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.
...as long as we don't have to see what oozes out...
I still don't believe it.
Was the scenario for Berg a duplicate?,i.e., he was supposed to meet someone?? (a bad dude).
No guilt there...
I believe that Berg said to his employee what the employee said that he said. I don't believe that Berg meant it. I think that Berg has been a "player" since before he went to Oklahoma. I just don't know the "team" he was playing for.
I can't believe I let this slip by! There are Fed Ex records according to Moore!!!
Explain?
That's what I mean. Something is up, IMO. Maybe this Salon article is meant to be a premptive action.
We all know that is how Salon survives by the monetary generosity of liberal elites in the press.
JMO this story has to many loose ends and something just doesn't add up.
Glenn Beck just did a good summation about this situation. The Today show was quiet about this development this morning.
JMO, again, there is something up.
You disagree with Michael S Berg and his ilk then. They maintain that the lawsuit sprung Nick.
Agreed. Remember, Berg supposedly worked in some capacity at the Republican Convention in 2000, in communications. He would perhaps have felt it necessary to disguise his party affiliation, although since usually there are a lot of union guys there I don't think it is really a requirement.
That works for me.
Moore bragged on his web site that he had two camera crews in Iraq, filming for him, and that they were sending him footage by Fed Ex, which he thought hilarious.
Moore is an admitted liar (Disney claim, etc.etc.). Isn't it possible that here he is lying through his teeth about interviewing Berg and having a 20-minute video? Nobody has seen the video; does it exist? Salon and Moore say it does; they need to back up their claims and release it to the FBI or show it publically then.
I searched Moore's web site for ANY mention of Berg. Nothing.
"--- Berg not only found employment in Iraq, but he was part of a
company in Iraq called "Babylon Towers," meaning
communication towers. His alleged partner in this Iraqi company
was Aziz K. Aziz, an Iraqi who spent much of the 1980s in
Philadelphia, which is a short drive from Berg's native West
Chester.
Aziz K. Aziz was convicted in the United States for marketing
CRACK VIALS --- "
All the info you have in this post is new to me.
Thanks.
:-) That's what some people say but I don't believe it for one minute. A certain percentage of those brains are still here but traveling under a new screen name. (Hang with me. This is my 'deep thought' for the day...) Have you ever gotten the feeling that you're talking to someone you may have known in a past life? That you're speaking with somebody who knows exactly who you are, but yet you don't know who they are? How many people here have changed screen names at least once without telling anyone? It's like getting a 'fresh start' -- a new identity -- without having to keep lugging your old baggage around that you'd much rather keep in the closet.
It's Friday. Don't ask for anything deeper or my synapses may overload. :-)
Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice, as she floated down the rabbit hole...
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