Not that I'm looking to test Godwin's Law again, but there's a worth-reading article on Fahrenheit 9/11 in the latest NYRB. I think O'Brien's analysis of Moore as a filmmaker and his approach to the movie is sensible and is a welcome change from the storm of bombast which greeted the film.
Posted by Alan Hogue at August 8, 2004 11:59 AMThe review refers to "Bush humorously addressing a group of ultrarich campaign supporters ("Some people call you the elite, I call you my base")"
When I saw the film I also assumed he was addressing "ultrarich campaign supporters." Turns out he wasn't, though. He was addressing a charity fundraiser shortly before the 2000 election, which was also attended by Al Gore. Both candidates made fun of themselves-- Gore joked about inventing the Internet. It's part of the tradition of this particular fundraiser (the Al Smith Dinner in New York).
That O'Brien and I both assumed (wrongly) the same thing (as I'm sure thousands of others did too) is just part of what's wrong with the film.
To Moore the context of Bush's joke is irrelevant. To me it has some meaning, and I would have been pleased to know of it. Multiply this by dozens of other instances of truth-shading and you begin to grasp what I found objectionable about F9/11.
Posted by: Gene Zitver at August 9, 2004 01:25 PMMoore seems to think that ordinary standards don't apply to him, rather like some of the people bending over backwards to find deceptions in the movie; quite a lot of them are just as shady and apparently unethical as Moore. He seems to think that this lets him off the hook, but it doesn't, of course.
Then again, when you've got the combined force of every endowed rightwing think tank and rag in the country scrutinizing a movie like it's a presidential candidate's voting record, well, I wonder how many movies would stand up to that?
Posted by: Alan Hogue at August 9, 2004 02:02 PM