Michael Moore 411
: I didn’t post about the controversy regarding Disney’s supposed sudden refusal to distribute Michael Moore’s anti-Bush movie because something just didn’t smell right about it. Well, I have a good nose for non-news:
Less than 24 hours after accusing the Walt Disney Company of pulling the plug on his latest documentary in a blatant attempt at political censorship, the rabble-rousing film-maker Michael Moore has admitted he knew a year ago that Disney had no intention of distributing it.
The admission, during an interview with CNN, undermined Moore’s claim that Disney was trying to sabotage the US release of Fahrenheit 911 just days before its world premiere at the Cannes film festival.
Instead, it lent credence to a growing suspicion that Moore was manufacturing a controversy to help publicise the film, a full-bore attack on the Bush administration and its handling of national security since the attacks of 11 September 2001.
In an indignant letter to his supporters, Moore said he had learnt only on Monday that Disney had put the kibosh on distributing the film, which has been financed by the semi-independent Disney subsidiary Miramax….
But Moore’s publicity stunt, if that is what is, appears to be working. A front-page news piece in The New York Times was followed yesterday by an editorial denouncing Disney for censorship and denial of Moore’s right to free expression.
I’m no fan of Disney (as a stockholder) but even they aren’t stupid enough to act like Clear Channel. When this story came out, the implication was that Disney was blocking anyone from distributing the film. Disney made it clear that Moore was free to find distribution — and he will. Movie studios pass on distributing films every day; it’s the way the business works.
What amazes me most about Moore is that he has no respect for his own credibility.
