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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Russians not impressed by "Fahrenheit 911" |
| 2004-09-25 |
| Russia got its first official chance to see Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" on Thursday, when the film about an unpopular war, terrorism and a president accused of failing to react instantly to an attack that stunned the nation, opened in movie houses across Moscow. The opening was a formality for many, however, since pirate copies had long been on sale and discussion was already ongoing on Kino.ru, a web site for cinephiles. An early showing Thursday at one Moscow theater drew a feeble four people. In a country where kompromat and black PR are part of the daily vocabulary, the sight of Moore so openly mocking U.S. President George W. Bush was, for some viewers, like watching an old film. Reviewers commented on the bluntness of Moore's methods, with Afisha translating them into an easily understandable analogy for Russian audiences. "Crudely speaking, the creator of 'Bowling for Columbine' has turned from Parfyonov into Dorenko," wrote Afisha writer Stanislav Zelvensky, referring to Leonid Parfyonov, the respected documentarian and former host of the current affairs show "Namedni," and one-time ORT host Sergei Dorenko, whose muckraking shows helped bury Yevgeny Primakov and Mayor Yury Luzhkov's presidential ambitions. "I fell asleep halfway through," a user named Slava wrote on Kino.ru. "It is ordinary black PR for zombified people who can't think on their own." Slava focused in particular on Moore's manipulation of footage showing the president receiving news of the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, while reading a book to a classroom of children. Instead of reacting immediately, Bush continued reading, and Moore zooms in on the president for added effect. "What was he supposed to do, run around the room shouting, 'We are lost!' and scare all the children?" Slava wrote. "The film is useful to watch so you don't fall into the same kind of PR trap in your own country." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #9 Given this populace (the Russians) has generations of experience in dealing with state-sponsored leftist propaganda, its no surprise that they figured this one out quickly. To quote Dan Akroyd's character: I come from a long line of torofecundians: we can smell bullshit a mile away. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2004-09-25 12:06:31 PM |
| #8 "I fell asleep halfway through," a user named Slava wrote on Kino.ru. "It is ordinary black PR for zombified people who can’t think on their own." Obviously, the Russian people are just as "dumb" and "stupid" as the American people:) This may be the most succinct review yet of F911. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back 2004-09-25 10:28:43 AM |
| #7 Wow, 2B-I hadn't seen this trailer before. Much better than the other trailer. Where will people get to see this movie? |
| Posted by: jules 2 2004-09-25 10:25:09 AM |
| #6 on the other hand F41.11 looks to be very powerful. 41.11 |
| Posted by: 2B 2004-09-25 6:48:35 AM |
| #5 Yes, Today I consider myself as fortunate for having grwon in Sapin during the dictatorship: I learned to distrust the media. I have seen too many people believe in something just because it was in print ot was aired on TV/radio. Sometimes I joke that instead of linguistic holidays teenagers should have "dicatorship holidays" they would spend in say, North Korea, in order to learn to think by themselves and trust no media. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-09-25 6:15:24 AM |
| #4 Having been constantly exposed to self-serving propaganda with no basis in fact for most of their lives, Russians know bullshit when they see it. |
| Posted by: Emir Abu Ben Ali Al-Yahood 2004-09-25 2:04:07 AM |
| #3 I think there would be fighting over who got to donate to such a project... |
| Posted by: Laurence of the Rats 2004-09-25 1:49:17 AM |
| #2 I'm sure the russians would happily build us a gulag to put Al-Moore in. Especially if we pay them. Hell, I'd bet just the Rantburgers could raise enough:p |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2004-09-25 1:38:53 AM |
| #1 After the shock at the school house, F-9/11 can't hold up to the cold reality of the terrorist threat. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-09-25 1:09:10 AM |