before they did.

  Evey Hammond : You got to me? You did this to me? You cut my hair? You tortured me? You tortured me! Why?

  V : You said you wanted to live without fear. I wish there'd been an easier way, but there wasn't.

  [Evey whispers, "Oh my God...?] 

  V : I know you may never forgive me... but nor will you understand how hard it was for me to do what I did. Every day I saw in myself everything you see in me now. Every day I wanted to end it, but each time you refused to give in, I knew I couldn't.

  Evey Hammond : You're *sick*! You're *evil*!

  V : *You* could've ended it, Evey, you could've given in. But you didn't. Why?

  Evey Hammond : Leave me alone! I *hate* you!

  V : That's it! See, at first I thought it was hate, too. Hate was all I knew, it built my world, it imprisoned me, taught me how to eat, how to drink, how to breathe. I thought I'd die with all my hate in my veins. But then something happened. It happened to me... just as it happened to you.

  Evey Hammond : Shut up! I *don't* want to hear your lies!

  V : Your own father said that artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found something true about yourself.

  Evey Hammond : No.

  V : What was true in that cell is just as true now. What you felt in there has nothing to do with me.

  Evey Hammond : I can't feel *anything* anymore!

  V : Don't run from it, Evey. You've been running all your life.

  Evey Hammond : [gasps]  I can't... can't breathe. Asthma... asthma! When I was little...

  [V reaches out his hand, Evey grabs it, they fall to the ground together] 

  V : Listen to me, Evey. This may be the most important moment of your life. Commit to it.

  [Evey continues sobbing] 

  V : They took your parents from you. They took your brother from you.

  [Evey groans] 

  V : They put you in a cell and took everything they could take except your life. And you believed that was all there was, didn't you? The only thing you had left was your life, but it wasn't, was it?

  [Evey sobs, "Oh please...?] 

  V : You found something else. In that cell you found something that mattered more to you than life. It was when they threatened to kill you unless you gave them what they wanted... you told them you'd rather die. You faced your death, Evey. You were calm. You were still.

  [Evey continues gasping] 

  V : Try to feel now what you felt then.

  Evey Hammond : [breathes heavily]  Oh God... I felt...

  V : Yes?

  Evey Hammond : I'm dizzy. I need air. Please, I need to be outside.

• Evey Hammond : Are you like a... crazy person?

  V : I'm quite sure they will say so.

• Evey Hammond : [watching a woman anchor on TV covering Lewis Prothero's "accidental death"]  She's lying.

  V : How do you know?

  Evey Hammond : She blinks a lot when she's reading a story she knows is false.

• Evey Hammond : Artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up.

• Interrogator : I am instructed to inform you that you have been convicted by special tribunal and that unless you are ready to offer your cooperation you are to be executed. Do you understand what I'm telling you?

  Evey Hammond : Yes.

  Interrogator : Are you ready to cooperate?

  Evey Hammond : No.

  Interrogator : Very well. Escort Ms. Hammond back to her cell. Arrange a detail of six men and take her out behind the chemical shed and shoot her.

  Guard : It's time.

  Evey Hammond : I'm ready.

  Guard : Look all they want is one little piece of information, just give them something, anything.

  Evey Hammond : Thank you, but I'd rather die behind the chemical sheds.

  Guard : Then you have no fear any more. You're completely free.

• Evey Hammond : God is in the rain...

• Evey Hammond : [V has taken her to the shrine dedicated to Valerie Page]  She was real! She's beautiful. Did you know her?

  V : No. She wrote the letter just before she died, and I delieverd the letter to you as it had been delivered to me.

  Evey Hammond : Then it really happened, didn't it?

• Evey Hammond : Does it have a happy ending?

  V : As only celluloid can deliver.

  Evey Hammond : OK. Put the sword away.

• Evey Hammond : [takes a bite of the breakfast V cooked]  It's delicious! God, I haven't had real butter since I was a little girl! Where did you get it?

  V : A government supply train on its way to Chancellor Sutler.

  Evey Hammond : You stole this from Chancellor Sutler?

  V : Yes.

  Evey Hammond : You're insane!

