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 had no idea. I've stopped reading the thread. Have there been any breakthroughs, new leads? Is there a coverup by Moore and his media friends?
There may be some new leads... they're being explored at the following thread started yesterday:
Fahrenheit''s Embedded Cameraman Revealed
.
Thanks for the tip. By the way, are you really a California cowgirl?
>>>By the way, are you really a California cowgirl?
Cowgirl by nature... citygirl by location
(I'm still looking for the perfect ranch, lol)
Are you related to Simon Templar? :-)
LOL! I see that! I got bored with mine.
Check your mail in a minute...
No, its from the Knights Templar.
Sure is a tangled web! I keep skipping from one thread to another and then back here. The connection between Hamid and the prison photographs and Duke...and Boulder Colorado; Michael Moore's foundation apparently established toward the funding of 'alternative media communication' (?) Nick Berg, Prometheus Towers; both Nick and Hamid entered Iraq from Jordan (at the same time?) And everywhere Hamid goes, Philipines, Iraq...folks get kidnapped by terrorists, but when Hamid is 'kidnapped' he is only held for an hour...while his driver waits? Hamid is half swedish/iraqi but also French? How many passports does he have? On his site there are photographs he evidently took in Israel, where 'the poor poor palestinians dodge bullets fired at them by the 'occupying forces' (I guess he means the IDF.)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1161136/posts
And just in case we forget, Nick's passport was stamped in Israel. There's no way we can determine if 'Hugo' who left a message for Hamid is Hugo Infante...you know, that other photographer. If I knew the tune to Alices Restaurant, I would be whistling it! Guess what happens next? (I'm a little bit psychic) someone is going to find that Hamid and Nick are distantly related through marriage. Remember that brother of an uncle in Mosul...I think it was. Just kidding. But these folks are so intertwined, they make me think of a nest of garter snakes.
Conclusion: Michael Moore's money hatred and ambition have made him the most dangerous man in the US - and probably caused the death of more than one individual.
I'm sticking with my original theory. The prison 'abuse' photgraphs were POSED. And now at least, we know the name of the photographer.
>>>Guess what happens next? (I'm a little bit psychic) someone is going to find that Hamid and Nick are distantly related through marriage. Remember that brother of an uncle in Mosul...I think it was. Just kidding.
ROFL!!
Posting this just for the record. Moore admits during interview he had footage of prison 'abuse' before 'the story broke' -
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1164418/posts
see #61.
What the heck is this all about? Is there any link between Karpinski and Moore?
"Is there any link between Karpinski and Moore?"
Good question. Let me ask another one. If she had not been negligent - and evidently unsuitable for the position - would Hamid, the photographer, have been able to obtain the 'abuse' photographs? Moore has already openly stated he obtained the material before 'the prison 'torture' story broke'.
With this recent comment from Karpinski suggesting an Israeli interpreter was at the prison, she proves herself to be not only beneath contempt but dangerous. The possibility Karpinski was complicit in the staging of the prison 'abuse' photographs would not be too huge a leap to make.
At the very least, Moore's associates (any one of the three teams of undercover photographers he said were in Iraq on his behalf) would have quickly discovered the weak leak in the chain of command. (And Karpinski's political views as well.)
I noticed on the other thread there's mention that this Karpinski is the same as the ice skater - who created a sensation by having a competitor injured. Is this really the same woman?
I'm not sure if Janis Karpinski is linked or related to a skater by that name, though.
I'm still waiting for someone to admit they were paid by Moore's crew to stage the photographs. We know the name of one of the photographers I think -Urban Hamid - we just don't know who aided and abetted him..or allowed him access to Abu Ghraib.
Each one involved in this had an anti-Bush agenda, and by the sound of Karpinski she fits well into this.
The ice skater who attempted to kneecap her competitor was Tonya Harding. Can you direct me to the thread where Karpinski and Harding are connected? I somehow think the poster was drawing an analogy, not saying they are actually related. However, the world is a strange place, and perhaps there is a relationship.
Sorry, I misread #32 on:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1164805/posts
Thanks for drawing the error to my attention.
bttt!
Does ANYONE have a synopsis of the real connection of Nick Berg to Michael Moore and if Berg was the camerman for Fahrenheit 9/11???
OMG!!! Reply #1859 is a treasure trove!!
OMG!!! This one and #1859 are UnBELIEVABLE!!
Please bring this info forward on a new thread...I have no ide of how to do that...thanks.
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