"Fahrenheit 9/11: History Belongs to Those Who Write It"
By Teddy Durgin
[email protected]
OK, seriously, there's really no way on this Earth that I'm
not going to tick off someone with a review of Michael
Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" (new in theaters Friday, June 25).
A positive critique will make me look like an anti-Bush,
anti-war left winger in bed with the French, shouting down
Halliburton investors, and sporting a pro-Kerry wardrobe. A
negative review will make me look like a war-mongering,
pro-Republican, right-wing sheep eager to defend the
establishment against any and all charges. A neutral
review--one written in such a vague and confusing way that
you have no idea where I stand on politics or the
film--yeah, that will pretty much anger all of y'all.
Welcome to life in these here U-nited States, circa summer
2004! Thanks, Bush. Thanks, Cheney. Thanks, Kerry.
Thanks, Moore. Hey, look out, Leonardo DiCaprio and Susan
Sarandon are pissed off. So, too, are Madonna and Jack
Black. They can barely bring themselves to finish their
Spago's lunches, they're so mad. Ooh, watch out for Toby
Keith. He'll put a boot in your ass if you say anything bad
about the military or his red, white, and blue. Bill
O'Reilly is spinning in the no-spin zone. Al Franken is
gasping for air time. Where's Osama? Where's Waldo?
What's the truth? What IS truth? Calgon take me away!
Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope! Who IS the
next American Idol? We didn't start the fire! Or, uh, did
we? Yikes! Why, oh, why didn't I take the blue pill?
Yup, two paragraphs into the review of "Fahrenheit 9/11,"
and I'm already lost. Alright, I'll stop wasting your time.
I'm recommending the thing, folks. The thing being
"Fahrenheit 9/11." Whether you're on the right, the left,
in the middle, up, down, black, white, yellow, or that
ever-elusive minority we refer to as green, see the film.
See it if you're going to discuss it. I'm tired of talking
with people who haven't seen it, but already have a complete
opinion formed on what's in it.
First of all, it's not a documentary. It's just not.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is a filmed op-ed piece. It's propaganda.
It's darn slick. It will arouse emotions, suspicions,
likes, and dislikes. It's a film that certainly needs to be
answered by those being questioned. I say that because if
Moore really has connected the dots here and is right more
times than he is wrong, we're all pretty much screwed.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is a seething indictment of both the Bush
administration and its conduct up to and after the tragic
events of September 11, 2001. Michael Moore states his case
that 1) George W. Bush stole the election in 2000 thanks to
his brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, and other forces
conspiring behind the scenes; 2) the Bin Laden family of
Saudi Arabia had a complex business relationship with the
Bushes over the years; 3) these business markers were called
in mere hours after the attacks on New York and Washington,
D.C., and two days later members of the Bin Laden family and
other Saudis were flown out of the country even as all air
travel had been halted; and 4) the war in Iraq is one
motivated by profit, not the removal of a threat to America
in the form of Saddam Hussein and his regime.
Of course, since this is not a documentary in the classic
sense and a propaganda piece, Moore gives only the details
that prove his points. "Fahrenheit 9/11" drifts between
being heart-breakingly serious and even outraged much of the
time to being darkly silly the rest of the time--almost to
an irresponsible degree. Moore is so talented, you want to
clap when he spins a moment we're all familiar with just the
right amount of satirical, go-for-the-jugular glee. When
Bush flies in and lands on that aircraft carrier and
declares that the Iraqi war is essentially won, the mission
has been accomplished, and the U.S. coalition is the victor,
Moore sets the whole thing to the theme of "The Greatest
American Hero." Brilliant! Hear the lyrics in your head:
"Look at what's happened to me/I can't believe it
myself/Suddenly I'm upon top of the world/Should have been
somebody else."
I also liked how he illustrated the importance of keeping
the Bin Laden relatives in the country for at least a few
more days after the 9/11 attacks, asking in his narration:
"What do the police do anytime someone is murdered in this
country? They go talk to the suspect's family, of course."
He then shows a montage of classic "Dragnet" moments in
which Jack Webb's Joe Friday asks for "Just the facts" from
a series of outraged relatives of murder suspects.
