Product Description

In the most provocative film of the year, Academy Award-winner Michael Moore presents a searing examination of the role played by greed and oil in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11. From Academy-Award winning director Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine). WINNER, Palme D’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, BEST PICTURE. DVD features:

* "The Release of Fahrenheit 9/11" featurette
* "Iraq, Pre-War" featurette: The people of Iraq on the eve of invasion
* "Homeland security, Miami style" featurette: Footage of the old men who patrol the Florida coast lookng for terrorists as part of the homeland security plan
* "Outside Abu Ghraib Prison"
* Eyewitness account from Samara, Iraq
* "Lila, D.C.": Lila Lipscomb at the Washington, D.C. premiere
* Arab-American comedians: Their acts and experiences after 9/11
* Extended interview: More with Abdul Henderson
* "Condi 9/11": Condoleezza Rice's 9/11 Commission testimony
* "Bush Rose Garden": George W. Bush's full press briefing after 9/11 Commission appearance

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16475 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-10-05
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 122 minutes

Amazon.com
To anyone who truly understands what it means to be an American, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 should be seen as a triumph of patriotic freedom. Rarely has the First Amendment been exercised with such fervor and forthrightness of purpose: After subjecting himself to charges of factual errors in his gun-lobby exposé Bowling for Columbine, Moore armed himself with a platoon of reputable fact-checkers, an abundance of indisputable film and video footage, and his own ironically comedic sense of righteous indignation, with the singular intention of toppling the war-ravaged administration of President George W. Bush. It's the Bush presidency that Moore, with his provocative array of facts and figures, blames for corporate corruption, senseless death, unnecessary war, and political favoritism toward Osama Bin Laden's family and Saudi oil partners following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Moore's incendiary film earned Palme d'Or honors at Cannes and a predictable legion of detractors, but do yourself a favor: Ignore those who condemn the film without seeing it, and let the facts speak for themselves. By honoring American soldiers and the victims of 9/11 while condemning Bush's rationale for war in Iraq, Fahrenheit 9/11 may actually succeed in turning the tides of history. --Jeff Shannon

DVD features
The supplemental features of Fahrenheit 9/11 offer almost an hour and a half of further manna for Michael Moore's supporters and ammunition for his critics, including appearances by two of the most memorable figures in the film, Michigan mother Lila Lipscomb and Marine corporal Abdul Henderson. "The Release of Fahrenheit 9/11" (11 minutes) collects reactions to the film from celebrities, political leaders, and Quentin Tarantino and Tilda Swinton of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival jury (but no film critics). Lipscomb gives a moving speech at the film's Washington, D.C. premiere (4 minutes), and in an 18-minute sequence, an embedded Swedish journalist recounts his experiences, accompanied by footage of U.S. soldiers raiding an Iraqi home. This provides the context for the scene in the main film in which a soldier gets his picture taken with a bound and hooded Iraqi, which is chillingly similar to the infamous pictures from Abu Ghraib prison. The second part of the DVD features consists of seven new or extended scenes (about 50 minutes total), including more footage of Iraq before the invasion; protesters outside Abu Ghraib and former prisoners showing their injuries; more thoughts from Cpl. Abdul Henderson; National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice trying to squirm off the hook in front of the 9/11 Commission; and President Bush going through the motions of a press appearance after he appeared before the same commission. --David Horiuchi

From The New Yorker
Michael Moore's new documentary is an incendiary and viciously funny attack on the Bush Administration-a whirlwind of political charges, sinister implications, and derision-in which the President comes off as a betrayer and fool who has all the substance of a stuffed doll. Moore accuses Bush of handing part of America's sovereignty over to the Saudis; he implies that the President, after 9/11, was more effective at frightening the electorate than at pursuing the terrorists; he presents America as an oligarchy in which the wealthy control everything while luring the dispossessed to "volunteer" in endless wars. Saying that pieces of this are true, or partly true, or true when joined to counterclaims-isn't the Army mostly a boon for the working class?-doesn't settle the journalistic issue. The movie's more radical allegations, which arrive like a shower of poison darts, are impossible to sort out and evaluate, and Moore often joins facetious narration to highly edited clips in a way that recalls the agit-prop techniques of dictatorial regimes. The movie is sensational entertainment for those already convinced but may repel the uncommitted. There are a number of powerful sections, however, that are impossible to dismiss, particularly the story of Lila Lipscomb, a Flint, Michigan, mother who loses her son in the Iraq war and, giving way to unappeasable grief, makes a half-crazed pilgrimage to the White House. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

