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Page 3 • Thursday, July 8, 2004
BAT!:
Aggielife
The Battalion
Reel Critique:
FAHRENHEIT 9/11
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Written, directed and produced by Michael Moore, the controversial film that scored
the prestigious Palme d’Or in Cannes has right-wing groups lobbying for the removal of
its ads. As people say that appreciation and hatred of the film are interchangeable with
“liberal” and “conservative,” AGGIELIFE is dedicated to being a no-spin zone. Below, two
entertainment writers — who are both self-described “moderates” but admit to opposite
party preferences — review it with their political tendencies revealed.
Review by Daniel Chapman
Review by Julie Bone
BBw is it possible for anyone to know what is true anymore? The government censors the media,
idthaiilftsdia hypes fragments of truth and Michael Moore spends two hours pulling the rug out from
lid d dei everything. And through it all, everyone gets to laugh at President Bush,
i, Bguably the most controversial movie ever made, “Fahrenheit 9/11” has everyone thinking, ques-
:hai nijig, arguing, defending, attacking and crying. This is exactly what director Michael Moore was
in; for and exactly what he achieved.
LookC.Be Oscar-winning director has created a movie (not a documentary) which he describes as an “op-
Interdw piece.” In layman’s terms, Moore uses his camera to bash the Bush administration, war in Iraq and
Group ■eightened sense of fear felt in America, among other things. Does he get his point across? There
oicedaiBdoubt about it.
‘viewed Boore has stepped out and done what the United States has needed to see for a long time, princi-
ister lit unveiling the true intensity of the situation in Iraq. Resembling a modern Vietnam, we see our
ffere tops fighting and dying in the Middle East and for what? No one seems to have a good answer,
the hat the audience hears during a seminar for the largest construction companies in world is that
irdthe; g| profits will be made rebuilding Iraq only weeks after the illegal war was started. As houses are
succe" stroyed and human bodies are burned, big business is rubbing its greasy palms together ready for a
sibiliti: g| payoff. Disgusting.
it will«Violence, death and destruction are shown and the gravity of what is happening is heart-wrenching.
aldonaiBaudience is shown footage from Sept. 11, 2001, and the pictures bring forth a blow to our nation
:reatnic;atns still a throbbing wound. We are introduced to a family that lost a son overseas and feel the
other ail as the mother tries to understand why he died and the fact that she will never see him again. The
nonp nil is real, and unlike “Bowling for Columbine,” Moore smartly steps out of the spotlight. He shows
hat has not been shown in the media and fearlessly creates an onslaught of emotion,
ugeitis "Fahrenheit 9/1 1” is a torrent of images, quotes and facts along with a few trademark Moore antics.
. H*ttempts to sign up senators’ children for military service and reads the Patriot Act from an ice
| Ini truck for those congressmen who were too busy to note what they were signing.
As a movie, “Fahrenheit 9/11 ” completely captivates audiences regardless of where they might
and on the issues through slick editing, stunning visuals and music. Making the evening news look
(e White House press releases, Moore gets to the bottom of the matter, not by telling viewers what
le still
tor.
lieves, but by letting images speak for themselves.
Ilhe truth is that “Fahrenheit” should be seen by Americans who are fed up with being spoon fed
rgarcoated news stofies, and who, after seeing the dirty laundry of the United States, want to change
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“Fahrenheit 9/11,” with its name lifted from the famous Ray Bradbury novel “Fahrenheit 451,”
was touted by its director as “the temperature at which freedom burns.” But at what temperature does
an audience’s tolerance for Moore, or President Bush, boil?
In Moore’s latest attack on Bush, he makes the severe claims, among others, that Osama bin
Laden’s family was flown out of the United States after the 9-11 attacks, the Bush family and the ad
ministration is directly influenced by Saudi Arabian investment and that the ties between the Taliban
and Iraq are looser than we might suspect. It’s the personal story of a mother who lost her son in Iraq,
and it’s a comedy that satirizes the president and his decisions. But mostly, it’s incendiary.
Slanting real events to political bias, Moore presents “facts” and cleverly edits interviews and
footage of the Iraq War, complete with dramatic music corresponding to his desired emotion.
Or maybe that’s his point: As a director, he’s allowed to skew information — unlike the media.
Despite its box-office topping performance and worship from critics, “Fahrenheit” is disappoint
ing in "Bowling for Columbine’s” shadow. Although the audience never guessed as to Moore’s point
of view on gun control, there, Moore respected his audience by outlining his case, introducing each
scenario, and then letting his sources' interviews develop naturally and independently to illustrate his
point. In “Fahrenheit,” Moore patronizes and insults the spin-weary viewer’s intelligence, using more
sarcastic, rhetorical-question voiceover narration in this film to literally tell us how to interpret his
images. His theories about Bush and the War are not explored, as they could have been - the viewer
longs for some voice from the other side, if even to feign objectivity. Instead, they are simply asserted
to us before a display of images. One wonders how many talking-head interviews were conducted
before he obtained the preferred response.
Moore is also hypocritical about the media-induced “culture of fear” seen in “Bowling for Colum
bine” and that is again a major target of this film. He blames Fox News and the Bush administration
for using hyped news coverage and color-coded terror alert levels, he claims, to keep Americans
on edge and supportive of the War, but employs the very tactics he supposedly hates: He tells the
audience how hundreds of miles of Oregon coastline are unguarded and how airport security allows
matches and cigarette lighters on board. He plays ominous music at all the predictable times. He hints
at what doom lies ahead if the corrupt Bush is re-elected this year.
Although every documentary should have a point of view, calling “Fahrenheit” such is a misno
mer. This film is so propagandistic that anyone emerging from the theater having switched party
allegiances is too feeble-minded to be watching primetime television commercials. Luckily, its media
attention ensures that everyone knows by now that Moore came with an agenda. He’s biased, he says,
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