Posted on 06/23/2004 2:17:22 PM PDT by weegee
At last. Finally. Ive seen FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and frankly, having seen the film, I think the title is all wrong. The temperature at which freedom burns isnt really the goal of the film. Yes, this film does have tangible real world goals, with every sprocket hole, this flick is asking you to not re-elect that Bush dude. This is propaganda.
I love propaganda, its fascinating. The study of propaganda has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember. My father showing me WWII propaganda cartoons, comics and posters. I remember watching Frank Capras WHY WE FIGHT and having my father point out to me how completely Capra tears apart any sympathy for the Nazis. The point was to turn the enemy not into a human being, but a monster you could kill without batting an eyelash. Capra wasnt just targeting the members of the Nazi party, but the entire history of the German people. He was creating the argument that for once and for all we must fight and destroy these aggressive monsters and punish them to such a degree that they may never rise to inflict their evil upon the Earth again. He was definitely overstating his case at the time Hell, he didnt even have the ammunition of knowing about the Holocaust and what was really going on over there. But he did have access to Leni Riefenstahls TRIUMPH OF THE WILL, which he re-edited footage from, ran it backwards and forwards to reduce the vaunted leaders to buffoons and monkeys. Taking imposing imagery and turning it into ludicrous imagery. Capras WHY WE FIGHT is a masterpiece of propaganda filmmaking. It is funny, disconcerting, persuasive and definitely politically incorrect. It was filled with deception and never ever made an argument for the otherside. There was no sympathy for the Germans, this was to convince every man, woman and child that America was fighting the good fight. That film was successful in every single aspect that it wished to pursue. It was a terrible documentary and a farce of any concept of accurate journalism and even morally repugnant in its characterization of the GERMAN PEOPLE as a whole. It was Great Propaganda though, and it was absolutely necessary in order to motivate those that would otherwise sit on their hands to motivate to fight, to build and to sacrifice to bring freedom and sanity back to the world we lived in.
So how does FAHRENHEIT 9/11 stack up to Capras great work of Propaganda? Well, pretty damn good actually. In some ways, I feel the title of the movie should be: WHY WE VOTE, because honestly thats what this film is about and for. Like Capra, Michael is looking to erase any sense of propriety from this administration. Michael Moore shows the viewer how this isnt just one Bush, but all the Bushes that we need to burn. He creates a history of shady deals, connections and decisions made out of personal profit. He shows this isnt just recent, but that the connections go back to when Bush was vacationing from the National Guard. He shows what Bush was attempting to hide, and why he was hiding it and why he was concerned about how that would make him look. He doesnt state conclusions, but pushes the viewer to make the right conclusion for themselves. He uses humor, he allows Bush to look the fool that he so often comes across as being. He shows Bush being serious and seemingly sincere, then within a blink of an eye, you see that it was a front as he returns to the real Bush which is the joking loafer. At every point in this film, it is about defaming and ridiculing Bush showing him to be an insincere ignorant desperate servant of the powers that be. That he is not a President, but a man that doesnt care about America, Americans, Soldiers, The Homeland, Justice or the Truth. So is it the great piece of Propaganda that WHY WE FIGHT was? Not quite. But frankly, that isnt really Michael Moores fault. The Nazis and Hitler had hired Leni Riefenstahl to shoot their footage, so the quality of images that Capra had to work with well, simply they were far better than the images that C-Span or Fox News or Nightline could provide. Also, I dont feel that he pushed hard enough the concluding message. He wants to leave that to the audience, but Capra understood he was talking to the masses, people that need the message underlined and spoken aloud. I honestly feel he needed to do his Chaplin moment where he demanded that we not allow this to continue. That this country, our soldiers, our people and the world deserves and demands better for the United States. The film is one knock out tirade away from being a homerun work of Propaganda, but ya know what. Its pretty damn good.
Theres images in this movie that I honestly feel are just exactly the sort of thing that pisses all human beings off. When you watch this, and you definitely should, be prepared for some hurtful imagery. The civilian and soldier dead and mangled survivors WILL effect you strongly. Women burned by napalm and in particular the kid who cries out in pain as theyre sewing his scalp back together it hurts. And he asks the question, Why? He shows you these images because apparently the media isnt. Where are the interviews with amputee soldiers, our American Heroes? Why do I have to pay to hear what they think? Why is this on film and not on Nightline? Why are we not being shown the human cost of this war? The film raises up scenes that are quite volatile and by getting to 700 theaters this Friday, and by having the enormous amount of publicity that Michael has managed to drum up Maybe it has a chance. Maybe.