• Finch : Why are you doing this?

  Evey Hammond : Because he was right.

  Finch : About what?

  Evey Hammond : That this country needs more than a building right now. It needs hope.

• Evey Hammond : Are you a Muslim?

  Gordon Deitrich : No. I'm in television.

• V : [referring to his jukebox after Evey has told him that she's leaving]  There are 872 songs on here. I've listened to them all... but I've never danced to any of them.

  Evey Hammond : Did you hear me?

  V : Yes.

  Evey Hammond : I can't stay here.

  V : I know.

• Evey Hammond : I wish I believed that was possible. But every time I've seen this world change, it's always been for the worse.

• Evey Hammond : I can't stay here.

  V : I know. Well, you won't find any more locked doors here.

• Evey Hammond : [holding out Valerie's letter]  I thought about keeping this, but it didn't seem right, knowing you wrote it.

  V : [takes the letter, then:]  I didn't.

• Evey Hammond : [after V leads Evey up to an empty rooftop, promising her an orchestra]  I don't see any instruments.

  V : Your powers of observation continue to serve you well.

• Evey Hammond : I wish I wasn't afraid *all* the time, but... I *am*.

• Evey Hammond : [telling V about her experiences after she left him]  I worried about myself for a while... but then one day I was a market and a friend, someone I'd worked with at the BTN, got in line behind me. I was so nervous that when the cashier asked me for my money, I dropped it. My friend picked it up and handed it to me. She looked at me right in the eyes... didn't recognize me.

  [pause] 

  Evey Hammond : I guess whatever you did to me worked better than I imagined.

• Evey Hammond : Tell me... do you like music, Mr. Finch?

• Evey Hammond : Are you a Muslim?

  Gordon Deitrich : No, I'm in television.

• Evey Hammond : What is that?

  Gordon Deitrich : It's a copy of the Quran, 14th century.

• Evey Hammond : I can't feel *anything* anymore!

• Interrogator : Do you know why you're here, Evey Hammond?

  Evey Hammond : No please...

  Interrogator : You've been formally charged with three counts of murder, the bombing of government property, conspiracy to commit terrorism, treason, and sedition. The penalty for which is death by firing squad. You have one chance and only one chance to save your life. You must tell us the identity or whereabouts of codename V. If your information leads to his capture, you will be released from this facility immediately. Do you understand what I'm telling you? You can return to your life, Miss Hammond. All you have to do is cooperate.

  [pause] 

  Interrogator : Process her.

• V : [Evey has returned to the Shadow gallery on the evening of November 4th]  May I inquire as to how you escaped detection?

  Evey Hammond : A fake ID works better than a Guy Fawkes mask.

• Evey Hammond : But is it worth it? I mean if they found that here...

  Gordon Deitrich : I told you, you'll be the least of my worries.

• Gordon Deitrich : [about his TV show]  We threw out the censor-approved script and shot a new one that I wrote this morning.

  Evey Hammond : [dumbfounded]  Oh, my God...

  [Evey gulps her champagne as the TV camera pans over the clapping audience, revealing soldiers aiming shotguns; Evey chokes] 

• Evey Hammond : God is in the rain.

• Evey Hammond : I remember them arguing at night. Mum wanted to leave the country. Dad refused. He said if we ran away, they would win. Win, like it was a game.

• Evey Hammond : You mean, after what you've done? God, what have I done? I Maced that detective. Why did I do that?

• Evey Hammond : No. I shouldn't have done that. I must have been out of my mind.

• Evey Hammond : I think I should go.

• Evey Hammond : Home. I have to go home.

• Finch : Who was he?

  Evey : He was Edmond Dantes, and he was my father and my mother, my brother, my friend. He was you and me. He was all of us.

• Evey Hammond : I won't tell anyone, I swear. You know you can trust me.

• Evey Hammond : I can't believe you watch that shit.

  Fred : What? Laser Lass is bangin'.

• Evey Hammond : But I don't even know where this is. We could be anywhere.

• Evey Hammond : Are you mad?

  V : I'm sure they will say so.

• Evey Hammond : I have friends. I could stay with them.