Burning Bush - SA

[dArKeR]

I recently had the privilege of being among the first to see Michael Moore's new documentary Fahrenheit 9/11. Thanks to South Africa's own Nicky Lazar, a field producer on the film, I scored an invitation to the New York premiere of what has become one of the most controversial political films in U.S. history.

Before the lights faded, one of my party commented that the free seat had been wasted on me. As a non-American, he explained, I would be ineligible to vote in November's U.S. election. Though whispered in jest, the sentiment was telling. When the director stepped up to introduce his latest work, clad in his trademark baggy jeans and baseball cap, he reiterated his hope that Fahrenheit 9/11 would be remembered as the first election-year film to help dethrone an American president.

As it transpired, the film survived the opportunity cost of my squandered seat. Revenues of over US$22-million in the first weekend made it the most commercially successful documentary feature ever, eclipsing the record set by Moore's previous effort, the anti-gun Oscar winner Bowling for Columbine. But whether Fahrenheit 9/11 proves as successful in fulfilling the director's liberal political agenda remains to be seen.


http://www.themedia.co.za/article.aspx?articleid=135606&area=/media_insightglobal_effect