In the most
provocative film of the year, Academy Award-winner Michael Moore
presents a searing examination of the role played by money and oil in
the tragic events of 9/11. Moore blends captivating and
thought-provoking footage with revealing interviews, while balancing
it all with his own brand of humor and satire.
CRITIQUE
No matter what your
opinion on Michael Moore, it cannot be denied that the man is a true
artist in every sense of the word. He is a mixed medium master, a
Paganini of the editing table, and he is able to mold video and film
footage from countless sources to fit his view of the world and make
his point. His canvass has grown with each film he has made. In
Roger & Me, his auspicious 1989 debut, he painted a portrait of
corporate greed in his hometown. With The Big One in 1997, he
showed that the corporate policies that decimated Flint, Michigan,
were not exclusive to his hometown, and that they were a national
problem of grave concern. In his Academy Award-winning follow up, he
cast the NRA as Big Corporation, examined gun violence in America and
how FEAR is used to drive the sale of guns. Now we have Fahrenheit
9/11, Moore operating at the height of his powers. Everything Moore has been
working on for the last fifteen years has led him to this film, and
all of the themes he has dabbled in are present here in their most
frightening extreme.
Like any of Michael
Moore’s films, we must look through his somewhat questionable methods
to see the important questions he asking about our country.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is the kind of personal filmmaking that borders on
propaganda; so much so that whether or not this is a true documentary
is debatable. What is clear is the power of the information, the
highly questionable motivations of the people who run our country.
Moore is not on camera in this film as much as he has been in
the past, and that is for the best. While his editorializing is at a
low, it is not completely absent. He comments in other ways, through
editing and voice over. In one instance, he mentions Bush’s name,
then pauses as a guitar riff from the song “Cocaine” plays for a brief
moment. Wink, wink, Michael. Some of his voice over is excessive and
unnecessary. When he shows the video of Bush in the Florida
elementary school on 9/11, sitting stone faced after he has been
informed of the second attack, the image is so damning that it speaks
for itself, but Moore cheapens it with unneeded voice over,
speculating on what Bush was thinking at the time. When we are shown
the September 11th attacks, it is done cunningly. We hear
the planes hitting the towers (assuming that is what we are
hearing) and we see the reactions of the people in New York as they
watch the carnage unfold before them. We never actually see
the planes hit. But why should Moore repeat himself? He showed the
planes hitting the towers in Bowling for Columbine, and every
great artist knows that the worst thing one can do is repeat oneself.
The Orson Welles adage is true here: it is okay to borrow from one
another. What we must never do is borrow from ourselves.
The culture of FEAR
that was touched on in Bowling for Columbine is again hit up on
here, this time to show how FEAR is used to manipulate the public into
accepting things like the Patriot Act (which a congressman in the film
admits to never even having read) and the war in Iraq. In Roger &
Me Moore took on General Motors; in Fahrenheit 9/11 he
takes on the Bush family and their financial connections to Saudi
Arabia. The devastation of Flint is revisited here as the devastation
of Iraq.
We see not only the hell brought upon the people of that country, but
the toll on the U.S.
troops that have to carry out such questionable actions. The
sequences in Iraq
are the most powerful part of the film. Moore’s voice over is reduced
to almost nothing, and he cuts between the action in Iraq and the
blatant lies by U.S. politicians. (One that stands out is the
assertion by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that bombings are being
carried out with “precision,” telling of the “humanity” that goes into
it.) In the middle of all of this is überpatriot and mother
Lila Lipscomb, whose son was serving in Iraq. Her arc through the
film – from an ardent supporter of the United States military and
someone who hated war protestors to a grieving mother coming to grips
with what she never knew she never knew – is perhaps the film’s most
striking component, especially when one considers how many times this
story must have been repeated throughout the country since March of
2003.
The biggest and
most important question Fahrenheit 9/11 seems to be asking is
this: has our government, a government that was written to be of the
people, for the people and by the people, been taken out of the hands
of the people. A congressman in the film admits that they don’t read
most of the bills that come through. Moore leaves us with the
question, will they [foreign countries and people] ever trust us
again? An important sub-question might be, why should they?
Regardless of how one feels about Moore and his politics, his
filmmaking prowess cannot be denied. Fahrenheit 9/11 is the
work of a master cineaste working at the height of his powers. Moore
obviously has a deep understanding of how cinema works, and the
buttons he is trying to push on his viewers hit all the right marks.
This is an important film regardless of where you fall on the
political spectrum.
THE VIDEO
Fahrenheit 9/11
is presented in the original 1.78:1 theatrical ratio. The picture
quality is quite superb, and the quality of both the archival footage
and Moore’s own material is well above average. There is no grain
present, and the color levels are excellent.
THE AUDIO
This DVD is
presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The presentation is solid, and
everything from dialogue to the horror of war in Iraq comes through
loud and clear.
THE EXTRAS
The release of
Fahrenheit 9/11: An interesting featurette where we hear from politicians,
celebrities, and moviegoers on the release of the film. We also hear
from the Cannes Film Festival jury that awarded this film the best
picture award.
Montage: The People
of Iraq On the Eve of Invasion: An interesting look at the people of Baghdad in the
days leading up to the war. This paints quite a different picture
than the one painted by the U.S. government.
Homeland Security,
Miami Style: A scary, funny look at the Miami arm of Homeland Security: the
volunteer retirees who patrol the waters of south Florida.
Outside Abu Ghraib
Prison:
The scene outside the infamous prison as 100 “low risk” prisoners were
released in early 2004. As the prisoners come out, they talk about
the conditions. This goes on until the cameraman himself is detained.
Eyewitness Account
From Samara, Iraq: Some of this footage, shot by a Swedish reporter who was embedded with
Charlie Company, was featured in the film. Here is the complete
footage and the story behind it. This piece is disturbing and
compelling.
Extended Interview:
More With Abdul Henderson: More with the Marine corporal featured in the film. This
is definitely the one feature to watch if have to choose. What he has
to say about his experiences in Iraq is quite disturbing.
Lila Lipscomb at
the Washington, D.C. Premiere: The grieving mother featured in the film says a few
words to a packed house at the June 24th premiere.
Arab-American
Comedians – Their Acts and Experiences After 9/11:
Clips of performances of a few Arab-American comedians. We hear from
them on how things changed for them after 9/11.
Condoleezza Rice’s
9/11 Commission Testimony: A piece of this is in the film, but here we get the full
testimony of the National Security Advisor.
Rose Garden Press
Briefing After 9/11 Commission Appearance:
Footage of Bush addressing the media after his appearance before the
9/11 commission. This is interesting to watch for a glimpse at Bush’s
attitude toward the media, which is almost contemptuous. After a few
questions he is obviously not happy about, he leaves the podium
abruptly.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Fahrenheit 9/11
is a perfect example of all the things that cinema can do better than
any other medium, and it is important on several levels. While it may
not be a documentary in the strictest sense, it raises important
questions about our government that are rarely asked. Regardless of
where one falls on the political spectrum, Fahrenheit 9/11 is
one of the most important films in recent memory.
