Documentary Films
What is your understanding of
documentary?
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 Roger and Me (1989) was a huge
success leading to more films, a
career in documentary film-making
and so far his two greatest
documentary successes are:
 Bowling
for Columbine (2002) and
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
See www.michaelmoore.com
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Q? What kinds of pleasures are
being promised here?
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
Born 1954
Flint, Michigan, United States

Father & Grandfather worked in GM plant

Dropped out of Uni. to become journalist &
political activist, first in Flint, then in San
Francisco where he was fired & used his
settlement money, as well as selling his
house, to finance his first film ..
Roger and Me (1989)
Michael Moore
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
Explicitly intended to defeat George W. Bush’s attempt to gain
presidency for 2nd time by exploring his role in the events
surrounding 9/11.

To date, it has made more money than any other documentary
film ever: $119,194,771 (lifetime gross) *Ranked 5th most
controversial film*

Sicko ranks 4th most successful documentary with $24,540,079

Bowling for Columbine (United Artists) ranks 6th most successful
documentary & achieved $21,576,018 & *22nd most
controversial film*

Moore’s films are openly rhetorical ie. up-front about wanting to
persuade their audiences of a particular position.
Controversy
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Mobilising US political opinion?
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The massive commercial success of
Fahrenheit 9/11 & Bowling for Columbine
was a revelation to many in an era when
it was argued that documentary was
outmoded.
 At the same time, there was a growing
appetite for ‘nature’ or ‘wildlife’
documentaries (eg. BBC’s The Blue Planet
2001) & drama-docs such as ‘Touching
the Void’ (UK 2003)

‘Postdocumentary times’
(Corner 2002)
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John Corner, an academic expert on
documentary argues that we are now in a
‘postdocumentary culture of television’
and also refers to a ‘new ecology of the
factual’ (2002) In its traditional, serious
sense, documentary is said to be
weakened by 3 things:
Extensive borrowing of its realistic ‘look’
Strengthening of a performative, playful
element within factual programmes
3. Shift in the broader culture towards
more emphasis on individual consumers
1.
2.
John Corner
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Recording of events
Interviews (Marilyn Manson, Charlton Heston)
Other materials eg. Charts, maps, cartoons,
archive footage, use of statistics
Voiceovers and music
More controversially, the ‘performance’ of
documenting
Some of Moore’s techniques ...
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How are spectators to assess his
presence and performance in these
films?
How fair & accurate are the
arguments he puts together, both
explicitly and implicitly (ie. cartoons,
music, etc)?
Key Questions ...
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Clearly his presence is a key component in the success of his
documentaries, using smart comments and humour
Performs the role of ‘Joe-Ordinary’ with his scruffy appearance,
baseball cap & commonsense questioning style
This strategy was particularly effective at the time when multimillionaire George W. Bush was presenting himself as ‘JoeOrdinary’
Puts him in touch with a large and involved fanbase (partly from
his 1990s TV programmes TV Nation 1994/1995) In September
2008, Moore released his first free online film, Slacker Uprising,
documenting his personal crusade to encourage more Americans
to vote in presidential elections, as a thank you to his loyal
followers since Roger & Me
Some of the extraordinary footage in F9/11 came from ‘embeds’
– US soldiers in Iraq who trusted him from his previous work and
contacted him about the abuses and sights they had seen
Moore’s performances
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Some objections to Moore as a performer
in his documentaries include:
 He hogs the limelight
 That he ‘stages’ encounters such as with
Charlton Heston in Bowling for Columbine
 Can be perceived as a threatening
presence; willing to say anything to
anyone (for performance purposes)

 The
documentarist openly showing how
his film has been constructed and
therefore changed in the making
Criticisms of his work
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His style of ‘setting people up’, knowing
they will look ridiculous on screen raises
ethical issues
 This can also stop discussion of more
complex debates eg. The systematic
gendering of violence in Bowling for
Columbine (See Katz, Jay 1999, Tough Guise: Violence, Media and the

Crisis in Masculinity)

All these issues relate to how far Moore
can be said to present fair and accurate
arguments
Criticisms continued ...
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But ...

This is not the same as his right to argue and
present a position as a documentarist.

Watch for this distinction: some still assume
that documentaries should have the same
aspirations as news which is not the same
genre. However, there is an obligation to be
as fair and accurate as possible , even when
arguing passionately!
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Finally, for you to follow up ...
List the number of issues Moore deals
with in F9/11 or Bowling for Columbine
Explore the statistics he cites using
anti-Moore websites (eg.
www.bowlingfortruth.com) as well as
his rebuttals on his website
How far do you agree with the criticisms
of
Moore’s
performances
and
methods?
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