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Fahrenheit 9/11 Director: Michael Moore Rated: M Trak and Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Now Screening 
American journalist Michael Moore has come up with the hottest film
of the year, bravely challenging the 'War on Terror' in his portrayal
of the incumbent US President as a puppet of oil interests and a sponsor
of the armaments industry. To that end 'Fahrenheit 911' is more powerful,
sophisticated and daring than his previous hit, 'Bowling For Columbine',
examining the events of 11th September 2001 and their aftermath.Through his TV shows, films, website and writings, Michael Moore has become a potent shaper of attitudes. His book 'Stupid White Men' topped The New York Times bestseller list for eighteen weeks and his film 'Bowling For Columbine' was the most successful documentary ever - until now. Only two non-fiction films have been selected for Cannes in the last fifty years and both are his; 'Fahrenheit 9/11' winning the Palme d'Or for best film. In Australian terms, Moore is something of a cross between investigative journalist Chris Masters and satirist Norman Gunston. He affects a slobbish and dim demeanour in order to expose what lies behind the faŤade of US corporate and political life. An everyman-David pitted against the Goliath of the system, he is embraced by the US public, yet at one stage in this film the President yells at Moore, "Go find real work", much to the amusement of the 'real' journalists present. In his belief that aggression and duplicity in US society starts at the top, Moore syas "Violence is our number one export." It is his assertion that GW Bush cares more about profit, power and even the Saudis (who numbered fifteen of the nineteen hijackers) than he does about the American people. He shows Bush's close ties to Osama Bin Laden, the man behind the hijack attacks, and depicts the President's response in attacking Iraq as sinisterly inappropriate. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's belief that his actions will be vindicated by history will certainly have to wait for Moore's version to be rewritten. Pre-emptive attacks on the film from right-wing commentators in the Australian media have called it 'impolite', 'intemperate' and 'juvenile journalism'. Suggestions that Moore's case against the war is deceptive propaganda are rather ludicrous though, compared to the discredited Coalition case for the war. In 'Fahrenheit 9/11', the complicity of the media in manipulating public alarm is a theme that was bound to provoke retaliation. Moore, for his part, has at least been forthright in declaring that his intent is regime change in the US. 'Farenheit 911' has raised questions of the responsibilities of a 'documentary', which is a term used to describe a wide field of cinema. The distinction between fiction and non-fiction is fuzzy at best, and Moore is no fool with his 'take' on the genre. Film makers Fred Wiseman ('Titticut Follies') and DA Pennebaker ('Don't Look Back'), for example, strive for objectivity but still select what they shoot and then edit their footage. French New Wave director Agnes Varda ('The Gleaners And I') is frankly subjective, explicitly incorporating herself in her work and Moore is always a character in his films too, though this to a lesser extent in 'Fahrenheit 9/11'. George W Bush is clearly shown to be an actor, choosing various costumes, being made-up, feigning facial expressions and rehearsing and reading his lines. Bush, the actor, knows when the director should say "cut", feeling free to take a golf-swing and crack a joke after giving the serious to-camera 'grab' for the evening news. Moore gives us more though, with some of the best material being these bits that the mainstream media edited out. He allows this thrilling archival material to speak for itself, and his 'voice-overs' are certainly less didactic than others in the field. What really makes this film controversial is the pro-peace stance which, in the current political correctness, means, "you're with the terrorists". Moore pretty well fire-proofs himself against bias charges by including some of the hideously unprofessional blather that US TV hosts have put to air. His aim is not to be balanced, but rather to provide balance to the tidal wave of pro-war propaganda. He's biased in favour of peace and social justice, but as long as he doesn't set out to deceive, he is beyond reproach. The US is a free, democratic, capitalist country where it's okay to make a buck out of a film; that's what the war is all about. An aside: was Disney Corporation making a neutral, apolitical and commercial decision in turning down the megabucks that distributing this film would have made them? Moore maintains - crucially - that although he opposes the war, unlike Bush he is genuinely supportive of the troops. He says that 'progressives' like him have always been sympathetic to the poor, the black, the Hispanic and the young, who have now become pawns put in harm's way for no good reason. The predatory recruitment practices of the US Marines that Moore shows give an insight into the demographics of the bodies returning in the flag-draped caskets from Iraq. Challenging all war-mongering, he cites George Orwell as an authority for his belief that the ruling elite always exploits ignorance and poverty to create fear and perpetuate war as a tool for sustaining power. Compare the ethics here: the intention to depose a head of state with a film (as the ingenious hype for 'Fahrenheit 9/11' says), and the festering attempt by the 'Coalition of the Wilful' in Iraq. A bloodless, ballot-box transition in line with Moore's proposed celluloid-hammer revolution doesn't seem extreme. Libel laws provide iron-clad protection for Australian politicians should this set a precedent, but surely it is Moore's credibility and the public interest in the subject matter that make this an exceptional event. Of course any art, speech or event (such as the 'children overboard' lie) can have an effect on how some people vote, but this film would have to be an unimaginably massive commercial success for it to affect the outcome of the US elections in November. A patch-work construction like 'Bowling For Columbine', 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is a probing, often shocking version of events, making a case against the legitimacy of Bush's Presidency and his response to the 11th September attacks. The portrayal of the pivotal event is sensitive, with Moore seeking personal poignancy in this moment and in the other strands of his film. He makes shifts of tone from pitch-black comedy to breathtaking drama, and of scale from global to intimate without missing a beat. Scene after scene has extraordinary power to exhilarate, chill or move, including footage from his own embedded journalist in Iraq. Extensive research is evidenced by priceless stock-footage, superbly edited into coherence by his regular collaborator, T Woody Richman, and the stunning images are melded with great music from Neil Young, The Go-Gos, REM, Bloodhound Gang and many more. Moore's lovingly cobbled-together film entertains with dark irony, and disturbs us with stories about hypocrisy and the tragedy of war. No-one should forgo the revelations and truths offered here. Brave, hilarious, horrifying, moving and highly original, 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is a fascinating exploration of global power and the politics of fear. It is easily the best film of the year so far.  |
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