I've always been partial to the shenanigans of aggressive filmmaker Michael Moore, and have been anticipating the arrival of the much-publicized Fahrenheit 9/11 for quite some time now. His antics have incensed some while garnering intense praise from others. However, like it or leave it, this is one of the most timely cinematic works in recent years (its bitter, political sarcasm is reminiscent of the Clinton Administration satires Wag the Dog and Primary Colors), and it is impossible to deny both its self-proclaimed importance and its wickedly brilliant content and structure.
The misnamed movie begins with a chronicle of the controversial results of the 2000 presidential elections, when George W. Bush first squeaked into office. There is then some helpful footage of "Dubya" golfing, with Moore meekly narrating the questionable factoid that the President spent 42 per cent of his first eight months in office on vacation. This is starkly contrasted by muted footage of the September 11th tragedy in New York City and a cut to Bush reading from a children's book during the time of the attacks. It segways into a sly witchhunt which asks why members of the Bin Laden were allowed to leave the country only days after the attack. Moore develops a stance that there are strong ties between the Bush and the Bin Laden families, and some of his allegations practically scream for some kind of defensive reply from the President, which, to my knowledge, has yet to transpire.
The film then shifts gears to the war in Iraq, showing both the embarrassing audacity of some of the gung-ho soldiers and the relentless trauma suffered by those who not only fail to see a purpose to the conflict, but are firmly against it. In a particularly ironic passage, it is Christmastime and the troops are carrying on in full military fashion while carols play in the background. Moore also inserts an interview with an elderly man who is inappropriately harrassed by the FBI for having the audacity to express his opinions on the war at the local gymnasium. And in some of the best sequences in this spectacularly edited film, we see footage from old movies and TV westerns to highlight the unwanted bravado that characterizes many of the Bush Administration's actions and decisions.
While most people were no doubt challenging the authenticity of the facts as they watched Fahrenheit 9/11, I found myself thinking about other things. For example, how on earth was Moore lucky enough to have been able to interview patriotic Flint, Michigan native Lila Lipscomb prior to her son's death? Upon reflection, the stark contrast between the extant footage before the war in Iraq and its tragic aftermath is the stuff of a documentarian's dreams. I also marvelled at much of the unflattering footage that was unearthed, particularly the portions culled from White House public addresses that show make-up artists trying their best to make the political leaders look their best. I'd always thought presidential addresses were filmed using the White House cameras and then these were in turn beamed to the network affiliates, providing kind of a buffer in order to prevent the kind of damaging publicity that is depicted here. Unless these gaffs fall under the category of public domain, someone in Washington must have been in for a severe tongue-lashing after this film was released.
And it is precisely the miraculous footage that Moore is able to cull that speaks the most about his essay. At the end of the day, whether all of the statistics included and the boldly implied sinister connections are true or not true is beside the point. These inclusions are at Moore's discretion, and one would hope the average viewer would take them with a grain of salt. His real argument comes from the subjects themselves, relentlessly putting their feet in their orifices time and time again, while Moore himself appears, uncharacteristically, very seldom at all. The damage has already been done and has only been magnified by means of eloquent presentation.
There isn't a whole lot that can be said about Fahrenheit 9/11 that hasn't already been said by someone, somewhere. It unapologetically pummels Bush and his Administration in a format far more damaging than any other critic or opponent has managed to date. It is likely to infuriate people who desparately feel the need to believe that the past four years of war, terrorism and turmoil have not been without meaning. At turns hilarious and sobering, it represents Moore throwing as much at us as he possibly can so we may find ourselves questioning the same issues that he does. In the film, he approaches people from all walks of life, from inner city Michigan kids to political writers, all of whom are happy to talk with him about the war in Iraq. How telling it is in one scene when he approaches countless congressmen to ask them if they will enlist their own children in the army, and all of them bolt faster than you can say "trigger-happy president". How about that. Michael Moore: someone for politicians to be afraid of? You'd better believe it.
