Monday, July 05, 2004
Fahrenheit 9/11: Good Message but Leave the Snide Remarks Out
I have now seen Fahrenheit 9/11 and have talked about it with others. These others have called it anything from "one of the most wonderful films I have ever seen" to "garbage". So what do I think?
Every time I talk about or read about Fahrenheit 9/11 I learn something new. To me the most poignant memories I have of the movie are those of the Flint, Michigan woman who lost her son in Iraq and an Iraqi woman who lost much of her family in an American attack. It's a tale of two cities, Flint and Baghdad. The woman of Flint and the woman of Baghdad stand like pillars highlighting the film like columns on some Greek building. Both sobbed a lot about their loved ones and asked for recognition, while the Iraqi one went farther and invoked God to destroy those (the US) who destroyed her family.
Much of the movie has this powerful message. The planes of 9/11 (or Planeattack, as I usually call it) smash on a blank screen. Bush reads "The Pet Goat" (that's what it should be, not "My Pet Goat") to a group of grade schoolers while towers fall down, an image which invokes to my imagination the Roman emperor Nero. Mr. Moore with these messages is telling us that we may have made a few mistakes on the road to 9/11 and to Iraq.
Michael Moore also brings out the wolfishness of the constant warnings for terrorist attacks. He should have gone farther and mentioned the case of the concourse that was closed and a plane flight that was turned back because of scissors in the ladies' room, and also acknowledged that to some extent terrorist attacks have been prevented. We have not had a major attack since 9/11.
He also brings out suspicious circumstances relating the relationship between the Bush family and rich Saudi families, including the bin Ladens. I heard in the movie that special flights were arranged for Saudis to leave the country before the ban on commercial air travel was lifted, but I may have misheard, as some said that they left after the lifting of the ban, according to Moore. This is one area of the movie that will be hotly contested.
In general, the film brings across a message that needs to be heard. He should have kept the message a strong one by keeping snide remarks about Bush and other officials out. These include the portrayal of his being a clown or idiot of some sort, and the presentation of some of his malapropisms, such as the one at the end of the film. Also the performance of stunts, such as asking congressmen if they would like to have their sons join the military and go to Iraq. If I were such a congressman being asked, I would have said that I would like to have my children go to Iraq, and that I would not like to have my children go to Iraq, present sound reasons for both claims and let him figure it out. And I expect silly tunes from an ice cream truck, not a recitation of the Patriot Act, but his point that many congressmen have not read the act is well taken.
I feel the movie has an important message, but that it should be polished a bit. I give it two and a half stars (on a scale of 1 to 4). I still would like to see it again when it comes out in DVD.
Every time I talk about or read about Fahrenheit 9/11 I learn something new. To me the most poignant memories I have of the movie are those of the Flint, Michigan woman who lost her son in Iraq and an Iraqi woman who lost much of her family in an American attack. It's a tale of two cities, Flint and Baghdad. The woman of Flint and the woman of Baghdad stand like pillars highlighting the film like columns on some Greek building. Both sobbed a lot about their loved ones and asked for recognition, while the Iraqi one went farther and invoked God to destroy those (the US) who destroyed her family.
Much of the movie has this powerful message. The planes of 9/11 (or Planeattack, as I usually call it) smash on a blank screen. Bush reads "The Pet Goat" (that's what it should be, not "My Pet Goat") to a group of grade schoolers while towers fall down, an image which invokes to my imagination the Roman emperor Nero. Mr. Moore with these messages is telling us that we may have made a few mistakes on the road to 9/11 and to Iraq.
Michael Moore also brings out the wolfishness of the constant warnings for terrorist attacks. He should have gone farther and mentioned the case of the concourse that was closed and a plane flight that was turned back because of scissors in the ladies' room, and also acknowledged that to some extent terrorist attacks have been prevented. We have not had a major attack since 9/11.
He also brings out suspicious circumstances relating the relationship between the Bush family and rich Saudi families, including the bin Ladens. I heard in the movie that special flights were arranged for Saudis to leave the country before the ban on commercial air travel was lifted, but I may have misheard, as some said that they left after the lifting of the ban, according to Moore. This is one area of the movie that will be hotly contested.
In general, the film brings across a message that needs to be heard. He should have kept the message a strong one by keeping snide remarks about Bush and other officials out. These include the portrayal of his being a clown or idiot of some sort, and the presentation of some of his malapropisms, such as the one at the end of the film. Also the performance of stunts, such as asking congressmen if they would like to have their sons join the military and go to Iraq. If I were such a congressman being asked, I would have said that I would like to have my children go to Iraq, and that I would not like to have my children go to Iraq, present sound reasons for both claims and let him figure it out. And I expect silly tunes from an ice cream truck, not a recitation of the Patriot Act, but his point that many congressmen have not read the act is well taken.
I feel the movie has an important message, but that it should be polished a bit. I give it two and a half stars (on a scale of 1 to 4). I still would like to see it again when it comes out in DVD.
