Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 | |
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Lions Gate Films ) | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $6 million[1] |
Box office | $222.4 million[1] |
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 American
The title of the film alludes to Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian view of the future United States, drawing an analogy between the autoignition temperature of paper and the date of the September 11 attacks; one of the film's taglines was "The Temperature at Which Freedom Burns".
The film debuted at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the Palme d'Or,[3] the festival's highest award. It received generally positive reviews from critics, but it also generated intense controversy, particularly including disputes over its accuracy. The film became the highest-grossing documentary of all time, grossing over $220 million (although it was later surpassed by Michael Jackson's This Is It in 2009). A follow-up, titled Fahrenheit 11/9, about the presidency of Donald Trump, was released in September 2018.
Synopsis
The documentary begins by suggesting that friends and political allies of George W. Bush at Fox News Channel tilted the election of 2000 by prematurely declaring Bush the winner. It then suggests that the handling of the voting controversy in Florida constituted election fraud.
The documentary then segues into the September 11 attacks of 2001. Moore says Bush was informed of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center on his way to an elementary school in Florida. Bush is then shown sitting in an Emma E. Booker Elementary School classroom with children. When told that a second plane has crashed into the World Trade Center and that the nation is "under attack", Bush allows the students to finish their book reading, and Moore notes that he continued reading The Pet Goat for nearly seven minutes.
Moore then discusses the complex relationships between the
Moore moves on to examine George W. Bush's
Moore alleges that the Bush administration induced a climate of fear among the American population through the
The documentary then turns to the subject of the
Later in the film, Lila Lipscomb appears with her family after hearing of the death of her son, Sgt. Michael Pedersen, who was killed on April 2, 2003, in Karbala. Anguished and tearful, she begins to question the purpose of the war.
Tying together several themes and points, Moore compliments those serving in the U.S. military. He claims that the working class of America are always the first to join the Army, so that the people better off do not have to join. He states that those valuable troops should not be sent to risk their lives unless it is necessary to defend America. The credits roll while Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World" plays. (Moore had originally intended to use the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" but was denied permission by Pete Townshend).[4]
Moore dedicated the film to his friend who was killed in the World Trade Center attacks and to those servicemen and women from Flint, Michigan that have been killed in Iraq: "Michael Pedersen, Brett Petriken and all the soldiers from the Flint area who have died in the Iraq War ... Bill Weems and the 2973 who died on 9/11/01 ... and the countless thousands who have died in Afghanistan and Iraq as a result of our actions."
Production
Originally planned to be financed by Mel Gibson's Icon Productions (which planned to give Michael Moore eight figures in upfront cash and potential backend),[5] Fahrenheit 9/11 was later picked up by
At that time,
After Fahrenheit 9/11 was nearly finished, Miramax held several preview screenings; they were "testing through the roof".[8] Weinstein informed Eisner that Fahrenheit 9/11 was finished, and Eisner was surprised by the fact that Miramax had continued making the film.[8] Weinstein asked several Disney executives (including Eisner) to watch the film, but all declined; Disney stated again that Miramax would not release the film, and Disney also accused Weinstein of hiding Fahrenheit 9/11 by keeping it off production reports.[8] Disney sent production vice President Brad Epstein to watch Fahrenheit 9/11 on April 24, 2004.[8] According to Weinstein, Epstein said he liked the film; but according to the report Epstein sent to the Walt Disney Company board of directors, Epstein clearly criticized it.[8] Eisner told Weinstein that Disney's board decided not to allow Miramax to release the film.[8] Weinstein was furious and he asked George J. Mitchell (chairman of Disney at that time) to see the film, but Mitchell declined.[8] Weinstein asked lawyer David Boies to help find a solution;[8] the Weinsteins and Moore had also hired Chris Lehane to consult on the film's release strategies.[9] Lehane suggested to reveal Disney's decision to The New York Times.[10]
The New York Times reported about Disney's decision on May 5, 2004.[11] Disney stated that both Moore's agent (Ari Emanuel) and Miramax were advised in May 2003 that Miramax would not be permitted to distribute the film. Disney representatives said Disney had the right to veto any Miramax film if it appeared that its distribution would be counterproductive to the interests of the company; indeed, Disney had blocked Miramax from releasing two films before: Kids and Dogma.[12]
