I caught a midday showing of Fahrenheit 9/11 down at the Metreon today. I walked in knowing Moore's trying to get you to walk out feeling a certain way, and in that regard, the movie was pretty much what I expected it to be.
The first section deals with 9/11 and the Bush / Saudi / Bin Laden connection. I could definitely have done without the footage of 9/11 itself. As I've said before 9/11 is a very painful topic for me so I prefer to not be reminded of exactly how painful that day was. I suppose Moore wanted to get some emotional punch in before drawing all the lines between the Bushes, the Bin Ladens, and the Saudis, but it felt a little too much like I was being manipulated to feel bad.
After that, Moore deals with the various responses to 9/11 -Afghanistan and the Patriot Act mostly. And here's what I didn't expect. I laughed. Several parts of the middle section - particularly when two Marine recruiters in full dress uniforms are walking around a parking lot in Flint, MI looking to sign up new recruits - are quite funny in a snarky sort of way.
Moore also sidetracks into one of his bete noires - how African Americans get screwed in America. It's a valid point that most of the kids in the armed forces are from poor backgrounds, but I think he's stretching a point by implying that they're all black. The issue is class not skin color. Even Moore's own footage of Iraq shows more white faces in uniform than anything else.
And speaking of the Iraq footage - I have no idea how he got the stuff but it's very raw and powerful. In a way I felt that this section of the movie was the most original, in that it's something that nobody is actually showing to us here right now. It's not easy to watch soldiers crying out in pain right after being attacked, burned bodies being dragged through streets, or soldiers putting hoods on prisoners' heads and cracking jokes about erections. These are images that show us what is really going on in our name, though, and we need to understand exactly what price we're paying.
It's been widely reported that the story of Lila Lipscombe and how she loses her son in Iraq is the emotional heart of the film. It is sad, but somehow it didn't affect me as deeply. What did make me cry? A little earlier in the film, Moore overlaid the theme song from notable 80s TV flop "The Greatest American Hero" on top of footage of Bush's trip to an aircraft carrier to declare combat operations "over". It's a cheesy song but for whatever reason I have always liked it. The juxtaposition of a song I like over pictures of President Bush surrounded by happy troops was a somewhat surreal combination. And then at the line in the song that goes "Should have been somebody else" I started to cry, thinking we should have had Gore as president instead of this loser.
Yes, I'm probably weird for crying at that point instead of when Lila Lipscombe's son dies. But that's how it happened.
I'm glad I saw the film. I don't think it's going to change many - if any - minds, mostly because the people who most need to see it (hello Dad, are you reading this?) won't bother going. And honestly, I don't see why it got the Palme d'Or at Cannes except as a way of expressing support for the political views in the film. Unlike previous winners with a war theme, like "The Pianist" or "Apocalypse Now", I don't see people watching Fahrenheit 9/11 10 years from now. It's a move for 2004, not for the ages.
All that said, it says a lot about America that despite all the problems our nation has, a film like this can be made and distributed and people can go see it without fear of reprisal. And it's a film worth seeing.
Comments (12)
Finally a review I know I can trust!
Posted by Cat | June 25, 2004 7:44 PM
Because the film is overtly propaganda, it will only be viewed by people who would believe its conclusions anyway. I doubt that it will have much of an effect on the Election, except to galvanize an already galvanized anti-Bush voting block.
Unlike the reviewer, I think it will stand up well to the test of time, as a piece of historical documentary on a time when America temporarily lost its bearings and feared to dissent.
Posted by JP | June 26, 2004 2:26 AM
Dissent was a great deal more difficult during the Viet Nam era than it is now. In a way, we have today a legacy of dissent within memory.
On the other hand, the opposition to dissent -- Patriot Act, Ashcroft's attacks on _habeus corpus_ -- is much more draconian in the "legal" sense. Then they didn't lock people up without allowing them access to lawyers and courts. They used, instead, physical violence (which Freepers promise to use at the Republican't Convention).
Posted by jnagarya | June 26, 2004 10:25 AM
I can't comment on the movie - I'm seeing it on Tuesday - but it's probably true that the major part of its audience will be those already inclined to its view; it has ever been thus for politically-oriented documentaries.
On the other hand, the fierce and usually fatuous attacks on it from the right make me think they have more faith in its ability to change minds (or at least the terms of the debate) than we do. Maybe it's not actually changing minds but forcing issues into public consideration that is its power.
BTW, I liked the song, too. And I wouldn't call the show a flop: It did get renewed for a second season. That's when it died because there's only so far you can carry the "reluctant superhero" bit.
Posted by LarryE | June 27, 2004 10:08 AM
Excellent review. I've read quite a few reviews, and wrote my own as well. Most seem to agree that F911 will probably not convert any hardcore Bushinistas (not that they'll see it anyway). What it will do is give another nudge to the fencesitters. If it does no more than that, Mike Moore was successful in his intent.
