incredibly powerful movie that lays bare the > cynicism and greed behind
Bush's war policy. And > the astonishing and revealing footage in it has
the > power to change the course of the 2004 election. > (There's a full
review below.) > > Given how devastating the movie is to President > Bush's
carefully crafted facade, it's hardly > surprising that right-wing groups
who call Moore a > "domestic enemy" are using censorship and > intimidation
tactics to try to get it pulled from > theaters. That's why we've got to
do everything we > can to make the opening a huge success. > > Today, we're
asking MoveOn members to pledge to see > the film on the opening night -
Friday, June 25th. > (If you can't make it on Friday, pledging to go on >
Saturday or Sunday is fine, too). It'll be fun, of > course - you'll be
watching the movie with lots of > other MoveOn members. It'll also send an
unmistakable message to the media and theater owners > that the public
is behind this movie. > > To see the Fahrenheit 9/11 trailer and pledge to
see > the movie on the opening weekend, go to: > >
http://www.moveonpac.org/f911/?id=2949-2483907-HOjHAwpC6Kxh.Lmgf9Khog > >
Then please pass this message on to your friends, > family, and co-workers.
Fahrenheit 9/11 isn't just the most powerful and > complete indictment
of the Bush administration that > I've ever seen - it's one of the best
movies I've > ever seen. It's a knockout blow: a poignant, darkly > funny
film that deftly interweaves footage of the > President, his allies, and
the Americans his > policies betrayed. As Fox News' reviewer put it, > the
movie "is a tribute to patriotism, to the > American sense of duty - and at
the same time an > indictment of stupidity and avarice." (See >
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,122680,00.html > for the full review.)
Despite years of television coverage on Iraq and the > war on terror,
most of the movie consists of footage > you'd never see on TV. There are
heart-breaking > interviews with troops in Iraq, chilling scenes of > the
civilian consequences of that war, and footage > of Bush so candid and
revealing that it's hard to > imagine how Moore got his hands on it. In
one > unforgettable scene from the morning of September > 11th, Bush
blithely reads a children's book to a > classroom of kids for seven long
minutes after his > chief of staff quietly informs him that the second >
plane has hit the World Trade Center and "we're > under attack." The film
is filled with this stuff, > and it's hard to imagine seeing it and not
being > moved, shocked, and outraged. > > Fahrenheit 9/11 opens with
footage of Bush > administration officials putting on their TV makeup. >
Paul Wolfowitz sticks his comb in his mouth, > slathers it with spit,
brushes it through his hair, > and grins a toothy grin. Colin Powell eyes
the > camera nervously as a makeup artist dusts his face. > And, moments
before President Bush goes on TV to > somberly announce the beginning of
the Iraq war, we > see him goofing around, making funny faces at the >
folks behind the camera. > > These candid portraits encapsulate the genius
of > Moore's documentary. Compared to his other films, > there's little
pranking or moralizing. Moore > basically stays out of the picture: he
doesn't have > to indict the Bush administration, because with > powerful
and indisputable video, Bush and the rest > indict themselves. > > As Moore
unravels Bush's story, he joins it with the > stories of the real Americans
who have shouldered > the burden of the post-9/11 war policy. In Flint, >
Michigan, we hear from a group of inner-city kids > whose only option for
education and a better life is > to enlist in the Army - and then, in a
scene that's > both humorous and deeply creepy, join two Marine >
recruiters as they case a local mall for possible > enlistees. We watch a
California peace group that > was infiltrated by the local police
department under > the Patriot Act. And, in the final heartbreaking >
scenes, we witness the pain of a mother who lost her > son in Iraq. > > In
the hands of other directors, the content could > easily feel exploitative.
But Moore is grounded by > a patriotism that rings through every frame of
the > film. Compassion and love of country give the film > its striking
authenticity: it's clear that what > stings most about the President's
behavior, for the > subjects of the film, is Bush's betrayal of our >
country's soul. > > Fahrenheit 9/11 is a film with the power to change >
hearts and minds. It's brilliant, funny, moving, > and authentic. And
together, we can make it a huge > success. > > Watch the trailer and pledge
to see the film opening > night at: > >
http://www.moveonpac.org/f911/?id=2949-2483907-HOjHAwpC6Kxh.Lmgf9Khog > >
Sincerely, > > --Eli Pariser > MoveOn PAC > Wednesday, June 16th > >
P.S. Fahrenheit 9/11 has already reaped widespread > praise from critics.
Here are just a few samples: > > Roger Ebert, "Less is Moore in subdued,
effective > '9/11'," Chicago Sun Times, May 18, 2004 > "Despite these
dramatic moments, the most memorable > footage for me involved President
Bush on Sept. 11. > [Ebert goes on to describe the scene.] The look on >
his face as he reads the book, knowing what he > knows, is disquieting." >
http://www.suntimes.com/output/eb-feature/cst-ftr-cannes18.html > > Mary
Corliss, "A First Look at "Fahrenheit 9/11," > Time Magazine Online, May
17, 2004 > Corliss calls the film, "Moore�s own War on Error." >
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,638819,00.html > > Frank Rich,
"Beautiful Minds and Ugly Truths," > International Herald Tribune, May 21,
2004 > "'Fahrenheit 9/11' is not the movie Moore watchers, > fans or foes,
were expecting. (If it were, the foes > would find it easier to ignore.)" >
http://www.iht.com/articles/521066.html > > ________________