Fahrenheit 9/11 DVDRip (2004)
700 MB, 120 min.
Fahrenheit 9/11 is an award-winning and controversial 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terrorism, and its coverage in the American news media. The film holds the record for highest box office receipts by a general release political film.In the film, Moore contends that American corporate media were “cheerleaders” for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and did not provide an accurate and objective analysis of the rationale for the war or the resulting casualties there. The film’s attack on the Bush administration generated much controversy around the time of the film’s release, including disputes over its accuracy. Moore has attempted to respond by documenting his sources.
The film debuted at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival in the documentary film category and received a 20 minute standing ovation (the longest standing ovation in the festival’s history). The film was also awarded the Palme d’Or (Golden Palm), the festival’s highest award.
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. As of January 2005, the film had grossed nearly $120 million in U.S. box office and over $220 million worldwide, an unprecedented amount for a political film. Sony reported first-day DVD sales of two million copies, again a new record for the genre.
The title of the film alludes to Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian view of the future United States, conflating the supposed autoignition temperature of paper with the date of the September 11 attacks.
Financing, pre-release and distribution
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), Fahrenheit 9/11 was later picked up by Miramax Films and Wild Bunch in May 2003 after Icon Productions had abruptly dropped the financing deal it made. Miramax had earlier distributed another film for Moore, The Big One, in 1997.At that time, Disney was the parent company of Miramax. According to the book DisneyWar, Disney executives didn’t know that Miramax agreed to finance the film until they saw a posting on the Drudge Report. Afterward, Michael Eisner (who was the CEO of Disney at that time) called Harvey Weinstein (who was the co-chairman of Miramax at that time) and required him to drop the film. In addition, Disney sent two letters to Weinstein demanding Miramax drop the film. Weinstein felt Disney had no right to block them from releasing Fahrenheit 9/11 since the film’s $6 million budget was well below the level that Miramax needed to seek Disney’s approval, and it wouldn’t be rated NC-17. But Weinstein was in contract negotiations with Disney, so he offered compromises and said that he would drop the film if Disney didn’t like it. Disney responded by having Peter Murphy send Weinstein a letter stating that the film’s $6 million budget was only a bridge financing and Miramax would sell off their interest in the movie to get those $6 million back; according to the same letter, Miramax was also expected to publicly state that they wouldn’t release the film.
After Fahrenheit 9/11 was nearly finished, Miramax held several preview screenings for the film; in the screenings, the film was “testing through the roof.” Afterward, Harvey Weinstein said to Michael Eisner that Fahrenheit 9/11 was finished, and Eisner was surprised by the fact that Miramax had continued making the film.Weinstein asked several Disney executives (including Eisner) to watch the film, but all of them declined; Disney stated again that Miramax wouldn’t release the film, and Disney also accused Weinstein of hiding Fahrenheit 9/11 by keeping it off production reports.Finally, Disney sent their production vice president Brad Epstein to watch Fahrenheit 9/11 on April 24, 2004.According to Weinstein, Epstein said to Weinstein that he liked the film; but according to the report Epstein sent to Disney board, Epstein clearly criticized it. Afterward, Eisner told Weinstein that Disney board decided not to allow Miramax to release the film.Weinstein was furious and he asked George J. Mitchell (who was the chairman of Disney at that time) to see the film, but Mitchell declined. Later, Weinstein asked lawyer David Boies to help him find a solution.The New York Times reported about Disney’s decision on May 5, 2004.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 claim that Disney has the right to veto any Miramax film if it appears that their distribution would be counterproductive to the interests of the company. Disney had blocked Miramax from releasing two films before: Kids and Dogma.
An unnamed Disney executive said that the film was against Disney’s interests not because of government business dealings, but because releasing it would risk being “dragged into a highly charged partisan political battle” and alienating customers. Emanuel stated that Disney chief executive Michael Eisner requested that he back out of the Miramax deal, expressing concerns about political fallout from conservative politicians, especially regarding tax breaks given to Disney properties in Florida (e.g., Walt Disney World), where Jeb Bush is governor. Disney also has financial ties to members of the Saudi royal family, who were represented unfavorably in the film. Moore admitted later in a CNN interview that Disney had told him they did not want the film a year earlier, however, he had been advised by representatives that Miramax would continue to fund filming. Seemingly in approval, Disney continued to fund Fahrenheit 9/11 via Miramax throughout the remaining year of production.
Due to these difficulties, distribution for the film 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 from Walt Disney Co. after Disney declined to distribute it. The Weinsteins agreed to repay Disney for all costs of the film to that point, estimated at around $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. A settlement between the Weinsteins and Disney was also reached so that 60% of the film’s profit would be donated to charity.
Later, The Weinsteins established Fellowship Adventure Group to handle the distribution of this film. Fellowship Adventure Group joined forces with Lions Gate Entertainment (which had released two other Miramax-financed films O and Dogma) and IFC Films to release this film in the United States theatrically. (Later, Fellowship Adventure Group also handled this film’s United States home video distribution via Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment). Moore stated that he was “grateful to them now that everyone who wants to see it will now have the chance to do so.”
