Jackson Free Press

At this moment, writer, producer and director Michael Moore is possibly the most controversial figure in entertainment. His tirade at the Oscars made news across the country and made Susan Sarandon, Barbra Streisand and Richard Gere look like measured conformists. His latest documentary, "Bowling for Columbine," won the Oscar for Best Documentary (offering him a mic and an audience of millions where he shouted "Shame on you Mr. Bush"). The film also made him a featured guest on "Crossfire," "Hardball," and so on, and secured him the reputation as the best-known documentary maker in the world. If President Bush has an "enemies list," Michael Moore is on it.

"Bowling for Columbine" (scheduled for a May 13 video release) is known as an assault on the gun industry and the National Rifle Association. While it's certainly that, the film's tentacles reach much farther. The school shooting at Columbine is not the central issue of the film. Moore uses the tragedy to explore gun culture in America and to frame his argument. Whereas Moore's first documentary, "Roger and Me," was an indictment of American corporate culture, "Bowling for Columbine" is an indictment of American culture in general.

The film opens with an absurd scene in which Moore goes to a Michigan bank that gives him a rifle on the spot if he opens a CD account. The bank brags that they are always stocked with 500 guns in the vault. An employee points out that Moore picked a "straight shooter" as Moore aims the gun around the bank. Finally, Moore asks, "Don't you think it's a little dangerous handing out guns in a bank?"
Moore's consistent theme is that America has evolved into a violent society while the rest of the world has learned to live peacefully without gun-related deaths. The most effective argument is the documentary's contrast of America and Canada. He states that Canada is a gun-loving hunter's paradise with 10 million homes and 7 million registered gun owners. The contrast in gun-related violence is striking. Moore takes us to a Canadian city across the lake from Detroit. While Detroit is known as a crime-ridden city with hundreds of gun deaths occurring each year, its neighboring Canadian city has nearly zero incidents of firearm deaths. Moore then strolls through neighborhoods, opening Canadians' unlocked doors without knocking-—a practice, it's implied, that might get him shot in the United States. The over-arching message is that American culture attacks those who can't defend themselves, while rewarding the already empowered (e.g., corporations and their tax breaks). Canada, meanwhile, is etched in sharp relief as a culture that embraces and tends to the afflicted in its midst.

A Michael Moore documentary tends to be its own genre, -part documentary, part propaganda piece and part comedy. For starters, Moore is always in front of the camera, and most of the time is quite funny. In many acclaimed documentaries like "The Thin Blue Line" or "Hearts of Darkness," the director is never or rarely seen. The credits of "Bowling for Columbine" should read: "A documentary by Michael Moore, starring Michael Moore." He even inserts a scene of himself playing the guitar and doing a fairly decent Bob Dylan impression. What did this scene add to the film other than more face time for Moore? Nothing.

"Roger and Me" was rejected for an Oscar consideration for not cutting the mustard as an accurate and well-researched documentary. "Bowling for Columbine" also pushes the meaning of true documentary-making but was allowed to qualify and later won the Oscar. The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article criticizing Moore's latest film as inaccurate and had a fact-checker dispute many of Moore's statistics. Even if the research is questionable, though, the message overall remains powerful regardless of statistics. It really is hard to dispute this country's obsession with guns.
The film is many things—funny, entertaining, provocative and even at times moving. It will make liberals cheer and revel while Moore conducts a Bush Bashing session with Marilyn Manson, and conservatives will want to jump in and defend Charlton Heston during a very engaging if not harsh interview with Moore. Whatever your political philosophy, "Bowling for Columbine" is sure to make you think and wonder why America has become such a violent place.
Chip Mabry is a writer and film fanatic who lives in Belhaven.

Previous Comments

ID

84265

Comment

Moore, is an idiot his career is over and making a true @$$ of himself recently didnt help things. His only big title "Mac and Me" was a one hit wonder (if you can call it a hit) and not that great in my opinion, I was forced to watch it by some liberal teacher in college. Disney, will listen to the conservatives and can this project. Besides wouldnt a documentary on slick willie Bill be more interesting?

Author

Rightwing_Republican

Date

2003-05-14T10:54:00-06:00

ID

84266

Comment

Here's what Michael Moore has to say to comments that he "ruined" his career or is doomed... From MichaelMoore.com: -- On the day after I criticized Bush and the war at the Academy Awards, attendance at "Bowling for Columbine" in theaters around the country went up 110% (source: Daily Variety/BoxOfficeMojo.com). The following weekend, the box office gross was up a whopping 73% (Variety). It is now the longest-running consecutive commercial release in America, 26 weeks in a row and still thriving. The number of theaters showing the film since the Oscars has INCREASED, and it has now bested the previous box office record for a documentary by nearly 300%. -- Yesterday (April 6), "Stupid White Men" shot back to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This is my book's 50th week on the list, 8 of them at number one, and this marks its fourth return to the top position, something that virtually never happens. -- In the week after the Oscars, my website was getting 10-20 million hits A DAY (one day we even got more hits than the White House!). The mail has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive (and the hate mail has been hilarious!). -- In the two days following the Oscars, more people pre-ordered the video for "Bowling for Columbine" on Amazon.com than the video for the Oscar winner for Best Picture, "Chicago." -- In the past week, I have obtained funding for my next documentary, and I have been offered a slot back on television to do an updated version of "TV Nation"/ "The Awful Truth." I tell you all of this because I want to counteract a message that is told to us all the time -- that, if you take a chance to speak out politically, you will live to regret it. It will hurt you in some way, usually financially. You could lose your job. Others may not hire you. You will lose friends. And on and on and on.

Author

Knol Aust

Date

2003-05-15T14:36:59-06:00