I think we need one for Nick Berg...........LOL.
Posted on 05/27/2004 9:26:51 PM PDT by Rennes Templar
May 27, 2004 | Filmmaker Michael Moore filmed an interview with American Nicholas Berg in the course of producing his documentary film "Fahrenheit 9/11" before Berg left for Iraq, where he was taken hostage and killed, Moore confirmed to Salon in a statement Thursday. The 20 minutes of footage does not appear in the final version of "Fahrenheit 911," according to the statement.
Word of the footage reached Salon through a source unaffiliated with Moore or his film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which is reported to feature stark images of U.S. civilians and soldiers grappling with conditions in war-torn Iraq, as well as examining the relationship between President George W. Bush and the bin Laden family. It received the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, on Saturday.
In a statement widely circulated by Moore's people after an initial request for comment by Salon, Moore said, "We have an interview with Nick Berg. It was approximately 20 minutes long. We are not releasing it to the media. It is not in the film. We are dealing privately with the family." Moore's camp declined to comment further on any aspect of the interview. Because the footage is not in the film, a spokeswoman for Miramax Films, the production company behind "Fahrenheit 9/11," said the company had no comment.
It was not clear from Moore's statement whether footage from the interview with Berg had ever been included in early cuts of "Fahrenheit 9/11." Reports about a film industry controversy surrounding distribution of the film first hit the news on May 5, a week before Berg's death. The film officially screened for the public and the press for the first time during the Cannes festival on May 17.
The news that Moore spoke to Berg while he was still in the United States only adds to the mystery surrounding the young man's presence in Iraq and tragic death. The interview was shot before the 26-year-old Berg left for Iraq late last year as a private contractor in the hopes of helping to rebuild the ravaged country. Though it was unclear what Berg spoke about in his interview with Moore, or how the two men met, unrelated reports following his death indicate that he headed for the Middle East with plans to work to improve the country's technological infrastructure and communication abilities. He ran his own company, Prometheus Methods Tower Service, in a suburb of Philadelphia.
Berg did not find employment in Iraq, and when he attempted to return to the United States he was detained by Iraqi police and questioned by American forces. He was released after his family complained. But shortly after, he is believed to have been kidnapped by Islamic terrorists. Video of his beheading was released on an Islamist Web site on May 11. Salon was unable to reach the Berg family for comment before publication.
Moore's film chronicles the United States' military, political and business involvement in the Middle East in the years before and after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. His previous politically charged films, including "Roger & Me" and "Bowling for Columbine," have created controversy and won him praise (including an Oscar, for "Columbine"). "Fahrenheit 9/11" has already sparked a media storm; in early May, Miramax's parent company, Disney, announced that it would not allow Miramax to distribute the film, which is highly critical of Bush and his administration.
Miramax has yet to make a deal with a distributor, though the film's warm reception at Cannes and the publicity surrounding the film have made it a hot property that is generating a lot of interest in Hollywood. "Bowling for Columbine" grossed $21 million, making it the highest-grossing non-IMAX documentary of all time.
A source close to "Fahrenheit 9/11" said that a new distributor will be announced shortly, and that the film is expected to be released in theaters during the first week of July, as originally planned.
I guess we will have to reign in our more vivid imaginations, or 'poor' Nick is going to get the blame for absolutely everything. But that's what happens when the truth is hidden, doesn't it? People (who care) will always ask questions. What I would like to know now is, just what is the function of the towers? Are they for communication or power supply?
He was a vagrant; he was arrested twice for not having a place to live. How is that normal?
Run while you still can. Once you get on a good ping list, you'll turn into a FReepaholic for sure. ;-)
This may help: FR search for "ping list"
It was pointed out to me that he didn't have a degree. Which is even more disturbing. He flits from College to College... FOUR to be exact. He takes engineering classes (and I thought I had a long College Career). Did you have a chance to read my last post? Also, were you aware Berg also attended the flight school that Moussaoui did? HUH? He goes to Oklahoma, takes a few classes, meets some friends of Moussaoui on a bus and then ends up at the same flight school???? I don't know.
A ping list is when someone keeps a list of all the posters who are interested in a certain topic and "pings" them whenever there is a new article about that topic.
A "ping" would come to you the same way a reply to a post you make would, on your MY COMMENTS page.
It's like an alert for you to read something.
Yes, it is!
I'm wondering if Berg's goal was to infiltrate Aziz's anti-Sadaam group or something similar.
I like to think he was an altruistic adventurer at least, and possibly an asset for the good guys on some level.
MM, I hope he chokes on a chicken bone.
BTW, are your reading my book?
I know he didn't meet Moussaoui, but he met others.
The NEXT Berg "coincidence" will probably be that he once stayed in that "terrorist motel" near Oklahoma City. lol!
thanks Howlin. I would love to be on it. I want to see that jerk Moore flushed down the toilet!
Berg was in cahoots w/the terrorists and they suckered him in to film the little "captive" video. Only they didn't let him know that he was the sacrificial lamb. Similar to a "snuff" porn piece.
I think we need one for Nick Berg...........LOL.
Thank you. Sometimes, when I get on a roll and have some spare time like this to find articles, I get to wondering if I'm trashing up a thread with superfluous junk that no one but me is reading. That's why I try to highlight the important points so people won't have to wade through the surplus garbage. :-)
thanks for the warning, but it's too late. I've been a FReepaholic since December, lurking. My family just don't understand!
Lol! Yeah, that kind of surplus garbage!
~~~But it's such a LIE, she whines~~~
Face it, we're your family now. :-)
ping... it's getting even weirder, if that's possible.
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