Bowling for Columbine
Picture: B+ Sound: B Extras: A- Film: A
What is important to keep
in mind while watching Michael’s Moore’s documentary Bowling for Columbine
is that it is not targeting the Columbine shooting exclusively, nor does it try
and solve certain problems our nation faces with gun and gun laws. Instead his film uses the Columbine
incidents as a microscopic view of what is happening all over and that is the
unnecessary acts of violence particularly those caused by handguns.
Aside from the fact that
this film was accepted at Cannes film festival (something rare for a
documentary) and it taking home the Oscar, Bowling For Columbine quickly
becomes one of the most important and vital documentaries made since Peter
Davis’ Hearts and Minds (1974).
In some ways these are two of the best documents of a certain incident
or time period that America has known.
Certain Hearts and Minds opened up eyes to the events of Vietnam, but by
this time it was too late. However, things could be done to prevent something
like this happening again. The same is
true of Moore’s film.
The question is, why are
these films so important and vital for us to see, and not just to see, but also
to try and understand. Perhaps the
point that most miss when it comes to Michael Moore is that he is not out to
find the exact answer, he realizes that there is no exact answer. He even
changes his attitudes and feelings while he is working on projects such as
this. His 1989 breakthrough film Roger
and Me also allowed Moore to play both sides of the fence. While he certainly has an opinion, he lets
both sides be heard. When Bowling
For Columbine is over, Moore wants the viewers to act upon what they just
saw. He is trying to motivate people
into taking action rather than just sit back and wait for someone else to do
so. He realizes more than anyone that
if you want something done, you must do it yourself.
Some people feel that
Moore is too manipulative with his material and ends up piecing together his
films in a way that stretches the truths that are found. From the very first shot of any film, TV
show, documentary, or snapshot the creator has manipulated the subject in some
way just by the very fact that the subject has been cropped into the frame and
we the viewer are left to see what the creator wants us to see, thus we are
manipulated. The cameraman certainly
has ways in which to control the viewer, but the editing is where the material
comes to life and finds it rhythm and rhyme.
M-G-M has delivered Bowling
For Columbine to the home viewer with admirable results. The film is presented in a 1.85 X 1 aspect
ratio, which has been anamorphically enhanced.
All of the footage looks relatively good considering that this film was
shot all over with various cameras and also combined stock footage as
well. The consistency is pleasing and
since this was shot in 35mm the results look much better than the 16mm footage
for Roger and Me. What is
particularly astonishing about any Michael Moore adventure (see the Awful
Truth review on this site as well) the camera always finds the important
elements within the scene to focus on, plus the footage that is caught is
always risqué.
From an audio
point-of-view Bowling For Columbine works well in its Dolby 5.1 state since
there are very few moments where the entire soundtrack becomes engaged. Most of the activity takes place in the
front three speakers. Audio sounds much
better than the episodes from The Awful Truth, which is due to the
bigger budget and controlled means of making this film more
state-of-the-art. On the alternate
audio track there is a commentary featuring some of the interns and people that
helped get much of this film coordinated over its three-year production. Moore makes an excellent statement during
his intro to this film in that he states that the reason for not doing a
commentary for this film is that everything he has to say, the film already
says it. This is such a valid point
considering truly great filmmakers do not need to comment further on a film if
that film already does the job. Most
commentaries by directors end up being too much rambling as the director often
goes into details far beyond the listener’s interest.
This is a 2-Disc set,
which included an entire second disc devoted strictly to supplements for the
film. There is a segment where Moore
talks for about 15-20 minutes about his controversial Oscar acceptance
speech. What he does here is basically
recreate the moment and explains why he said what he did. He is not necessarily trying to validate
what he said because he feels that the comments that he made were
appropriate. Most people argue that it
was not what he said, but the fact that he chose the wrong time and
place to express his views. Well,
perhaps if it were someone else, or if it were someone who had just made a film
about something besides issues like the ones Bowling For Columbine deals
with. His acceptance speech was a
little over the top, but it was his time to shine and he let it be known that
he did not agree with the U.S. being at war.
Since his award-winning documentary also expressed this with subtle
detail, there is nothing really wrong with him further commenting during his
speech.
Another great highlight is
a segment that was shot when Moore returned to Colorado about six months after
the film was released. This footage
includes Moore on stage talking to a packed room of fans about his film and his
strong standpoint on the issues that were discussed in his film. At least Moore showed up to promote his
cause and to hear out those who had comments to make, rather than show up like
Charlton Heston a few weeks after the shootings at Columbine to promote gun
rights!
Disc Two also contains
Moore interviewing Clinton’s press secretary Jon Lockart as well as all of the
awards that the film won with footage from Cannes. There are also as follow up interviews with Moore about this
honor to be chosen at Cannes, which is the first time a documentary was picked
for about 50 years. Moore is still
baffled about being a winner at Cannes, just as much as being an Oscar winner
as well. There is no doubt that a film
like this needed to be made and Moore was certain the person that could bring
such a grim subject to light and not just do it with a one-sided angle, but
rather investigate the problem(s) that we as a nation are facing in order to
try and answer those questions or to get people to change their ways. Also included here is Michael Moore on the
Charlie Rose show as well as Marilyn Manson’s music video for the song “Fight
Song”, which appears in the video.
Manson happens to be one of the smartest individuals that are
interviewed in this film, despite being one of the targets after
Columbine.
I look forward, more than
ever, to see how this film will eventually become a landmark in cinema. Its importance will grow as more people
discover it. Even those against Michael
Moore or against his ideas should take this film for its worth since it
addresses many of the issues that face us all.
While none of us seem to have the answer, perhaps in time we can make a
change in the world even if it is one person at a time. Thanks to M-G-M for releasing this film onto
DVD with all the supplements worth the time to explore. Not only that, but this also marks one of
their best titles in their recent catalog.
- Nate Goss
