Michael Moore
Michael Moore & Art
By Daniel G. Jennings
The awards, critical claim, media attention and praise Michael Moore's new propaganda film "Fahrenheit 911" represent a terrible development: the triumph of politics over art.
Moore's film is not being praised for its artistic content or because it is entertaining, no the movie is being praised because the powers that be in the news and entertainment industries agree with its politics. Moore's ability and the artistic quality of his film do not matter only the political content of the movie matters.
Fahrenheit 911 only won the Golden Palm Award at Cannes and four or five stars from virtually all of the film critics because of its politics. Undoubtedly many deserving directors who produced real works of art were passed over in favor of Moore's shoddy propaganda piece.
To make matters worse, I'm sure many of the filmmakers at Cannes thought Moore's movie was nothing but cheap propaganda and Moore himself nothing but a fool. Unfortunately these people probably voted for Moore and his movie because they were afraid of the reprisals they would receive for challenging the prevailing ideology in the entertainment industry. Just as I'm sure that a number of top film critics who disliked Moore's movie recommended it because they were afraid of reprisals from higher ups in the news business.
Art no longer matters among the independent film makers and critics who made a cult out of artistry in film. Only politics now matters, films that are politically correct are praised as quality. Movies that are not politically correct will be attacked.
The filmmakers who so vocally defended Michael Moore's freedom to make his propaganda film would undoubtedly do everything in their power to censure or ban a film that tried to justify the war on terror. They would do this because such a movie wouldn't be politically correct.
The only people criticizing the film industry are not those who value art and artistic freedom but conservatives who would ban Moore's film because it isn't politically correct and produce some equally simple minded propaganda to take its place. Art has become the hostage of politics and little more than a plaything of the politicians.
The example of Michael Moore proves that the artistic climate in Hollywood today is that of the 1970s Soviet Union. Only art that justifies the prejudices of a narrow minded and vicious class of bigoted intellectuals is allowed. All other art is suppressed. We Americans should take heed of what happened to the Soviet Union, a society where art, literature, entertainment, economics, industry, the military, the news media, science and scholarship were completely politicized, it collapsed because nothing in the country worked any more. If we don't stand up and say no those like Michael Moore and his apologists who would politicize our culture, America will suffer the same fate.