Posted on 06/23/2004 10:50:02 AM PDT by stillnoprotestsagainstmuslims
French Filmmaker Takes Own Stab at Bush
PARIS (Hollywood Reporter) - When "Fahrenheit 9/11" was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, another documentary about George W. Bush was waiting in the wings in case Michael Moore's film wasn't ready in time.
"The organizers were keen to include our film in the Official Selection but felt it was politically incorrect to have two anti-Bush documentaries at Cannes," says Jean-Francois Lepetit, whose Flach Film produced "Le Monde Selon Bush" (The World According to Bush).
Directed by seasoned documentary maker William Karel, the 90-minute film could scarcely be more different to Moore's Palme d'Or winner. Karel's style is sober, eschewing humor and stunts in favor of heavyweight interviews.
"Le Monde" is a scathing attack on Bush's first 1,000 days in power, and chronicles the first family's alleged links with the oil and arms industries.
Originally made for French public broadcaster France 2, the documentary premiered on television last Friday, but in an unusual move opened theatrically in France on Wednesday. "We wanted to give the film a wider audience," Lepetit explains.
Inspired by journalist-author Eric Laurent's two books on the Bush administration, "Le Monde" is the fifth film by Karel examining American political power. The Tunisian-born Swiss director insists he "adores" America, but chose to make the film because "it's a true story stranger than fiction."
Spending more than eight months battling "the veil of secrecy" surrounding those in office, Karel managed 26 detailed interviews, with personalities including Secretary of State Colin Powell, neo-conservative Richard Perle, former CIA directors James Woosley and David Kay, writer Norman Mailer, academics and journalists.
"I was amazed how willing some people were to be interviewed, straight after they had left government and were no longer bound by secrecy laws," Karel says.
The EUR500,000 ($605,000) film covers many topics, including how the "Christian right Israeli lobby" has influenced U.S. policy in the Middle East and how the Sept. 11 attack gave a "clueless" Bush his raison d'etre -- the "crusade" against terrorism, the "false pretext" under which the second war on Iraq was waged, and the "big lie" linking Saddam Hussein to Sept. 11. The film illustrates how George H.W. Bush, first as vice president and then as president from 1988 to 1992, armed and financed Saddam Hussein. The Bush family's alleged ties to the Bin Laden clan and Saudi Arabia are also examined.
Karel insists his film is not a French diatribe against America but rather a gathering of eyewitness accounts from Americans who lived through the times. "To think President Richard Nixon was impeached because of three tapes!" Karel exclaims. He hopes the film will be seen in the United States. "None of my films have made it to the U.S., but I'm hopeful that this one will," he says.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Of course still no movies on Al Qaida or Saddam.
And to think Bill Clinton stayed in office!
france is History. It is VICHY once again, So the france moniker goes. VICHY across the channel from England says blah...blah...blah...Vichy superior to Freedom...blah...blah...ad nauseum.
And will he examine those links with Chirac? With TotalFinaElf and Saddam?
Richard Nixon was NOT impeached. He resigned.
Right? When it that EVER talked about by the liberati? Total oil, totally IGNORED. Freggin mutts.
It is entirely possible that some of the money that funded it came from him, but never has the administration claimed this as fact.
And Hussein's official reaction of joy and celebration to 9/11 tells us everything we need to know about what side of the War on Terror he was on.
Perhaps they are not being clear. Almost everyone that I know believes that this was Bush's stated reason for attacking Iraq. (Of course, the group that believes this is split over whether this is for oil (~20%) or just to avenge his father's failure (~20%) or stupidity and ineptmess on the current Bush's part (~40%)).
Of course, the revision of Terrorist Incidents claims just adds the the perception of incompetence.

Grafitti by the French on D-Day graves at Colleville-sur Mer



FRAAAANCE!!
I'm sure the French are mighty miffed at having their oil-for-food scam ended. Tough croissants, frogs.
"To think President Richard Nixon was impeached because of three tapes!" Karel exclaims.
Try reading a history book sometime, Karel.
Dope.

From left to right, translation of the grafitti by the French on D-Day graves at Colleville-sur Mer (as best I can tell)
"Take your sh*t out of our ground".
"English go home..Saddam will kick your ass"
"Yankees Bush Blair are Nazis" (or someting like that)
When a Frenchman takes a stab, it's usually aimed at somebody's back. :-)
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