A film that brings out the best and worst in reviewers.
Firstly, I am not from the US. It seems to have become a hobby of Americans to wear their politics rather vocally on their sleeves. Looking up info about his film, if you're any kind of regular net-surfer, you will likely have seen verbal volleys directed back and forth between democratic supporters and republican supporters. What ends up happening is the equivalent of an elementary school name-calling contest rather than any discussion of the film as is. Yes, there are parts of this movie presented out of context. One example: When the Taliban visit Texas in this film, they were there by invitation from the Clinton administration, even though Bush is Texas governor. However, what works in this film is seeing a result of one presidential administration's decisions (and indecisions in one almost tragically comical scene) and its effects on people in two countries. The interspersal of Lila Lipscomb's patriotism to outrage to utter sadness are the most moving parts of this film. Seeing the effects of the war on those who were on the front lines and discovering what is never mentioned on US newscasts is a powerful series of images. The interviews with shell-shocked, amputee soldiers in rehab are frightening to behold, knowing that there are what is nearing 10,000 of these men returning to the USA, and to what kind of reception? Seeing Moore on the streets of DC telling members of congress to sign their adult children up for military service is hilarious to watch, especially seeing the reactions of the congressmen.

For me, all of these changes in mood, from disbelief, to horror, to unbounded laughter are what make this a 4 star film. Taking it in context of just a theater goer, and not a potential voter, make me agree with why this film won the Palm d'Or at the Cannes Festival. There are powerful messages here, despite personal politics and should be seen by anyone who is a citizen of this planet, not just the US.

The truth hurts at times
its funny how most people say that this was a bit over hyped but according to the 9/11 commission report the facts are there..

The September 11 Commission's 567-page final report has confirmed key facts presented in Fahrenheit 9/11. These include:

Attorney General John Ashcroft told acting FBI director Thomas Pickard that he did not want to hear anything more about terrorist threats.  Confirmed, Commission Report at p. 265

After Bush was informed of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center, he went ahead with his classroom event.  After Bush was informed that the nation was under attack after the second plane hit, Bush stayed in the classroom for nearly seven more minutes, continuing to read with the children. Confirmed, Commission Report at pp. 35, 38-39.

Bush failed to have even one meeting to discuss the threat of terrorism with his head of counterterrorism Richard Clarke.  Confirmed, Commission Report at p. 201.

Bush failed to react to the August 6, 2001 security briefing, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S. Confirmed, Commission Report at pp. 260-262.

142 Saudis, including 24 members of the bin Laden family, were allowed to leave the country after September 13. Confirmed, Commission Report at p. 556, n. 25  [Note that Fahrenheit 9/11 understates the number of Saudis who left.]

Individuals were interviewed by the FBI before being allowed to leave (although the report confirms that most individuals on these flights were not interviewed.)  Confirmed, Commission Report at p. 557, n. 28.

White House former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke approved these flights. Confirmed, Commission Report at p. 329.

It should also be noted that the 9/11 Commission does not address or deem important a number of other issues either addressed in Fahrenheit 9/11 or revealed since completion of the film, including:

What exactly was the rush in getting these individuals out of the country so soon after the worst attack in U.S. history, why did Saudi Royals and bin Laden family members receive such special treatment at a time when most Americans still could not get flights (even though airspace may have been open), and how exactly were the flights arranged by the U.S. government?

Several unanswered questions posed by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) in a July 20, 2004, Grand Forks Herald column: "At a time when 14 of the 19 terrorists from Sept. 11 were Saudi citizens, how and why were six secret flights allowed to sneak 142 Saudi citizens out of the United States in the days after Sept. 11 before they were properly interrogated? How do we know they weren't properly questioned? Because Dale Watson, the No. 2 man and former head of counterterrorism at the FBI has said none of them were subjected to `serious' interrogation or questions before being allowed to leave.  In fact, we now know that at least two and perhaps more of the Saudis who were allowed to leave after Sept. 11 were under investigation by the FBI for alleged terrorist connections."

Information that came to light in Dana Milbank's July 22, 2004 Washington Post article, including the fact that at least one bin Laden family member who was allowed to leave lived with a nephew of Osama bin Laden, who "was involved in forming the U.S. branch of the World Assembly of Muslim Youth" (WAMY), which the FBI has described as "a suspected terrorist organization," and that the bin Ladens flew out of the country on the same airplane that "has been chartered frequently by the White House for the press corps traveling with President Bush."

#1 on Amazon for a Reason
There must be a reason why Fahrenheit 9/11 is ranked #1 on Amazon and I can mention a few right here:

1. The movie pulls no punches. It delivers a serious message with verifiable facts in a way that moves people to tears and laughter, seconds apart from each other.

2. The movie is controversial. It tells the story of how our current President and his administration have ties to oil interests in the Middle East, an old hatred of Saddam ("tried to kill my Daddy"), and a heretofore unmatched ability to make the wrong decisions based on preconceived and premeditated agendas without considering the costs in human lives or human dollars.

3. Tears. This movie could reverse a drought with the amount of tears it has evoked so far. The power of anyone watching this movie to be moved to tears (and you will, trust me) is a powerful statement of it's importance and relevance right now. We've all seen the destruction in New York City but we haven't ever understood some of the reasons it was allowed to happen, or why we find ourselves in a war in the wrong country, with no connections WHATSOEVER to the terrorists that brought 9/11 into our lives.

Just get this movie! Like I needed to say that...