Posted on 07/09/2004 5:52:30 AM PDT by YourAdHere
Get off Michael Moore's back.
That was the message yesterday from fellow documentarian Ken Burns, fed up with right-wing carping against Moore's anti-Bush rant Fahrenheit 9/11. "Of course he's entitled to express his opinion --that's what this country is all about," says Burns, best known for epic documentaries The Civil War, Baseball and Jazz. "You're supposed to be able to stand up here and say, 'This guy is a schmuck.' "
Burns concedes that Moore has an agenda, but so what? "Whatever your argument about his methodology, this is a man with a deep, abiding sympathy for the working man," he says.
Burns was on the press tour promoting his upcoming PBS project Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise And Fall Of Jack Johnson. The unblinking portrait of the first African-American heavyweight champion -- who so dominated white opponents he inspired race riots in the early 20th century -- will air next January on PBS. Samuel L. Jackson, Billy Bob Thorton and Ed Harris provide narration for the film. Burns hopes to bring it to Toronto this September for the International Film Festival.
While he defends Moore's right to make the films he wants, Burns did take issue with his math. With a $70-million U.S. box office and counting, Moore claims Fahrenheit is already the most successful documentary of all time.
Burns figures that means roughly 7 to 10 million people have seen the film. "That's a good night for us on PBS," he says, arguing that, while his The Civil War never had a feature release, far more peole have seen it.
Burns told a story about meeting Moore two years ago at a film festival where they were joined by European filmmaker Werner Herzog. Herzog sized up all three documentarians this way: He was after the estatic truth, Burns went for emotional truth and Moore was after physical truth. "Just look how he puts his big belly right up on the screen," Herzog said of Moore.
Jack Johnson is one of my heroes.Considering the time period it took a lot of ba**s to walk down the street with a white woman.And kick the s*** out of the moron who got in his face.He would dare whole crowds to try him. I'm sure Burns will ruin it.
Actung!
The Germans got it right?(!)
Vill vonders never cease?
Thanks.Glad to be here.
He was also the only black Heavyweight champ before Joe Louis won the title and defended it with an unblemished record-with the exception of a singular defeat to Max Schmelling-until his first retirement from the "sweet science."
Yup.
Burns'll blow this one.
Big-time!
Hee Hee!
You gotta admit, that is an improvement.
Shoot, I did forget that.
We submit the name of Michael "Munch" for next year's annual "Nathan's, Coney Island Hot Dog-Eating Contest."
Kobayashi will be shaking in his socks!
Schmelling?
Humbug!
And Hamburg.
I can't do it! He's...he's...a machine!
Something like the hot dog eating contest, i.e. an event that actually requires intensive training, focus and determination, would probably be beyond the reach of someone like Michael Moore.
Though, if the two ever had a sit-off, I think that Kobayashi would be in deep s***!
The film would be less treasonous if it were just presented as "opinion"... but it's presented as a "documentary" and ignorant voters are buying the lies as outright fact.
2. Have someone talk over it
3. Film a landscape
4. Use the same music over and over and over again.
5. Print and show on PBS
Michael Moore is a man with a deep abiding sympathy for Michael Moore, and no one else as far as I've been able to determine.
Quite right, however it fits the definition of PROPAGANDA just perfectly!
Yeah, until he visits a European country and calls those same Americans the "most stupid people on earth".
Who cares about Ken Burn's opinion is? This is the guy who manufactures history according to the acceptable version of truth funded by Foundations that support PBS! Burn's cut and paste TV docudrama history is nothing more or less than the historical fiction Hollywood manufactures.
That, or an intense session of repetitive butt-scratching or first person mirror-ranting.
Damn...I'm going to be sad throwing out my Civil War tapes. Oh well, buh bye. Ken Burns, you have been voted onto left wing island.
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