The history of American Cinematic Propaganda has a good record of return. WHY WE FIGHT worked, it motivated Americans to volunteer. VICTORY THROUGH AIR POWER by Walt Disney did result in Roosevelt creating the Air Force as a separate branch and approving the long range bombers the film demanded this country to dedicate itself to constructing in order to defeat the AXIS. The films in advance of Korea and Vietnam did motivate audiences to believe in those fights. So will Michael Moores film unseat these monkeys, can it make a difference?
Time will tell. At the end of the film, the last thing on screen is the statement, DO SOMETHING: WWW.MICHAELMOORE.COM It is clear that he wants you, all of you to watch this film and do something give a shit to voice your anger at him, Bush, the system, something BUT CARE! Find out more, read more and above all else fucking register to vote and VOTE. Get your friends registered, give them the forms, sit with them as they fill them out. Mail them for them and on Voting day, drive them to the polls and while youre at it DONT FORGET TO VOTE TOO!
Propaganda is generally held in low esteem, almost as a bad word. My grandfather used to claim that America never used propaganda and if you argued with him, he would just state that it was TRUE. Well, I think I understand that thought-line. If you agree with the propaganda, is it propaganda? If you believe it to be true, and ultimately history proves it to be true, then is there anything wrong with propaganda that was necessary in order to take the world in a better direction? Honestly, I think propaganda is necessary. When governments deceive, when the news programs get brow beaten into sublimation, perhaps independently financed and produced Propaganda to remove those that would lead this country to ruin Maybe it is necessary to get outrageous and defiant. It is time to protest and motivate. The day Michael Moore and all the other liberal or conservative pundits shut their mouths itll be a glorious day, because it means something is working unless its a really terrible day, because theyve all been silenced. If Michael Moores purpose was to reinforce my beliefs that Bush and his cadre of criminals must be removed from office this November, then by golly he succeeded!
I know way too many people that gripe about Bush, gripe about the war and then when it comes right down to it They dont vote. They look at it like this They know Bush will win TEXAS no matter what. They feel their vote doesnt count, but to me, my vote always counts.
Meanwhile, if you see FAHRENHEIT 9/11 and wished it had been meaner to George, I suggest picking up Ted Ralls GENERALISSIMO EL BUSHO, I just recently got a review copy of the collection of his Bush era editorials and political cartoons and highly recommend it to those that love to see Bush torn to shreds in writing and illustration. Also, Rall tends to make a more aggressive case!
I would compare TRUIMPH OF THE WILL and THE ETERNAL JEW in the same breath as this film because they are both propaganda designed to serve an evil end.
The terrorist organization Hezbollah is helping to promote the film in the United Arab Emirates.
Well at least one liberal who loves this film isn't afraid to admit that it is deceitful propaganda. If only he would admit that it is a convenient dodge around campaign finance laws, election laws against foreign contribution, etc. etc.
barf barf barf
The "cost of war" that this editorial discusses is meaningless without the context of the benefits of the war, and the costs of not going to war. Gee, liberals are always talking about context, and root causes -- funny how simplistic they become when it's a message that reinforces their worldview. And that's fine -- but then they shouldn't pretend to be nuanced and intellectual.
I bring the article here for discussion so that we can at least discuss it in rational terms (his article about the film, not defend the ends it serves).
He knows what it is. He has no desire to dig into a deeper truth. His mind is made up. One has to wonder why he is excited about this film if it is just preaching to the choir. I don't mean that he is excited about this being a film "which could turn the tide" but that he genuinely liked the film, watching it himself.
I got bored with the first Matrix film because I could tell where it was going ("I can bend things with my mind") long before the character ever got there. Never bothered to check out the other two.
Harry doesn't exactly say that he found any of the details in this film to be "eye opening". If Michael really wanted to be confrontational and share details that the American media won't show he would include the interview conducted with Nick Berg and the longest version of the Nick Berg murder video. To whatever end he wanted to use that footage, Michael Moore is too big a wimp to touch it (opens a whole other can of worms).
the liberals at Rotten Tomatoes loved it too...
But I suspect that thirty years from now, history will echo Harry Knowles's comparing it to Leni's pro Nazi film...
Whether they will say it's good or bad propaganda will depend if the reviewers are the state paid reviewers of the Islamic republic of Europe or the reviewers from the countries of the former European Union...
Why aren't Saddam's torture videos on Nightline? Oh, wait, silly question!
But the High Lord Hamster Master at EvilDave.com thinks it's a big steaming crock of shi'ite.
I should know - he's ME.
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