If you can stand another entry about Fahrenheit 911...

[firecat]

...my sweetie jwermont just forwarded me this excellent critique of the movie by Robert Jensen, professor of journalism at the University of Texas: "Stupid White Movie: What Michael Moore Misses About the Empire".

Comments

[liveavatar.livejournal.com]

I don't agree with this author, because he's looking for Fahrenheit 9/11 to be the film that would make *his* arguments, and in the manner *he* would do it. For that, I'm afraid he's going to have to make his own movie. "And it is hard to imagine how a successful anti-empire movement can be built on this film's analysis unless it is challenged." No kidding. Moore's a populist, not a dedicated anti-empirist. I've heard Moore speak on several occasions, and he's quite aware that the Democrats are flawed, tied to big business, attempting to out-hawk the hawks for votes, etc.

Jensen instead ought to see The Corporation (http://www.thecorporation.com/), an excellent movie that makes many more of his anti-empirist points in a manner that he'd probably approve.

That Dave Kopel piece, oy, so full of quarter-truths, misdirection, and red herrings. I thought this critique of Kopel's own errors (http://home.earthlink.net/~19ranger57/kopelcritiquepart.htm) served as a useful counterpoint.

[kateo.livejournal.com]

...he's looking for Fahrenheit 9/11 to be the film that would make *his* arguments, and in the manner *he* would do it. For that, I'm afraid he's going to have to make his own movie.

Yes, this.

I would add that, as a songwriter, I'm always having to remind myself that you can try to tell too many stories at once; doing so weakens the overall impact. Screenwriting (and filmmaking in general) strikes me as much the same way. Michael Moore could have gone into a lot more detail about a lot more things than he did, but he had to make decisions about what to leave in and what to leave behind. Personally, although I think Jensen had a few valuable points, I think Moore made mostly excellent choices.

[firecat]

If you think that Jensen is saying "Moore should have made a different movie," then what you say is correct. I got the impression that Jensen was responding to people on the left who think Moore's movie is strongly left-wing. It's not.

Thanks for the critique critique, although I don't think I have energy for that this time around (I enjoyed following all that arguing and counterarguing about Bowling for Columbine).

[liveavatar.livejournal.com]

Mmn, I'm thinking more that Jensen wants it to have made Jensen's own points in Jensen's style. Agreed that Fahrenheit 9/11 isn't strongly left-wing, though. My own impression was that Moore aimed to make, and to my mind successfully created, a "bridge" film for people who otherwise might not have been able to jump the gap between mass-media pablum/distortions and their own good sense. That gap's become so broad over the years that only a halfway measure would do.

From Fahrenheit 9/11, someone new to this information might be able to leap to The Corporation (which I highly recommend) or even Manufacturing Consent. Were I part of the organized left (free straight line declined), I'd stand outside theaters showing F9/11 and hand out leaflets that say, "If you thought F9/11 was amazing, try *these* links."