Michael Moore , born the April 23rd 1954, is a writer and a documentary Réalisateur American of committed. He currently lives with New York.

Youth and political commitment

Born with Flint (Michigan), wire of a secretary and a workman employed in the factory General Motors based in Flint (Michigan), nephew of one of the founders of the Trade union of the Workers of the Car (UAW), Michael Moore was predestined to become a blue collar.

At 18 years, he is elected with the board of directors of his college (Davison High School), where he becomes one of youngest Americans to be reached a public office. He is made the spokesperson of the students.

Giving up its studies of journalism at the University of Flint, it founds at 22 years the Flint Voice , a alternate newspaper which it directs during 10 years.

Its first political commitments are with the American Extreme left. It gives its support for the mode of Daniel Ortega to the Nicaragua and denounces the embargo against the mode of Fidel Castro to Cuba.

Beginnings in the cinema

In 1989, it sells all its goods and manages to carry out the film which will devote it, Roger and me , in which it denounces the application of measurements of management of Roger Smith, president of General Motors, person in charge of the closing of the automobile factories of Flint (30 000 bachelors in an agglomeration of 150.000 inhabitants). It is at the time largest business success never known for documentary.

In 1995, it carries out Canadian Bacon , film satirical being held in the United States right after the Cold war, and putting in scene the US government trying to assemble the Americans against the Canadians to start again the economy. The film denounces in particular American mentality with respect to the wearing of weapon, as well as the use of the fear through the media. Two ideas which will be included more seriously in Bowling for Columbine .

In 1999, it leaves The Big One where it treats impoverishment of certain sections of the population with the United States and doubtful practices of some Multinationale S like Nike.

The Awful Truth

In 1999, it creates, product and presents the emission The Awful Truth (transposable in French by " Unavowable Vérité") in which it tackles serious subjects with humor. At the time of its first go monthly, it denounces the system of the American mutual insurance companies of health (avid of profits), by inviting a company with the burial of one of its customers for whom she refuses to pay the transplantation of a Pancréas. The company blamed decides to cover all the grafts of pancreas after the passage of Michael in her offices… The emission is a sharp success during its two years of existence at the same time to the the United States but also to the the United Kingdom where it is diffused on Chanel 4.

Campaigns

  • In 2000, it openly makes to countryside with the election presidential for the candidate ecologist Ralph Nader, and critical as well the democratic candidate Al Gore as the republican George W. Bush. During the four years which follow, he is the tireless detractor of the administration of George W. Bush. Thus, a week after the attacks of the September 11th, 2001 to New York, initially, it blames, in an interview with the emission presented by Karl Zero on the French chain Canal+, the US government and the CIA in these terrorist attacks, asserting that the target was a democratic city having voted with a vast majority for Al Gore! In another interview, it doubts the existence of passengers on board of the planes having struck the twin towers of New York and puts forward as proof that no passenger was black (insinuating that no black could take part in such a masquerade organized by republicans).
  • Michael Moore is in first line against the war in Afghanistan with the end of the year 2001 then in 2003 against the military intervention of the the United States in Iraq.
  • It makes presidential election of 2004 the “mother of all the battles” against George W. Bush and supports initially the general Wesley Clark at the time of the democratic primary educations. With a certain courage, but surrounded by bodyguards, it takes part in republican convention on the benches of the press in September 2004. Its Internet site remained dumb during three days after the re-election of George W. Bush the November 2nd 2004 before being begun again and declaring that the future belonged to the democrats and with the left because youth had voted mainly for John Kerry, the democratic adversary of Bush.
  • In 2007, at the time of the realization of its documentary, Sicko, devoted to insurance-health with the the United States, it is shown by the American department of the treasure to have violated the Embargo of the United States against Cuba. He sees then behind the investigation of which he is the subject of the American authorities, of the motivation policies that he charges to George W. Bush whereas the scenario writer intended to show that the health system of Cuba was, according to him, better and more powerful than that of the United States.

Dedication to the cinema

Bowling for Columbine

See also: Bowling for Columbine

In 2002, Bowling for Columbine is an international success (Price of the 55e Cannes festival).

It gains in 2003 the Oscar of best documentary the and the César of the best foreign film. The documentary one takes as a starting point a fact various, the massacre into 1999 of 13 people by two teenagers in Columbine High School (see Massacre of the college of Columbine). Moore is questioned, in the context of after September 11th, 2001, on the culture of the fear conveyed by the politicking Médias and the , and on the “loophole” industry of the armament American and its during policy, the NRA (National Riffle Association).

For her attacks with repetitions, Michael Moore is prosecuted 23 times (with 23 victories before the court) by companies obstructed by her writings or her reports, in particular Nike which is forced, after The Big One , to put officially fine at the work of children for the manufacture of her products in Indonesia.

