Fahrenheit 9/11

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Director: Michael Moore

He sharpened his propaganda sword in "Bowling for Columbine". Then he gained 700 pounds and made "Fahrenheit 9/11". If this film carried a fraction the weight of Moore himself it would be a substantial film indeed.

"There is no terrorist threat!" That is a direct quote from Michael Moore. I swear I am not making that up!!! I have seen him on TV saying those exact words; if you have doubts check out his biography on the IMDB. They credit that quote to him as well. To be fair, I don't know whether he said that before or after 9/11 but it really doesn't matter. Either way it shows a profound disconnection with reality, and you can be sure that this film is entirely colored with the same type of rhetoric.

Here is another typical Moore quote. "The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'insurgents' or 'terrorists' or 'The Enemy.' They are the Revolution, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow, and they will win.'' Its almost impossible to believe he actually said that. If stupidity was a sport he would be Olympic champion. They are not insurgents or terrorists!? What are they then?!?!? If I were a terrorist and I had to pick my campaign manager, Moore would be my first pick.

What Moore is doing in this film is nothing new and its really very simple. His film uses tricks that date back even before the great Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl. Moore is merely using clever editing and movie magic to completely manipulate the truth. Moore has theories but no facts to back them up; so what does he do? He goes out and completely fabricates the facts. What you as the viewer has to decide is: Do I care that Moore gets his point across, even if it's in a dishonest way? I personally don't like to be lied to; you may feel differently though.

Jean-Luc Godard the famous French filmmaker and founding member of the French new wave said of Moore: "Post-war filmmakers gave us the documentary, Rob Reiner gave us the mockumentary and Moore initiated a third genre, the crockumentary." I didn't say that; a French filmmaker did. Now if a Frenchman can see this film for what it really is, it shouldn't be a problem for any American to do the same.

Don't get me wrong, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a pack of boldface lies and manipulations but if you know anything about filmmaking technique you will see upon closer inspection that Michael Moore is, in fact, enormously fat.

I am not saying that a strong case cannot be made against the Bush administration, I am just saying that Moore doesn't do it. This film is cleverly edited for sure; you have to give Moore credit for that. But it is not honest in any way.

I can hardly wait for "Fahrenheit 9/11 ½"

My rating: 1 out of 5