My previous rant against it didn't really make clear what I wanted to say about the movie. First; I do not care what political slant Moore wants to put on him films. If he'd have done something like this at the height of the Clinton presidency he'd have had enough for two or three films. And had this Clinton movie been made with the same care and passion of F 9/11 it would have been a big hit as well. And would still fall into the category to which I misnamed "Mocumentary".
I couldn't think up a better, more precise word at the time (and still can't, though I'm so doped up I can Barlow tupe... Uh, make that "barely type"). The bottom line beef I have with F 9/11 and any other kind of contrived and manipulated film, is that they shouldn't be called nor classified as documentaries. They are political propaganda, which is just fine. Nothing wrong with political propaganda, the current administration is a whiz at it. Clinton was a master. And the greatest of all just passed away a short while ago. Have you seen the movie Wag the Dog? That's really the way it's played when you get to that level of politics. You take a grain of truth, gather as much as you can to support this grain then use "the other side" to show how they messed things up and how you (or we, the "good guys") need to band together to fight this terrible evil government and it's leader.
Reminds me of The Passion of the Christ. Ol' Mell made a film as his depiction of the last days of Christ. It was done as a movie but it was intended to be as close to a documentary as possible. Of course it wasn't a documentary. It was a personalized expression of something that he thought and felt to be true. In it's way it is just the same kind of movie that F 9/11 is. Showing a slanted, jaded, biased, take a grain of truth and build a house of cards from it is just fine as a fiction or drama, like the Law and Order "Ripped from the headlines" catch. And just in case someone might think that I'm just saying this due to my political leanings, I an not a fan of GW at all. I think he really blew it in so many areas since 9/11 that this country could be in it up to it's neck for years. But had Michael Moore made a movie that was 100% the opposite, one that showed the world what a great leader GW was in the time of crises and all that I would still be sitting here typing away at this message.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is, by all accounts, a funny and sad and thought provoking movie. That's a good thing. If Moore has released this film honestly, as a fictional drama based on reality, in stead of a Documentary1, I'd be all for it. That's my real problem with his, and many others in the media industry. Hell, half the "news" reports these days are slanted one way or another.
If Michael Moore ever makes a real, documentary as defined by the very word "documentary", I might go see it. But, probably not. With a 7yo in the house all I get to see are Disney or Nickolodean or whatever Pixar might have out. With luck I will be taking him to see Spider-Man 2 this Wednesday. SP2 is not a documentary so there's little to be worried about if I go see it, huh?
1) From Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: 1doc·u·men·ta·ry
Pronunciation: "dä-ky&-'men-t&-rE, -'men-trE
Function: adjective
1 : being or consisting of documents : contained or certified in writing
2 : of, relating to, or employing documentation in literature or art; broadly : FACTUAL, OBJECTIVE <a documentary film of the war>
I guess I’m the beach bum …. Anyway, as promised.
ReplyDeleteFahrenheit 9/11 was everything promised, and a bit more. I felt Michael Moore spent more time the Bush family contacts with the Saudi royals and the Bin Ladin family. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the movie that was talking about military service, and how the present, as well as past administrations, have pushed the burden of military service onto the minority and poor communities. With an economy in the bottom of a deep pit (just like his daddy) and unemployment reaching highs not seen since the great depression, young people are being pushed into military service. These are the same people who under the current administration (as well as the past) are being treated the worst. The scenes with the two Marine recruiters showed just what most people in the military will tell you, they were lied to. It was something that every American should see.
All in all, I felt it was a very good movie. While you may not agree with the conclusions reached, it is very hard to dispute the facts. I doubt you will see anyone suing Michael over the facts. In fact, I bet the only lawsuits you will see is Michael Moore suing others for libel. I would hope that people who are undecided would take the time to see the movie. You don’t have to agree with everything said, but you should see it for yourself. Some of the most powerful footage is of Bush himself. It’s hard to dispute something coming from his own mouth. Even Rush can’t do that.
Don’t take my word, nor the word of anyone else on TV. Go see the movie yourself. Its worth the cost of admission for the laughs alone. I’ve heard on TV that republicans seeing it are saying its funny. So, see the movie, have a laugh, then vote. Because not voting is the real problem in this country.