| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| French Filmmaker Takes Own Stab at Bush |
| 2004-06-24 |
| PARIS (Hollywood Reporter) - When "Fahrenheit 9/11" was selected for the Cannes Film Festival, another documentary about George W. Bush was waiting in the wings in case Michael Mooreâs film wasnât ready in time. "The organizers were keen to include our film in the Official Selection but felt it was politically incorrect to have two anti-Bush documentaries at Cannes," says Jean-Francois Lepetit, whose Flach Film produced "Le Monde Selon Bush" (The World According to Bush). Directed by seasoned documentary maker William Karel, the 90-minute film could scarcely be more different to Mooreâs Palme dâOr winner. Karelâs style is sober, eschewing humor and stunts in favor of heavyweight interviews. "Le Monde" is a scathing attack on Bushâs first 1,000 days in power, and chronicles the first familyâs alleged links with the oil and arms industries. Originally made for French public broadcaster France 2, the documentary premiered on television last Friday, but in an unusual move opened theatrically in France on Wednesday. "We wanted to give the film a wider audience," Lepetit explains. I didnât bother to watch, since it is based on books by Laurent which are scathing attacks on Bush, and I knew from the start it was going to be more of an accusation that a documentary Inspired by journalist-author Eric Laurentâs two books on the Bush administration, "Le Monde" is the fifth film by Karel examining American political power. The Tunisian-born Swiss director insists he "adores" America, but chose to make the film because "itâs a true story stranger than fiction." Spending more than eight months battling "the veil of secrecy" surrounding those in office, Karel managed 26 detailed interviews, with personalities including Secretary of State Colin Powell, neo-conservative Richard Perle, former CIA directors James Woosley and David Kay, writer Norman Mailer, academics and journalists. "I was amazed how willing some people were to be interviewed, straight after they had left government and were no longer bound by secrecy laws," Karel says. Editing interviews by Bush supporters to make them say what he wants and higlighting the effect by mixing them with Bushaters is the trick. Karel is very good, he made a mockumentary on the Us never having landed on the moon and Stanley Kubrick having filmed the phony landing. It was completely convincing, along with his trademarks interviews by celebrities. The EUR500,000 ($605,000) film covers many topics, including how the "Christian right Israeli lobby" has influenced U.S. policy in the Middle East and how the Sept. 11 attack gave a "clueless" Bush his raison dâetre -- the "crusade" against terrorism, the "false pretext" under which the second war on Iraq was waged, and the "big lie" linking Saddam Hussein to Sept. 11. The film illustrates how George H.W. Bush, first as vice president and then as president from 1988 to 1992, armed and financed Saddam Hussein. The Bush familyâs alleged ties to the Bin Laden clan and Saudi Arabia are also examined. As per Laurentâs books Karel insists his film is not a French diatribe against America but rather a gathering of eyewitness accounts from Americans who lived through the times. "To think President Richard Nixon was impeached because of three tapes!" Karel exclaims. He hopes the film will be seen in the United States. "None of my films have made it to the U.S., but Iâm hopeful that this one will," he says. It is also being released on DVD, to get a maximum exposure. I do not have a real interest in Bush, except that lotsa people I dispise are amd at him, but Iâm always surprized by the level of hatred he generates. Seems the anti-Bush media machine is in full overmode |
| Posted by:Anonymous5089 |
| #3 I got this from Rason. It.s pretty interesting By Alexander Bolton Michael Moore may be prevented from advertising his controversial new movie, âFahrenheit 9/11,â on television or radio after July 30 if the Federal Election Commission (FEC) today accepts the legal advice of its general counsel. At the same time, a Republican-allied 527 soft-money group is preparing to file a complaint against Mooreâs film with the FEC for violating campaign-finance law. In a draft advisory opinion placed on the FECâs agenda for todayâs meeting, the agencyâs general counsel states that political documentary filmmakers may not air television or radio ads referring to federal candidates within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The opinion is generated under the new McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law, which prohibits corporate-funded ads that identify a federal candidate before a primary or general election. The proscription is broadly defined. Section 100.29 of the federal election regulations defines restricted corporate-funded ads as those that identify a candidate by his âname, nickname, photograph or drawingâ or make it âotherwise apparent through an unambiguous reference.