To balance out the darkly funny moments, Moore gives the
viewer plenty of pain. The footage he has gotten from
journalists embedded with the troops on the ground in Iraq
is stuff you will not see on the Evening News. It shows
soldiers both thrilling to a CD-fueled soundtrack of
aggressive combat tunes early in the engagements to others
questioning their mission as the months roll on and the
violence goes on and on. Yes, there is wartime gore. Dead
bodies, bloodied soldiers, an Iraqi kid having his face sewn
up. There is a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical in D.C.
and footage of the amputees and others maimed. Most painful
of all is Moore's visits with Lila Lipscomb, a mother from
his hometown whose son, a Marine, winds up killed in Iraq.
There is no way you won't be moved by her grief, even as
you're debating whether or not Moore is exploiting her.
I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I find it as
important to tell you, the reader, that as I did when I told
you I was a Lutheran who believes in Jesus as my savior in
my review of "The Passion of the Christ." I am registered
to vote as an independent. To be honest with you, I am
shocked that more Americans are not like me. This country
is way too diverse to lump people into just two categories
when it comes down to selecting who will lead us. But, in
truth, I sometimes wish I could be like so many of my
friends and relatives. So sure of the Democrats, so sure of
the Republicans. So eager to defend either side when either
side is accused of wrongdoing, commits wrongdoing, admits
wrongdoing.
As both an independent and a film critic, I couldn't help
but also witness the disturbing liberties that Moore takes
in getting his points across in his film. It's really hard
to applaud a guy, even if I agree with a lot of his points,
who is just so darn smug. Michael Moore is the kind of guy
you hope you don't serve on a jury with. If he thinks he
has a point, if he thinks he is right, if he KNOWS he is
right, good gracious he's gonna tout it for hours.
And he DOES go too far in some respects with "Fahrenheit
9/11." It's one thing to show poor Lila Lipscomb at home,
reading her son's last letter from Iraq, and damning Bush
for the loss of her child in a war she now believes was a
farce. It's another to then follow her to Washington, and
watch her as she wails on and on in front of the White
House. It's one thing to show that Bush and his Secret
Service detail hesitated too long in that Florida classroom
after he was told of the second plane hitting the Twin
Towers. It's another thing to slow down the footage and
then put "What am I thinking right now" thoughts in the
president's head.
Moore follows the old Oliver Stone "JFK" formula. He
doesn't come out and say, "This is what Bush was thinking
right at that moment." He says, "Maybe this is what was
going through his mind as the kids were reading 'My Pet
Goat' and the Trade Center was burning." Similarly, Stone
never said clearly in "JFK" more than a decade ago this is
precisely what happened in Dallas that November morning. He
always had his characters preface everything with phrases
like "Suppose for a moment" or "Let's consider another
possibility. What if Oswald…"
Like most Bush bashers, Moore sees the current Commander in
Chief as both a dimwit and a master planner. It would have
been easier if he had just stuck with the singular notion of
him being a puppet amidst a cabal of plotters and
profiteers. There is never one instant where Bush is made
to look good in "Fahrenheit 9/11." Moore shows him as being
many things. Aloof, lazy, simple, uncaring, scheming,
paralyzed, over-zealous. And often with the sound of a "Hee
Haw" banjo pickin' in the background. The film IS a hatchet
job. As a result, you can't totally take it at its word. I
guess what I wanted after the credits had rolled was the
other op-ed piece. I wanted the answering editorial, and
not another propaganda film either. The GOP, I'm sure, will
run some glowing short film at their upcoming Convention in
New York that will show Bush in only golden sunlight. But
all that will prove is that they can edit clips as well as
Moore can.
Without a doubt, Moore is preaching to the choir. Here in
America, we have until November to see if that choir has
grown to a deafening roar of righteous outrage with
Democrats joined in song by us independents. A lot can
happen between now and then. A lot WILL happen between now
and then. In the moment, we have "Fahrenheit 9/11"--a film
that will most likely garner two certain reactions from
audience members: "I couldn't agree more!" and "I couldn't
agree, Moore!"