Because of these difficulties, distribution was first secured in numerous countries outside the U.S. On May 28, 2004, after more than a week of talks, Disney announced that Miramax film studio founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein had personally acquired the rights to the documentary after Disney declined to distribute it. The Weinsteins agreed to repay Disney for all costs to that point, estimated at $6 million. They also agreed to be responsible for all costs to finish the film and all marketing costs not paid by any third-party film distributors.[13] A settlement between the Weinsteins and Disney was also reached so that 60% of the film's profit would be donated to charity.[14]
The Weinsteins established Fellowship Adventure Group to handle the distribution of this film. Fellowship Adventure Group joined forces with
After being informed that the film had been given an
Release
The film was released theatrically by The Fellowship Adventure Group through a distribution arrangement with
Moore credited part of the theatrical success to the efforts of conservative groups to pressure theaters not to run the film, conjecturing that these efforts backfired by creating publicity. There were also efforts by
Fahrenheit 9/11 was screened in a number of
In
Critical reception
The film was received positively by critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 82% based on 237 reviews, with an average rating of 7.33/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Extremely one-sided in its indictment of the Bush administration, but worth watching for the humor and the debates it'll stir."[25] It also received a score of 67 (generally favorable) on Metacritic, based on 43 reviews.[26]
Film critic Roger Ebert, who gave the documentary three and a half stars out of four, said that the film "is less an exposé of George W. Bush than a dramatization of what Moore sees as a failed and dangerous presidency", and added: "Moore brings a fresh impact to familiar material by the way he marshals his images".[27]
Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal described the film as "rambling, troubling and sometimes rousing", and wrote: "At its best, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is an impressionist burlesque of contemporary American politics that culminates in a somber lament for lives lost in Iraq. But the good stuff—and there's some extremely good stuff—keeps getting tainted by Mr. Moore's poison-camera penchant for drawing dark inferences from dubious evidence."[28]
Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Michael Moore's anti-Bush polemic gave millions of frustrated liberals exactly what they needed to hear in 2004—and infuriated just about everyone else. Along the way, it became the highest-grossing documentary of all time."[29]
Commercial performance
Grossing over $222 million total worldwide, the film is the highest grossing documentary of all time, according to Box Office Mojo.[1] The film had a general release in the United States and Canada on June 23, 2004. It has since been released in 42 more countries. On Al-Jazeera in August 2012, Moore claimed the movie "grossed about half a billion dollars" worldwide.[30] It was the highest-grossing film released by Lionsgate until it was surpassed by The Hunger Games in 2012.[31]
Home media
Fahrenheit 9/11 was released to DVD and VHS on October 5, 2004, an unusually short turnaround time after theatrical release. In the first days of the release, the film broke records for the highest-selling documentary ever. About two million copies were sold on the first day, most of which (1.4 million) were sold as rentals.[32]
A companion book, The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader, was released at the same time. It contains the complete screenplay, documentation of Moore's sources, audience e-mails about the film, film reviews, and articles.
Initial television presentations
The two-hour film was planned to be shown as part of the three-hour "The Michael Moore Pre-Election Special" on
The movie was also shown on basic cable television in Germany and Austria on November 1, 2004, and November 2, 2004. In the UK, the film was shown on
Soundtrack
Fahrenheit 9/11: Original Soundtrack | |
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Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
Released | October 5, 2004 |
Length | 1:00:44 |
Label | Rhino |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [33] |
The soundtrack to Fahrenheit 9/11 was released on October 5, 2004, by Rhino Entertainment.
Track listing
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "The Un-President" | Jeff Gibbs | 3:32 |
2. | " The Greatest American Hero (Believe It or Not)" | Joey Scarbury | 3:14 |
14. | "Aqualung" | Jethro Tull | 6:35 |
15. | "All They Ask" | Jeff Gibbs | 3:30 |
16. | "Rockin' in the Free World" | Neil Young | 4:42 |
Total length: | 1:00:44 |
Awards
Palme d'Or
In April 2004, the film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 57th Cannes Film Festival. After its first showing in Cannes in May 2004, the film received a 15–20 minute standing ovation; Harvey Weinstein, whose Miramax Films funded the film, said, "It was the longest standing ovation I've seen in over 25 years".[34][35]
On May 22, 2004, the film was awarded the Palme d'Or.
I have a sneaking suspicion that what you have done here and the response from everyone at the festival, you will assure that the American people will see this film. I can't thank you enough for that. You've put a huge light on this and many people want the truth and many want to put it in the closet, just walk away. There was a great Republican president who once said, if you just give the people the truth, the Republicans, the Americans will be saved. […] I dedicate this Palme d'Or to my daughter, to the children of Americans and to Iraq and to all those in the world who suffer from our actions.
