3:30 in the afternoon and the theatre was packed. A lot of people had skipped out of work early to catch one of the first of many screenings of Moore’s new film. It was a scene repeated in theatres across North America, and it was worth it. Fahrenheit 9/11 must be seen by anyone who plans to vote in either of the upcoming Canadian or American elections. Believe the hype, spread the word and if you have doubts look up the facts yourself.
From the close ties between the Bushes and the Saudis, to ratcheting up of fear across the world, Moore lays out the past four years of Bush as an orchestrated campaign to secure power and wealth for his business buddies.
I loved the film, but it is not without it’s problems. As usual with Moore, he goes for the heartstrings in a fumbling way that is not easily forgiven by those less-left than myself. As Moore takes viewers through the minutes before the Iraq invasion, shots of a smarmy Bush preparing for his televised war announcement are intercut with happy, smiling Iraqis flying kites and laughing in the streets of Baghdad. They are images definitely not seen much during the run-up to the war, and I don’t doubt their it validity, but I don’t think it paints an accurate picture of what life was like under Saddam. Like Moore’s shot of Charlton Heston walking away from the camera in Bowling for Columbine, these images show only a small portion of the facts. I would have appreciated it more if Moore at least gave a nod to the real culture of fear the Iraqi people lived under. Painting Bush as an evil bomber of innocent children playing kites is as a lazy as a Fox News report showing him as the towering liberator of an eslaved nation.
But just as I often forgive mainstream media of patriotic edits when they actually come close to reporting real news stories (like the torture of prisoners at Abu Garab or the return of US soldiers in coffins), I am willing to let Moore off with his black and white imagery of Bush and Iraq. Saddam did have to go, but Bush and the US weren’t the people to do it. As the US administration is slowly beginning to realize, that’s why we have international bodies like the UN or NATO.
Like previous Moore films, it serves as a confirmation for those of us who have long been wary of mainstream media and big business. Where I hope this movie really scores is with those people who still think that there were WMDs in Iraq and that Saddam was ready to launch attacks on the rest of the world.
Every form of media has a message and a bias. From newspaper articles to the 30 second TV ads for SUVs, they all challenge or reinforce a way of thinking. The outrage from the right against this film shows just how long it’s been since we’ve heard anything that challenges the status quo.
Celebrate it or hate it, but go see Fahrenheit 9/11.