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is rated R for language and raw footage of
wartime violence and injuries.
By Teddy Durgin
[email protected]
OK, seriously, there's really no way on this Earth that I'm
not going to tick off someone with a review of Michael
Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" (new in theaters Friday, June 25).
A positive critique will make me look like an anti-Bush,
anti-war left winger in bed with the French, shouting down
Halliburton investors, and sporting a pro-Kerry wardrobe. A
negative review will make me look like a war-mongering,
pro-Republican, right-wing sheep eager to defend the
establishment against any and all charges. A neutral
review--one written in such a vague and confusing way that
you have no idea where I stand on politics or the
film--yeah, that will pretty much anger all of y'all.
Welcome to life in these here U-nited States, circa summer
2004! Thanks, Bush. Thanks, Cheney. Thanks, Kerry.
Thanks, Moore. Hey, look out, Leonardo DiCaprio and Susan
Sarandon are pissed off. So, too, are Madonna and Jack
Black. They can barely bring themselves to finish their
Spago's lunches, they're so mad. Ooh, watch out for Toby
Keith. He'll put a boot in your ass if you say anything bad
about the military or his red, white, and blue. Bill
O'Reilly is spinning in the no-spin zone. Al Franken is
gasping for air time. Where's Osama? Where's Waldo?
What's the truth? What IS truth? Calgon take me away!
Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope! Who IS the
next American Idol? We didn't start the fire! Or, uh, did
we? Yikes! Why, oh, why didn't I take the blue pill?
Yup, two paragraphs into the review of "Fahrenheit 9/11,"
and I'm already lost. Alright, I'll stop wasting your time.
I'm recommending the thing, folks. The thing being
"Fahrenheit 9/11." Whether you're on the right, the left,
in the middle, up, down, black, white, yellow, or that
ever-elusive minority we refer to as green, see the film.
See it if you're going to discuss it. I'm tired of talking
with people who haven't seen it, but already have a complete
opinion formed on what's in it.
First of all, it's not a documentary. It's just not.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is a filmed op-ed piece. It's propaganda.
It's darn slick. It will arouse emotions, suspicions,
likes, and dislikes. It's a film that certainly needs to be
answered by those being questioned. I say that because if
Moore really has connected the dots here and is right more
times than he is wrong, we're all pretty much screwed.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is a seething indictment of both the Bush
administration and its conduct up to and after the tragic
events of September 11, 2001. Michael Moore states his case
that 1) George W. Bush stole the election in 2000 thanks to
his brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush, and other forces
conspiring behind the scenes; 2) the Bin Laden family of
Saudi Arabia had a complex business relationship with the
Bushes over the years; 3) these business markers were called
in mere hours after the attacks on New York and Washington,
D.C., and two days later members of the Bin Laden family and
other Saudis were flown out of the country even as all air
travel had been halted; and 4) the war in Iraq is one
motivated by profit, not the removal of a threat to America
in the form of Saddam Hussein and his regime.
Of course, since this is not a documentary in the classic
sense and a propaganda piece, Moore gives only the details
that prove his points. "Fahrenheit 9/11" drifts between
being heart-breakingly serious and even outraged much of the
time to being darkly silly the rest of the time--almost to
an irresponsible degree. Moore is so talented, you want to
clap when he spins a moment we're all familiar with just the
right amount of satirical, go-for-the-jugular glee. When
Bush flies in and lands on that aircraft carrier and
declares that the Iraqi war is essentially won, the mission
has been accomplished, and the U.S. coalition is the victor,
Moore sets the whole thing to the theme of "The Greatest
American Hero." Brilliant! Hear the lyrics in your head:
"Look at what's happened to me/I can't believe it
myself/Suddenly I'm upon top of the world/Should have been
somebody else."
I also liked how he illustrated the importance of keeping
the Bin Laden relatives in the country for at least a few
more days after the 9/11 attacks, asking in his narration:
"What do the police do anytime someone is murdered in this
country? They go talk to the suspect's family, of course."
He then shows a montage of classic "Dragnet" moments in
which Jack Webb's Joe Friday asks for "Just the facts" from
a series of outraged relatives of murder suspects.