Fahrenheit 9/11

See also: Fahrenheit 9/11

In 2004, it carries out the film Fahrenheit 9/11 , documentary directed qualified scathing attack, realized with an aim acknowledged to influence the presidential election of 2004. It is caught some in particular in this film with George W. Bush and its administration, with the professional connections binding the Bush family to the Saoudi of Bin Laden, and milked family action of the American diplomacy which led to the 2nd war of Iraq.

This film is produced by Miramax, an autonomous subsidiary company of Walt Disney Company whose owner Harvey Weinstein, enthusiast to support Democratic party, also produces Quentin Tarantino. Disney refuses with its subsidiary company to diffuse its film in the United States in full electoral campaign. Moore will point finger the fact that Disney finances the countryside of George W. Bush to a total value of 640.000 $.

It is in this context that the film receives the Palme of gold to the Cannes festival 2004, whereas the president of the Festival, Quentin Tarantino, anti-Bush militant, is suspected of favoritism of the fact mainly of his bonds with Miramax and of the personal support of Weinstein.

In her speech of thanks, Michael Moore has fun owing to the fact that her film has a distributer in Albania, but not with the the United States.

After having received the Gold Palm, Miramax obtains the authorization of its head office to distribute the film which is presented in more than 800 rooms through the United States.

To date, Fahrenheit 9/11 is the documentary one having generated the most entries at the time of the first weekend of diffusion in the United States.

SiCKO

See also: SiCKO

Left in 2007, SiCKO is a documentary film criticizing mainly the American health system where 45 million individuals is not covered by a Assurance-maladie and the others have sometimes great difficulties of being looked after because of the reserves of the insurance companies to pay the care necessary.

Criticisms

Michael Moore maintains on her documentary certain confusion the kinds because the majority are considered, at the time of lawsuit, like " fictions".

Documentary Canadian Manufacturing Dissent puts forward debatable tactics used by Moore in the realization of his films, like the use of a friend to play the part of a journalist being made steal his car by an employee fired in Roger & Me.

Concerning its documentary against General Motors, in addition, it did not introduce the interview which it finally obtained with the owner, which was worth some criticisms in the journalistic medium to him where this kind of lapse of memory concerns the professional misconduct and is déontologiquement not easily excusable. Some nevertheless benefitted from it to recall that it was not a journalist, and that its films were to be seen like " documoqueurs" , of the scathing attacks to the corrosive humor rather than of the reports " objectifs". The debate remains open.

Quotations

  • On the French: " I find disgusting that, considering the democrats did not make their job as an opposition which must, the French are now the new democrats! What is this to say? It is not disgusting, that? The French are the democratic party! " -- in answer to a question of interview to the Festival of American comic arts of HBO, on February 27th, 2003 (texto: " I think that what' S disgusting is that, because the Democrats haven' T gives to their job being has honest opposition, the French cuts become the new Democrats! What is that? How disgusting is that? The French cuts become the Democratic Party! " )

Catalog of films

; With the Cinema

; In Video

  • '' The Awful Truth (1999) '': Thanks to a team of correspondents, it continues his setting with the post of the business men and other politicians who according to him make use of the population at demagogic ends, economic or any other harmful effect at the company…

; Clips Vidéos

  • Sleep Now In The Fire, of the group Rage Against the Machine alternates images of a parody of Which wants to gain million? where the questions would relate to poverty in the world, and of the image filmeds on the square of Wall Street, with New York, where the group gave a mini-concert, facing a prohibition of the town hall. One can see at the end of the clip the members of the group like Michael Moore, to be taken along shackles to the wrists by the police force. A text in the clip indicates that following this turning, the purse of Wall Street has to close its front doors the usual hour, which had not arrived since the stock exchange krash of October 24th, 1929 (the famous Black Thursday ).
  • Testify, of the group Rage Against The Machine, is used with full in the countryside for Ralph Nader. Al Gore and George Bush Jr. is an extraterrestrial mutant able there to be duplicated. Almost identical fragments of speech seek to justify this setting in scene. Moore briefly appears, by putting gasoline in its car.
  • Boom!, of the group System off has Down watch various demonstrations against the war in Iraq throughout the world as well as a cartoon representing George W Bush, Tony Blair, Saddam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden overlapping shells going to fall on the Iraq.

Works

See too

External bonds

  • official Internet site (in English)
  • Its Weblog
  • '' Michael Moore, All on her tactics '', Lee-Anne Goodman, April 21st, 2007
  • an article criticizes on the film " Fahrenheit 9/11".
  • the site and the forum of the film " SICKO".

Simple: Michael Moore

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