Some
He also responded to suggestions that the award was political: "Quentin [Tarantino] whispered in my ear, 'We want you to know that it was not the politics of your film that won you this award. We are not here to give a political award. Some of us have no politics. We awarded the art of cinema, that is what won you this award and we wanted you to know that as a fellow filmmaker.'"[40] In comments to the prize-winning jury in 2005, Cannes director Gilles Jacob said that panels should make their decision based on filmmaking rather than politics. He expressed his opinion that though Moore's talent was not in doubt, "it was a question of a satirical tract that was awarded a prize more for political than cinematographic reasons, no matter what the jury said".[41] Interviewed about the decision four years later, Tarantino responded: "As time has gone on, I have put that decision under a microscope and I still think we were right. That was a movie of the moment – Fahrenheit 9/11 may not play the same way now as it did then, but back then it deserved everything it got."[42]
People's Choice Award
The film won additional awards after its release, such as the
Golden Raspberry Awards
Nine months after Fahrenheit 9/11 received the Palme d'Or, George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Condoleezza Rice won the Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Screen Couple (Bush/Rice) at the 25th Golden Raspberry Awards ("Razzies") because of their mishandling of the 9/11 attacks and the Iraq War.[44] Britney Spears, who appeared in the film in a pre-recorded interview where she expressed her support for Bush,[45] won the Golden Raspberry for Worst Supporting Actress.[46]
Controversies
The film generated criticism and controversy after its release shortly before the 2004 United States presidential election. British-American journalist and literary critic Christopher Hitchens contended that Fahrenheit 9/11 contains distortions and untruths.[47] This drew several rebuttals, including an eFilmCritic article and a Columbus Free Press editorial.[48] Former Democratic mayor of New York City Ed Koch, who had endorsed President Bush for re-election, called the film propaganda "for its many blatant lies".[49]
Moore's expectations for the 2004 presidential election
The film was released in June 2004, less than five months before the 2004 presidential election. Michael Moore, while not endorsing presidential candidate John Kerry, stated in interviews that he hoped "to see Mr. Bush removed from the White House".[50] He also said that he hoped his film would influence the election: "This may be the first time a film has this kind of impact".[50] However, some political analysts did not expect it to have a significant effect on the election. One Republican strategist stated that Moore "communicates to that far-left sliver that would never vote for Bush", and Jack Pitney, a government professor at Claremont McKenna College, suspected that the main effect of the film would be to "turn Bush-haters into bigger Bush-haters".[50] Regardless of whether the film would change the minds of many voters, Moore stated his intention to use it as an organizing tool, and hoped that it would energize those who wanted to see Bush defeated in 2004, increasing voter turnout.[51] Notwithstanding the film's influence and commercial success, George W. Bush was re-elected in 2004.
Because Moore had opted to have it played on television prior to the 2004 election, the film was ruled ineligible to compete for the
Lawsuit
In February 2011, Moore sued producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein for US$2.7 million in unpaid profits from the film, stating that they used "Hollywood accounting tricks" to avoid paying him the money.[52] They responded that Moore had received US$20 million for the film and that "his claims are hogwash".[52] Eventually, Bob and Harvey Weinstein reached a settlement with Moore for undisclosed amounts and terms.[53]
Subsequent film
On September 6, 2018, Moore released a film entitled Fahrenheit 11/9 about the 2016 United States presidential election and the subsequent presidency of Donald Trump. The title is reference to the original film, with the date 9/11 being reversed to 11/9.[54]
References
- ^ a b c "Fahrenheit 9/11". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ "In liberal Hollywood, a conservative minority faces backlash in the age of Trump". Los Angeles Times. March 11, 2017. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Michael Moore film Planet of the Humans removed from YouTube". The Guardian. May 26, 2020. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Michael Moore rallies Occupy Oakland protests". NBC News. October 31, 2011. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Michael Moore in Trumpland: left-wing filmmaker releases surprise movie ahead of US election". The Daily Telegraph. October 19, 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original
- Jenkins, Holman W. Jr. (June 5, 2020). "Opinion | Michael Moore's Inconvenient Half-Truth". The Wall Street Journal. from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Eastwood: 'I Am Certainly Not Affiliated with Mr. Obama' - Politics News - ABC News Radio". abcnewsradioonline.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Scheck, Frank (October 7, 2008). ""American Carol" an unfunny political spoof". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Michael Moore film on U.S. drugmakers". UPI. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Scheck, Frank (August 10, 2017). "'The Terms of My Surrender': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Moore's 'Capitalism' off to profitable start". Los Angeles Times Blogs - Company Town. September 24, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Michael Moore has a plan to 'make Trump toast again'". The Independent. February 27, 2017. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Closer Look at Michael Moore's New Film 'Sicko'". Fox News. March 25, 2015. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Morris, Valerie (January 7, 2020). "The Memo: Will Iran crisis sideline impeachment process?". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 17, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Sink, Justin (January 11, 2012). "Gingrich not backing down from his criticism of Romney's record at Bain". The Hill. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "More nominations means redoing the Oscar math". The Mercury News. June 26, 2009. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Conservatives counter Moore's film festival". TODAY.com. July 8, 2005. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Alexander, Bryan. "Michael Moore: R rating for 'Where to Invade Next' is 'political'". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Trump slams Michael Moore over "sloppy" Broadway show, but Moore claps right back". Salon. October 30, 2017. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Allen-Mills, Tony. "Tables turned on Fahrenheit 9/11's maker". from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Levitz, Eric (August 17, 2016). "Trump's New Strategy Suggests He Wants to Be President — of a Cable-News Network". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Paulson, Michael (May 1, 2017). "Michael Moore to Take Aim at Trump, on Broadway". The New York Times. from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Michael Moore: 'American exceptionalism is the death of us'". AP NEWS. September 12, 2015. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Why Did No One See Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 11/9'?". www.playboy.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- Freeman, James (April 29, 2020). "Opinion | The Seinfeld Strategy for Climate Change". The Wall Street Journal. from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "No, Trump critics. It's highly unlikely he has committed treason". Los Angeles Times. February 19, 2017. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- "Michael Moore claims Trump might be faking Covid diagnosis". The Independent. October 2, 2020. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
And, contrary to what everybody said would happen, the film to date has grossed about half a billion dollars worldwide.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-684-80993-1. On the financing of the film.