Fahrenheit 9/11

With Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore has set out an ambitious goal for himself: regime change (Al-Arian). Nobody can say that Moore doesn't warn the viewer what his goals are, however. Fahrenheit 9/11 has generated a storm of publicity on its way to shattering box office records. Lauded by the left and pilloried by the right, its ability to generate visceral reactions in its viewers is the key to its staying power and popularity. Billed as a must-see by both its proponents and its opponents, the movie, and Moore's cagey promotion of it, has disseminated its message of rage against the Bush administration far wider than anybody could have predicted. I believe that the movie's popularity is directly related to its ability to manipulate the emotions of its audience. The movie uses established propaganda tactics to manipulate the viewer, fomenting gut-level reactions to its themes and thereby spreading its message. This efficient use of sophisticated information management techniques to disseminate a message is in stark contrast to the movie's haphazard, shoe-string budget feel. This contrast is remarkably effective at concealing the at times blatant manipulation that is occurring. In short, Fahrenheit 9/11 is a brilliantly executed piece of propaganda that wastes no opportunity to influence the emotions of its viewers.

Before we can analyze Fahrenheit 9/11 it is important to understand what propaganda is. Propaganda is a difficult word to define because it has acquir

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ral reaction in the viewer. Another commonly used propaganda technique is contextualization, or the setting of an emotional framework for the viewer. Contextualization is especially effective when used in conjunction with omission�where omission removes intellectual information from the viewer's experience, contextualization can add emotional information in its stead. More uses contextualization brilliantly in the Fahrenheit 9/11. Moore's handling of the day of 9/11 is an example of this. He begins by leaving the screen black as the sounds of the terrorist attacks echo through the movie theater. Then he moves on to show the grief and terror of the witnesses to the attacks, tears streaming down their faces as they attempt to handle the emotional and physical strain of what they have experienced. This provokes a powerful, emotional reaction in the viewer as they share in this crushing sorrow and harken back to their own reactions on that terrible day. Moore immediately cuts from this scene to a clip of President Bush smirking apparently happily on that very same day. This creates a sense of outrage in the viewer�for how could the President be smiling, or smirking, on such a terrible day? This contextualization of the Pre

Category: Film - F