The Editor
[Source: CNN.com]
Review: 'Fahrenheit' a
powerful, fiery film
At times heavy-handed,
at times off-putting, but well done
[Bush reading his story for 7 minutes after having been told that the second tower of the WTC had been hit]
By Paul Clinton
CNN Reviewer
Friday, June 25, 2004 Posted: 1151 GMT (1951 HKT)
(CNN) -- Filmmaker Michael Moore
tends to make his points with a
sledgehammer, and his anti-Bush
administration documentary
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is no exception.
But this time around he uses more
delicate instruments as well, and
what emerges is a powerful film.
Documentarians always have their own
points of view, but Moore takes his
positions and then guards them with
pitbull-like intensity (though with humor
as well). That tendency was plain in such
past efforts as "Roger and Me" and the
Academy Award-winning "Bowling For
Columbine." "Fahrenheit 9/11" takes his
burning passion to new heights; the heat
is downright tangible.
But the question isn't whether
"Fahrenheit 9/11" is a fair and balanced
look at its subject matter. Of course it
isn't. Rather, is it good filmmaking?
The answer is yes.
Moore states his premise and then
proceeds to build his case quite
effectively. The title is a play on
"Fahrenheit 451," the temperature at
which paper burns, and a Ray Bradbury
novel about a future totalitarian state in
which reading and independent thought
are banned. Moore's contention is that
the present administration in
Washington is jamming its policies
down the throats of Americans -- and the
world -- with little to no regard for the
truth; or, at the very least, no room for an
open discussion as to the validity of
those policies.
Showing restraint
Moore is going for the jugular in this
one-man cinematic crusade. However,
he does show remarkable -- and I feel
wise -- restraint when it comes to the
actual events of September 11, 2001.
Rather than featuring grisly images of the
World Trade Center collapsing, he lets
the screen go dark, relying on sound to
convey the horror of the event.
But when it comes to Bush himself, the
gloves are off and the fists are clenched.
Perhaps the most damaging footage
shows Bush on September 11, sitting in
a Florida classroom for a full seven
minutes after he had been told that the
second tower had been struck, and that it
was clear the horrific events in New York
were a terrorist attack, not a tragic
accident. Moore lets this moment go on
and on: The president of the United
States, stone-faced in front of dozens of
schoolchildren, doing absolutely nothing,
as our nation comes under attack.
Though Moore is the narrator of
"Fahrenheit" and appears in the movie, much of the film consists of news
footage
featuring the president. At times, it can be argued, some of these scenes
appear out
of context.
In one scene, Bush addresses supporters at a white-tie fundraiser: "This
is an
impressive crowd -- the haves ... and the have-mores. Some people call
you the
elite; I call you my base." In another moment, Bush is in the middle of
a golf game
when he gives an obviously impromptu news conference. "I call upon all
nations to
do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers," he says. "Now
watch this drive."
He then proceeds to step back and hit the golf ball.
Powerful sequences
But the film finds stunning power in the
story of Lila Lipscomb, a resident of
Moore's hometown of Flint, Michigan. Her
son is fighting in Iraq; when she is first
interviewed, she's a staunch defender of
the war and Bush's policies.
But then her son is killed. After his death,
she goes through a poignant and deep
metamorphosis and becomes staunchly
anti-Bush and anti-war.
Whether "Fahrenheit 9/11" will have an
impact beyond its cinematic achievement,
only time will tell. But that doesn't diminish
the film. It's an accomplished
documentary with an extremely powerful
message.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" opens nationwide on Friday, June 25.