â Should the six members of the FEC vote to approve the counselâs opinion, it could put a serious crimp on Mooreâs promotion efforts. The flavor of the movie was encapsulated by a recent review in The Boston Globe as âthe case against George W. Bush, a fat compendium of previously reported crimes, errors, sins, and grievances delivered in the directorâs patented tone of vaudevillian social outrage.â The FEC ruling may also affect promotion of a slew of other upcoming political documentaries and films, such as âUncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War,â which opens in August, âThe Corporation,â about democratic institutions being subsumed by the corporate agenda, or âSilver City,â a recently finished film by John Sayles that criticizes the Bush administration. Another film, âThe Hunting of the President,â which investigates whether Bill Clinton was the victim of a vast conspiracy, could be subject to regulations if it mentions Bush or members of Congress in its ads. Since the FEC considers the Republican presidential convention scheduled to begin Aug. 30 a national political primary in which Bush is a candidate, Moore and other politically oriented filmmakers could not air any ad mentioning Bush after July 30. That could make advertising for the film after July difficult since it is all about the Bush administration and what Moore regards as its mishandling of the war on terrorism and the decision to invade Iraq. After the convention, ads for political films that mention Bush or any other federal candidate would be subject to the restrictions on all corporate communications within 60 days of the Nov. 2 general election. âFahrenheit 9/11â opens nationally tomorrow. The filmâs distributor, Lions Gate Films, an incorporated organization, would almost certainly pay for its broadcast promotions. David Bossie, the president of Citizens United, plans to allege that âFahrenheit 9/11â violates federal election law, arguing that âMoore has publicly indicated his goal is to impact this election season.â Bossie had planned to file a complaint with the FEC yesterday but postponed action because his lawyers want to review it at the last minute, said Summer Stitz, a spokeswoman for Bossieâs group. âI donât think much of Michael Moore or his two-hour political advertisement â thatâs all it is,â Bossie said. âHe uses all of these words to make it look like he makes documentaries, but itâs the furthest thing from the truth. Documentaries tend to be fact-based.â Sarah Greenberg, a spokeswoman for Lions Gate Films who is serving as Mooreâs spokeswoman, did not return a call for comment. The FEC counselâs draft advisory opinion responded to a request for guidance from David Hardy, a documentary film producer with the Bill of Rights Educational Foundation. Hardy asked whether he could air broadcast ads that refer to congressional officeholders who appear in his documentary. At issue in the FECâs opinion is whether documentary films qualify for a âmedia exemption,â which allows members of the press to discuss political candidates freely in the days before an election. In its opinion, the general counsel wrote, âIn McConnell vs. FEC ⦠(2003) the [Supreme] Court described the media exemption as ânarrowâ and drew a distinction between âcorporations that are part of the media industryâ as opposed to âother corporations that are not involved in the regular business of imparting news to the public.ââ âThe radio and television commercials that you describe in your request would be electioneering communications,â the counsel concluded. âThe proposed commercials would refer to at least one presidential candidate. ⦠They would also be publicly distributed because you intend to pay a radio station and perhaps a television station to air or broadcast your commercials. ⦠Finally, they would reach 50,000 people within 30 days of a national nominating convention and or the general election.â However, one commissioner, Michael Toner, has a different view of what restrictions may be placed on political films. âI think thereâs evidence that when Congress created the press exemption they intended for it to cover media in all its forms,â said Toner. âIf a documentary produced by an independent company would be subject to restriction or, equally important, if efforts to promote the documentary would be subject to restriction, I think that is very problematic.â |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2004-06-24 10:00:08 AM |
| #2 All in good time, Rafael. |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-06-24 9:05:34 AM |
| #1 Are they going to do this for every Republican president, or is Bush just the unlucky victim in all of this? Geeez. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2004-06-24 1:06:29 AM |