Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Gee LP (A) on July 30, 2004 at 05:22:44

In Reply to: Michael Moore´s " Fahrenheit 9 / 11---------- posted by patrickU on July 29, 2004 at 13:26:09:

Thanks for your comments, patrickU.

I agree that "Farenheit 9/11" is a mess. Michael Moore does not use a rapier, he uses a shotgun and hopes that something will hit something somewhere. The last third of the film is overlong. The finale with the mother from Flint in front of the White House is a bit much. The "pipeline" hypothesis is stretched beyond thinness.

That said, please keep in mind, as other posters have pointed out, that the shots of Iraq before the war, the wounded and dead U.S. soldiers, the other God-blessed troops listening to "Burn down the motherf---ers" while attacking Baghdad, and our President talking about "his base" are not shown on any American television station. Moore had an abundance of amazing material to work with, and perhaps you should be glad he only made one film out of it...and not a trilogy (called, say, "Lord of the..." oh, nevermind!).

For populists and socialists and Democrats and liberals and independents who have not seen a hammer like this used on the Right since the mid 70s, well, allow us our enjoyment of this messy work.

Godard may not care for it, but HE had his period of using sledgehammers instead of rapiers. Anyone up for "British Sounds (See You at Mao)", "Till Victory", "One A(merican) M(ovie)"? I prefer "A bout de souffle" or "Alphaville" or "Week-end" but as Pauline Kael once pointed out, sometimes the artist has no idea how brillantly he is making their ideas and throws away their art and just starts speaking. Moore is not a brillant satirist, he is not an artist. He is a gadfly who makes his rather broad points in whatever medium is available to him: print, TV, movies, etc. Like Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair he makes socialism seem almost gee-whiz Archie! All-American. His use of humor is not used with a surgeon's finesse, but I hope you will allow that broadness is not unknown in producing laughter.

At least you saw the film before delivering your opinion. Here in America we often like to damn things without seeing or hearing or experiencing them! I hope you at least enjoyed your evening out!

When does the next Ludivine Sagnier film open?

Take care and have fun!