After being informed that the film had been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America, Moore appealed the decision, hoping to obtain a PG-13 rating instead. (The R rating requires anyone under the age of 17 to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian.) Moore’s lawyer, former Governor of New York, Mario Cuomo, was not allowed to attend the hearing. The appeal was denied on June 22, 2004, and Cuomo contended that it was because he had been banned from the hearing. Some theaters chose to defy the MPAA and allow unchaperoned teenagers to attend screenings. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting gave the film an A-III rating, meaning that it was, in their judgment, “morally unobjectionable for adults” (this is the mildest rating typically given by the organization to motion pictures that are rated R by the MPAA). Moore commented that he was willing to “sneak anyone in.”
http://rapidshare.com/files/278521588/fhr911_by_nickpop.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/278522599/fhr911_by_nickpop.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/278522254/fhr911_by_nickpop.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/278521605/fhr911_by_nickpop.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/278522529/fhr911_by_nickpop.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/278521607/fhr911_by_nickpop.part6.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/278522175/fhr911_by_nickpop.part7.rar
Content summary
The movie 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 the handling of the voting controversy in Florida constituted election fraud.The film then segues into the September 11 attacks, relying solely on sounds to illustrate the chaos on that day. When the film resumes, it continues with scenes of the bystanders, survivors, and falling debris of the World Trade Center. Moore notes that Bush was informed of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center on his way to an elementary school. Bush is then shown sitting in a Florida classroom with kids. When told that a second plane has hit the World Trade Center and that the nation is under attack, Bush, unconcerned, continues reading The Pet Goat to the kids, and Moore notes that he continued reading for nearly seven minutes.
The film then discusses the causes and aftermath of the September 11 attacks, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Moore then discusses the complex relationships between the U.S. government, the Bush family, the bin Laden family, the Saudi Arabian government, and the Taliban, which span over three decades. Moore alleges that the United States Government evacuated up to 24 members of the bin Laden family on a secret flight shortly after the attacks, without subjecting them to any form of interrogation. At the time, all other domestic and international civilian air traffic within the United States was grounded.
Moore moves on to examine George W. Bush’s Air National Guard service record. Moore contends that Bush’s dry-hole oil well attempts were partially funded by the Saudis and by the bin Laden family through the intermediary of James R. Bath. Moore alleges that these conflicts of interest suggest that the Bush administration is not working for the best interests of Americans. The movie continues by suggesting ulterior motives for the war in Afghanistan, including a natural gas pipeline through Afghanistan to the Indian Ocean.
Moore alleges that the Bush administration induced a climate of fear among the American population through the mass media. Moore then describes purported anti-terror efforts, including government infiltration of pacifist groups and other events, and the signing of the USA PATRIOT Act, which vastly expands government powers. After finding out that members of Congress do not read most of the bills that they vote on, including the USA PATRIOT Act, Moore drives through Washington D.C. in an ice cream truck using the external speaker to read the PATRIOT Act to them.
The documentary then turns to the subject of the Iraq War, comparing the lives of the Iraqis before and after the invasion. The citizens of Iraq are shown to be living relatively happy lives prior to the country’s invasion by the U.S. military. The film also takes pains to demonstrate war cheerleading in the U.S. media and general bias of journalists, with quotes from news organizations and embedded journalists. The film then shows Bush’s moment of “Mission Accomplished” on board the USS Abraham Lincoln. The film alternates between media reports of increased casualties in Iraq and Bush’s comment to “Bring ‘em on”, referring to the Iraqi insurgency.
The film then shifts its focus to Moore’s hometown, Flint, Michigan. The economically hard-hit town’s low-income neighborhoods were the prime target of military recruiters. A recruiter named Raymond Plouhar is introduced (he was later killed in Iraq), as he and another marine recruiter track people down in a parking lot of a mall. The film introduces Lila Lipscomb, a woman presented as the proud mother of a U.S. serviceman. She expresses her strong sense of patriotism and support for the men and women in uniform.
Moore suggests that, because the war was based on a lie, atrocities will occur, and shows footage depicting U.S. abuse of prisoners.
Later in the film, Lipscomb reappears with her family after hearing of the death of her son, Sgt. Michael Pederson, who was killed on April 2, 2003, in Karbala. Anguished and tearful, she begins to question the purpose of the war.
Because Moore was tired of seeing people like Lila Lipscomb suffer, and after discovering that only one member of Congress has a child serving in Iraq, he distributes armed services enrollment information to various members of Congress and suggests that they enlist their children.
Tying together several themes and points, Moore compliments those serving in the U.S. military. He claims that the lower class of America are always the first to join the army and defend the nation, so that the people better off don’t have to. He states that those valuable troops should not be sent to risk their lives unless it is absolutely necessary. The film ends with a clip of George W. Bush stumbling through his infamous “Fool me once” speech. The credits roll while Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” plays.
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. The film is also dedicated to “countless thousands” of civilian victims of war as a result of United States military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
