Posted on 05/29/2004 9:13:24 AM PDT by Dane
Posted on Sat, May. 29, 2004
Berg talks of Iraq's business potential on Michael Moore footage
JASON STRAZIUSO
Associated Press
In a 16-minute interview shot for Michael Moore's latest film, slain American Nicholas Berg talks about his travels to Africa and the work he hoped to find as an independent businessman in Iraq, Berg's brother said Saturday.
Moore's crew shot the footage at an Iraqi business conference in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 4, David Berg said. Nicholas Berg's decapitated body was found in Baghdad on May 8, and a video of his killing was posted on an Islamic militant Web site several days later.
Moore on Thursday confirmed he had footage of Berg - shot for the anti-President Bush film "Fahrenheit 9/11" - but said he would share it only with the family. Nicholas Berg's brother and sister praised Moore for that, and said they would also keep the footage private.
David Berg said it was "weird seeing Nick talk," but described the interview footage as dry. He said the first thing he noticed was that his younger brother - who was most comfortable in casual clothes - wore a suit.
"It's one of the few times I've seen him dressed up, and he looked really good," David Berg said.
The interview, which was not conducted by Moore, centered on the technical work Berg hoped to find repairing radio towers on behalf of his company, Prometheus Methods Tower Service. Berg, 26 when he died, also talks about humanitarian work he did in Uganda and Kenya.
"Nick seemed to be fairly conscious of using this thing to promote his business," David Berg said. "(The interviewer) does ask him at one point about the money and he said no one's denying there's money to be made. But it's very clear when you watch it, Nick knew he wasn't going to make a lot of money."
Moore said he had considered using some of the footage in his film but that it got edited out, David Berg said. Aware of the footage they had, some of Moore's staffers cried when they heard about Berg's death, the filmmaker told David Berg.
Moore sent copies of the footage to David Berg in New Jersey and sister Sara Berg in Virginia. Their parents will see the video after returning to their suburban Philadelphia home from vacation, David Berg said.
"Fahrenheit 9/11," which recently won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, accuses the Bush administration of stealing the 2000 election, overlooking terrorism warnings before Sept. 11, 2001, and fanning fears of more attacks to secure American support for the Iraq war.
Given Moore's political leanings, David Berg said he was "really nervous" about what the footage of his brother might show. Nicholas Berg was in favor of bringing democracy to the Middle East, his family has said, but David Berg said his brother wasn't overtly political.
"He went to Iraq because he had certain beliefs about helping people in messed up situations, but it's not like he was trying to help the Bush administration," David Berg said.
David Berg said Moore has handled the situation with "dignity, respect and discipline."
"Michael Moore has really been a total class act with this whole thing," David Berg said. "He could have sold this to the media or stuck it in his movie."
Unfortunately, the left is like the Moose Limbs in the way they circle the wagons and protect their own, no matter how wrong. (Hence the phrase, "thick as thieves.")
It may be years before someone finally speaks the truth about this whole sordid mess.
Yeah, number one fimmaker in France can't measure play times. Sounds like 4 minutes are in Rosemary's recycle file.
Well-said in a nutshell.
Months later, he still had said footage that was not used and that supposedly was not in step with his leftist anti-American, anti-Bush views??
Well, I'm not a movie director, but I don't believe you throw away the takes until the film is done. And fairly often you keep many of them long afterward, just in case. Many films have been re-released as "director's cuts" or in revised versions, sometimes half a century and more after they were first made.
The takes are expensive, and storage is relatively cheap. So why would Moore throw anything out before the film was released?
Thanks for the heads up. ;)
Class Act? Moore like an ASS Crack!
Why do you think Moore did not inform the family of this footage before it was revealed from other sources that it existed?
Evidently Moore told them his crew did remember the event and Nick in particular and cried upon the news of his death. But nary a word was said...not even privately to the family.
Note: I am just asking. I am not making a conclusion. But I do think it is very very odd.
We will. Someday.
I just thought of a question:
Out of all the attendees at this conference, how many did the Moore crew interview?
If they interviewed Berg at the conference, probably a lot. If Nick or Michael Berg were in cahoots with Moore, he could have interviewed Nick anywhere.
That's why I'm asking. You'd think so.
If they did not interview a "lot", then I have more questions. If they did, you can guess it was mere coincidence that Berg was interviewed--even though he was a one man band and not a big evil corporation, so how he managed to garner the attention of the crew is another guess.
I just thought of another question:
Was this conference referenced at all in Moore's final cut of the movie? (I know nobody here has seen it. I'm just proposing the question)
If so, what was the angle and tone of the presentation Moore gave it?
Just asking.
Time for another Senate Panel. What did Bush know and when did he know it?
"Michael Moore has really been a total class act with this whole thing,"...
Yep. Nothing says "class" like that blubbering, blithering, foaming, sweaty, foul, hideous insane hairy pig, Michael Moore.
>>It does appear to be a coincidence. <<
Yeah, like the coincidence of his email address being on Massoui's hard drive, etc. etc. Just one of those weird things.
Just trying to see it from all angles.
This is just not sounding right.
" I am skeptical about the authenticity of the tape. "
I don't know about the tape, but the I heard the headless corpse they found was the real McCoy.
Nick Berg does not strike me as Forest Gump in the intelligence department, but in the getting around the world area Nick is just like Forest, ending up in the oddest places at the strangest times.
I don't get why Michael Berg would say Nick was a Bush supporter, when that was not the case. What political advantage would there be?...unless good ole' Mike thought Nick had been up to something rotten & wanted the "right" to take the blame & not the "left."
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