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.
No problem :-)
Well I do have some sympathy for Nick. I also think this is a useful lesson about what we teach our children as we raise them to adulthood.
Of course Nick was 26 yrs old, and had his own life, and had ability to think for himself. His parents chose to encourage him to associate with dangerous people, then they have the bloody nerve to blame President Bush and Rumsfeld when these terrorists killed him. For what it's worth, I don't think it's Berg on that execution video. Someone died, though.
Now Rachel Corrie is a different story. I'm not happy that she died, but she knew what she was doing.
Excellent research.
The Tridish.com catch is a biggie. Prometheus Project's location, now this. Despite PP's no connection assertions, the likelihood of yet another million-to-one coincidence like this landing in Berg's yard is simply not credible.
Well done.
"In other words, the videotape of the Nick Berg beheading was an outtake from Moore's film?"
Is the same groove I'm stuck in. I have not looked at the film of the beheading, but from what I saw of it on the news, the beginning looked as posed to me as the rest of the prison photo's. For what it's worth, I'm totally convinced both the prison abuse shots and the beheading film were posed and staged. Wasn't the purpose of the beheading film (initially) a THREAT of what would happen to Berg if the prisoners were not released?
Think of it as blackmail...sort of defeats the purpose if you kill your 'captive' on camera before the threat has a chance to take effect, doesn't it?
As I have previously stated, (tinfoil on) something went very wrong. Maybe the original version of the film ended before the victim was beheaded. The 'victim' and the film may have been intercepted. Part two begins - could explain bad editing etc. But I can't bring myself to watch it.
Something makes me doubt that. Are there witnesses that saw this interview being done? Did anyone else see Moore at that Conference? Any news story of him, Moore, being there?
Color me suspicious of Everything!!
CAN ANyone ask Linda Tripp about Moore?? Is she a Freeper?
It would be helpful to get a list of the attendees of that conference, wouldn't it?
You say Berg was in Kenya in 2003, but at OU in 1999-2000 he was going toKenya to do the "paper brick-making" thingy for the natives. So WHEN did he go to Kenya...1998 when our Embassies were bombed...was it really 1998 that that happened?? I think it was later.
Two different Israeli Security forces questioned him. I find that unusual.
bump
Linda was the contact person for the 3rd Conference not the 2nd, where Nick Berg was interviewed by Moore's people.
But if Jim is inclined he might have a way of contacting her.
Can anyone ask Linda Tripp about Moore??
Is she a Freeper?DFU ping!
Correction: I linked her as the contact person for the 3rd Conference, I don't know if she was or wasn't contact person for the 2nd.
Sorry, I don't know how to reach her.
Must have been another brother, hey? I found another Berg article at:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/iraq/2001930392_lastdays16.html
Where Nick is described as the only one in the family who voted FOR Bush!
The closest I could find was a Hugo Infante from Bogata Columbia, arguing for "Corporate Social Responsibility". I think it is likely that these two Hugo's are one-in-the-same, since Columbia is seen as too much of a Coalition allie, while Chile is seen as anti-coalition.
http://www2.worldbank.org/hm/hmcsr/0200.html
I see the "Chilean ruse" as an effort to get more people in Iraq to open up, and say things BAD about the occupation... ie: more evidence that Infante was there for M.Moore.
"Now Rachel Corrie is a different story. I'm not happy that she died, but she knew what she was doing."
Rachel Corrie's story makes sense though. She hated America, she supported the Palis, she went there to protest, she accidently got killed protesting.
This Nick Berg story is all over the place. There are way too many coincidences, funny that it's all leaked out. That makes me think that whatever he was, it wasn't a gov't op.
And nobody who has attained even the age of 26 is as naive as we'd have to believe Berg was for the whole he-didn't-know-what-he-was-getting-into to make sense. Not somebody who's travelled the globe, anyway.
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