] BY ROGER EBERT FILM CRITIC, Chicago Sun-Times ] CANNES, France -- The jury of the 57th Cannes Film
] Festival insisted Sunday that it awarded its top honor to
] Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary not because of its
] politics, but because of its quality as a film.
]
] "We were dealing with reels of film, not politics," said
] jury president Quentin Tarantino. "We all agreed that
] 'Fahrenheit 9/11' was the best film."
]
] Tarantino and his eight fellow jurors were breaking with
] 56 years of festival tradition by explaining and
] defending their selections at a press conference the day
] after the awards were named. This was not the jury's idea
] but the festival's, Tarantino said, after Toronto critic
] Bruce Kirkland observed that past juries had operated
] with the secrecy of a Masonic lodge.
]
] Some critics of the Palme d'Or for Moore interpreted it
] as a slap by the French against President Bush and his
] invasion of Iraq, but in fact the jury had four American
] members and only one French member; the other jurors were
] from Finland, Hong Kong, Belgium and the U.K.
]
] "I knew this political crap would be brought up," said
] the outspoken Tarantino. "I think judging a film by its
] politics is a bad thing. If this movie was saying
] everything I wanted it to say, but not saying it with the
] best filmmaking, I would have opposed it."
]
The film, which received the longest standing ovation in Cannes history, charges that Bush has bungled the war on terrorism and sent U.S. troops to Iraq under false pretenses. One of its most talked-about scenes claims Bush remained in a Florida classroom, reading a book to children, for seven minutes after learning of the attack on the World Trade Center, until aides finally had to ask him to leave.
--------------------
For an extensive 'Fahrenheit 9/11' article archieve, check out the F911 Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/f911 The F911 Group was set up for musicians and artists to create works of art based on the movies firestorm. The film will be seen world wide.
It will make a lot of money.
It will change points-of-view.
It will be a major factor in November.
The pro-Bush camp does not have an answer for F911. All they can do is cloud public perception and hope it is NOT a summer blockbuster. |
