fahrenheit 9/11 - dodgy dvd review

picked up a copy of fahrenheit 9/11 from panthip plaza yesterday. cost me 120 baht (usd4.00).

the quality of the dvd is good even though it looks to have been recorded in a theater- certainly watchable. the subtitles aren't always accurate (as you can see in this screen shot of the infamous quote about hussein) and the subtitles tend to skip long parts of dialogue. i've got to think that the thai translation is even further away.

the movie is done in the same distinctive style seen in bowling for columbine. i didn't find it as striking as i hoped it'd be- probably because i had read lots of reviews of the movie already so already knew about many of the scenes.

overall, moore does very a good job of showing how the administration sought to use the 9/11 attacks as leverage to eventually invade iraq. i expect this will have opened a lot eyes back in america.

during the bombing campaign before the invasion i remember seeing on cnn a bomb being loaded onto an aircraft, the bomb having been painted with the words, 'remember 9/11'. many people truly believe(d) there was a direct link between hussein and the 9/11 attacks, but of course now even bush has acknowledged that there was no link.

in the movie the word 'lies' is mentioned many times but i see it as something more subtle- it's an case study of how a government successfully used the media and other outlets to shift public perception. the bush administration is far from being alone in this approach, but emotions come into play here because of 9/11 itself as well as the mounting casualties. moore certainly plays on this.

it's a good movie and definitely worth watching. also highly recommend the fog of war, which can also be found at your favorite local dodgy dvd store.