Posted by Richard Cranium | June 27, 2004 11:27 AM
About the Greatest American Hero: Interestingly enough, one of the reasons the show ran out of steam was because of the name of its main character, Ralph Hinkley. After Reagan was shot by John Hinkley, the show went into crisis mode because they received complaints about the character's last name. For several episodes, he was only known as "Mr. H" before they came up with a replacement name.
Ok, I watch too much TV. Sue me.
Anyway, F911 is a fantastic movie. Thanks for the excellent review.
Posted by 4 adam30 | June 27, 2004 12:47 PM
i saw F911 at a midnight showing on thursday 24 (friday, technically). two full theaters. i agree about the lila lipscomb thing. although she represents an important demographic, the part of her in front of the WH was a little too much for me. the part that made me cry the most was the iraqui woman sobbing and shrieking about the destruction of her home. i didn't cry simply because she had lost her home, but more for the hate and revenge this tragedy has inspired in her. "i hope allah burns their houses! where are you allah?" that is the thing that makes me saddest--that human beings on opposite sides of the globe will hate each other for the atrocities imposed by a few people pulling the strings and throwing the bombs.
Posted by corlake | June 28, 2004 6:21 AM
Those who could not identify with Lila Lipscomb's grief: I can assure you that many others were very able to do so. Perhaps it is hard for everyone to understand Middle America (the real one, not the one the media portrays) if they've never spent much time around such people. It's also funny that no one here has tumbled to the juxtaposition of the two Mothers, both consumed by sorrow, and all the things that that means for our world.
Real understanding and empathy are very hard to come by in America today. And our current predicatments demonstrate that with regard to history, we don't understand, we repeat...
Posted by D Hawkins | June 28, 2004 4:30 PM
I felt absolutely no sympathy for Lipscomb or for her son. First off, she ENCOURAGED her children to join the military. There are always other options to pay for college. College is not a surprise. Parents have 18 years to save or push children to get scholarships. The reason the military offers great college benefits is because there is a chance you can DIE.
Second, the boy didn't appear to do his duty with any dignity. He only whined and complained, although he volunteered for the service. His only response to duty was to cry and throw generic insults at his Commander-in-Chief. There are plenty of soldiers who have died and did their duty honorably. These are the real heroes. THESE are the people who make me wonder why human lives have to be wasted in the middle of nowhere.
Lila Lipscomb's performance on-screen is a disgrace to countless mothers who have borne the deaths of their sons with dignity. These mothers are the true Patriots.
Posted by Feanor | July 6, 2004 11:32 PM
I think the film will be watched in the future as an historical documentary, albeit one with a strong bias against Bush. However, I hope it will serve to remind us the potential problems of letting corporate America have too much power.
Also, a quick plug for a book I'm currently reading: The Fountain at the Centre of the World by Robert Newman, deals with the effects on the average man and the world we live in of corporate greed and power.
Posted by Mart | July 14, 2004 1:09 AM
I was outside a theater in Harvard Square selling “George - You’re Fired” buttons and bumper stickers, trying to get my fledgling web site, www.liberalsbiteback.com, off the ground. One other hawker and I found sales to be good and there was a carnival atmosphere to the evening. I hadn’t yet seen the film but was about to. After I saw the film I understood why sales to the exiting patrons were not as good. I had assumed that after viewing the film people would be galvanized into action against George Bush. Instead I think they felt, as I did, a bit stunned. The film packs a punch! We were not saying to ourselves “this is propaganda, filled with distortions, disemblages, and manipulation,” because accurate or not, the film demonstrates what the left already knows about this administration. They are out for power, personal gain, and they are trigger-happy. In addition, there was a recognition of the reality that if you show unedited images of war, it is then impossible to escape the fact that war is, under any circumstances horrific, and the more people who see these images the less likely they will be to go to war.
Is it propaganda? Absolutely. Dose it manipulate the facts? I’m sure. Do I care? NO! Because we know his basic message is true.
The left would like to think that they are above this kind of manipulation. Well it’s time we faced the facts. The right has set its Dobermans on us and we have to have a few Pit Bulls of our own. If one side of a street fight shows up with a Howitzer you can shout “No Fair!” or you can bring your own and assure mutual destruction. Hopefully this will prove the futility of escalation.
The street fight has already started and the left had better line up behind its big guns or everything they care about will be shot down. The middle is choosing sides and many see protection in the gnashing teeth of the right. We have got to show some teeth of our own. Don’t worry that we might become too much like the right: on his best day Michael Moore only dreams of becoming as accomplished a liar as the hate crimes gang of Coulter, Limbaugh, O’Reilly, and Hannity. Remember, the left, like the Pit Bull, always wears a grin.
Posted by chris osborne | July 20, 2004 5:14 PM
I am writing a compendium of life stories about mothers (or anyone) who has lost a loved one or seen pemanent suffering that came out of social injustice--whether it is war, economic unfairness, lack of access to health care, etc. Your stories are important and need to be told. Please email me.
Posted by Mona Shaw | July 24, 2004 4:56 AM