To balance out the darkly funny moments, Moore gives the
viewer plenty of pain. The footage he has gotten from
journalists embedded with the troops on the ground in Iraq
is stuff you will not see on the Evening News. It shows
soldiers both thrilling to a CD-fueled soundtrack of
aggressive combat tunes early in the engagements to others
questioning their mission as the months roll on and the
violence goes on and on. Yes, there is wartime gore. Dead
bodies, bloodied soldiers, an Iraqi kid having his face sewn
up. There is a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical in D.C.
and footage of the amputees and others maimed. Most painful
of all is Moore's visits with Lila Lipscomb, a mother from
his hometown whose son, a Marine, winds up killed in Iraq.
There is no way you won't be moved by her grief, even as
you're debating whether or not Moore is exploiting her.
I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I find it as
important to tell you, the reader, that as I did when I told
you I was a Lutheran who believes in Jesus as my savior in
my review of "The Passion of the Christ." I am registered
to vote as an independent. To be honest with you, I am
shocked that more Americans are not like me. This country
is way too diverse to lump people into just two categories
when it comes down to selecting who will lead us. But, in
truth, I sometimes wish I could be like so many of my
friends and relatives. So sure of the Democrats, so sure of
the Republicans. So eager to defend either side when either
side is accused of wrongdoing, commits wrongdoing, admits
wrongdoing.
As both an independent and a film critic, I couldn't help
but also witness the disturbing liberties that Moore takes
in getting his points across in his film. It's really hard
to applaud a guy, even if I agree with a lot of his points,
who is just so darn smug. Michael Moore is the kind of guy
you hope you don't serve on a jury with. If he thinks he
has a point, if he thinks he is right, if he KNOWS he is
right, good gracious he's gonna tout it for hours.
And he DOES go too far in some respects with "Fahrenheit
9/11." It's one thing to show poor Lila Lipscomb at home,
reading her son's last letter from Iraq, and damning Bush
for the loss of her child in a war she now believes was a
farce. It's another to then follow her to Washington, and
watch her as she wails on and on in front of the White
House. It's one thing to show that Bush and his Secret
Service detail hesitated too long in that Florida classroom
after he was told of the second plane hitting the Twin
Towers. It's another thing to slow down the footage and
then put "What am I thinking right now" thoughts in the
president's head.
Moore follows the old Oliver Stone "JFK" formula. He
doesn't come out and say, "This is what Bush was thinking
right at that moment." He says, "Maybe this is what was
going through his mind as the kids were reading 'My Pet
Goat' and the Trade Center was burning." Similarly, Stone
never said clearly in "JFK" more than a decade ago this is
precisely what happened in Dallas that November morning. He
always had his characters preface everything with phrases
like "Suppose for a moment" or "Let's consider another
possibility. What if Oswald…"
Like most Bush bashers, Moore sees the current Commander in
Chief as both a dimwit and a master planner. It would have
been easier if he had just stuck with the singular notion of
him being a puppet amidst a cabal of plotters and
profiteers. There is never one instant where Bush is made
to look good in "Fahrenheit 9/11." Moore shows him as being
many things. Aloof, lazy, simple, uncaring, scheming,
paralyzed, over-zealous. And often with the sound of a "Hee
Haw" banjo pickin' in the background. The film IS a hatchet
job. As a result, you can't totally take it at its word. I
guess what I wanted after the credits had rolled was the
other op-ed piece. I wanted the answering editorial, and
not another propaganda film either. The GOP, I'm sure, will
run some glowing short film at their upcoming Convention in
New York that will show Bush in only golden sunlight. But
all that will prove is that they can edit clips as well as
Moore can.
Without a doubt, Moore is preaching to the choir. Here in
America, we have until November to see if that choir has
grown to a deafening roar of righteous outrage with
Democrats joined in song by us independents. A lot can
happen between now and then. A lot WILL happen between now
and then. In the moment, we have "Fahrenheit 9/11"--a film
that will most likely garner two certain reactions from
audience members: "I couldn't agree more!" and "I couldn't
agree, Moore!"
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is rated R for language and raw footage of
wartime violence and injuries.
