Fahrenheit 9/11

Michael Moore's epic is the most controversial, and among the most important, films produced in a generation (or longer). The scathing attack on the latest Bush regime (and, indeed, the entire Bush family), which focuses on the Iraq war and the "war on terror" subsequent to the September 11 attacks, is a brilliant piece of cinematography and is setting records at the box office. Moore has an agenda, but everybody in the theatre knows this. Moore's brilliance is the way that he consistently uses George W. Bush and company's own words to demonstrate how this administration is manipulating and using the American public. Example: in the summer of 2001, many key figures in the Bush administration stated that there was no threat to the US from Iraq. Switch to Winter 2002/Spring 2003, and suddenly we "know" that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction and ties to Al Quaeda.

I'm not going to write review of this movie - there are plenty of people out there doing that (see Mary Meltz in the Portland Press Herald, for one). I am sure that the reaction to the film will fall in line with one's political leanings. However, I will comment that there are a lot of important issues addressed in the film, not all the sole province of the war on Iraq or the war on terror.

The most important issue, in my opinion, is the role of money in the war and in our society. The Bush family is shown with extensive ties to Saudi Arabia and the Bin Laden family. The Saudis have an extensive investment in the United States economy. The Bush family has made multiple millions of dollars through its ties with the Saudis. Moore suggests that these ties led GW to turn his head on the Saudi involvement in the 9/11 attacks, along with the ongoing blind eye toward Saudi human rights violations.

As disturbing as this message is, I was most digusted with a gathering of the giants from the defense, engineering and oil companies (headlined by Halliburton), where the message was that "there is a lot of oil in Iraq. As soon as reconstruction begins and the oil begins to flow, there are huge profits to be made." It's a sick, cynical message as American and other coalition soldiers are killed or maimed, not to mention the thousands of Iraqi soldiers and citizens. Representatives of the American companies who stand to profit most were practically licking their chops at the "opportunities" that awaited them.

Moore's images also drive home the human impact of this war. American TV hasn't shown the pictures of dead American soldiers, much less the many thousands more wounded. American TV certainly hasn't shown the images of the dead Iraqis, or of their grieving families. Fahrenheit 9/11 shows these pictures, however, and they are heartbreaking. Real people are fighting this war, and real families on both sides of the planet are affected by the violence.

The juxtaposition is disturbing but the message is clear - somebody (maybe you or a friend or family member) has died for the sole purpose of making somebody else (most likely not you or anybody you know) very wealthy. Check that - "even more wealthy". Moore illustrates how our "vouluntary" armed services are largely staffed by the very poorest Americans. These people sign up to protect a promise of prosperity that very few of them will ever taste. Meanwhile, the rich kids stay safe at home. In a vintage sequence, Moore stands in front of the Capital, imploring members of Congress to sign up their sons to help preserve "freedom" in Iraq. The reactions are priceless.

OK, this has kind of turned into a review of the movie. I could go on, but instead I recommend that you, the reader, find a way to see this movie. Unfortunately, it is in limited release in the US - only 800 or so screens. Yet these screens are selling out, making F9/11 the highest-grossing movie of the weekend, and the highest-grossing documentary of all time, eclipsing Moore's Bowling for Columbine in just three days of release!

And this is really the (original) point of my post - Fahrenheit 9/11 is already a cultural phenomenon. Only three theatres are showing it in Maine - The Movies in Portland, the Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville, and the Eveningstar Cinema here in Brunswick. I've attended many films at the Eveningstar over the last three years, but have seen nothing like this. We were turned away from a sold out show on Saturday (all shows sold out), but were able to buy tickets for Sunday. By the time we arrived at the theatre, the line was out of the building, and three of the five daily shows were already sold out for the day. By the time our show was let out, the 5:00 show (which was not sold out when we entered the theatre) had a line out the door. People are tired of the direction that the current regime is taking this country, tired of the lies, and tired of the transparent motivations of Bush and Company. People are demanding to see this film, despite the best efforts of Disney , (whose Miramax subsidiary dropped the film), the major movie theatre chains ("not enough people want to see documentaries"), US film distributors, and lots of right-wing blowhards who would make it seem "unAmerican" and "unpatriotic" to see this film.

Attending this film is not "unpatriotic". The expression of free speech is a cornerstone of a democratic society. I won't say that it is your civic duty to see the movie, because that's no better than trying to suppress the message. Lots of patriotic Americans are lining up for F 9/11. The crowds at the Eveningstar range from college age kids to people well into their retirement years, and everything in between. There is no better way to get people to see or read something than to try to censor it from them - our natural curiosity leads us to find out what they don't want us to know. The Bush administration has a lot to hide from America, but they don't do a very good job hiding it. Michael Moore found out, and I suggest you do, too.