Stunning (Bowling for Columbine (DVD))

Member Name: ickkate

Product:	Bowling for Columbine (DVD)
Date:	12/12/02 (482 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A moving, informative and entertaining film., Personal journey for Moore., Change in Wal Mart policy.

Disadvantages: This isn't going to change anybody's mind., Appears to lack focus a little., Comparisons of gun related deaths should have been as percentages.

One word can sum up Michael Moore's 'Bowling for Columbine', and that word is 'Stunning'. Just consider all of the possible connotations of that word.

'Bowling for Columbine' is Michael Moore's examination of gun ownership and the disproportionate level of gun related violence in the United States of America and is a film which proves that cinema can be much more than just entertainment. He has produced a personal account that centres around three acts of violence located in and around his home town of Flint, Michigan: the Oklahoma Bombing, the Columbine shooting and the death of a six year old girl at the hand of a fellow classmate in Flint - events that have led him to consider the wider implications of violence and fear in the national psyche. His diverse use of different film-making methods turn this potentially depressing documentary in to a film that can make you laugh one minute and stop dead in your tracks the next.

Michael Moore looks like any other American, and it is obvious that he plays on this throughout the film. He starts the film by entering a bank and opening an account which entitles him to one free gun. As we follow him through the process, he illustrates the potential weaknesses in the checks that he has to undergo by making potentially innocuous comments that eventually result in a more confrontational question. This brand of ridicule and confrontation is incredibly effective, and almost makes a large number of the acts Moore engages himself in, feel like amusing mini-protests. The final of which, aided by two of the Columbine High School shooting victims, proves effective enough that it results in a change of policy in K-Mart stores.

He also manages to combine this confrontational style with more delicate interviews with the victims. In each of the interviews he approaches the individuals with a sensitivity that seems at odds with the bullish behaviour of the protest-like cli <
br>ps. This delicacy also seems to translate in to the way in which he interviews individuals such as the Vice-President of the National Rifle Association, Charlton Heston - lulling him in to a false sense of security which Moore quickly betrays.

When the Columbine massacre occurred people were quick to blame individuals such as Marilyn Manson, the makers of South Park, video games and violent films. Moore covers all the bases here, interviewing Manson (who proves to be surprisingly intelligent and sensitive to the issues - completely turning around my assumptions about him), one of the South Park team (who grew up in a school much like Columbine) and teenagers emerging from violent films. Each time those interviewed dispel these proposals, and leave Moore to look elsewhere for his answers.

This kind of documentary style, especially combined with CC-TV footage from that eventful day at Columbine, could be incredibly depressing and could also run the risk of desensitising the audience to the horrors which Moore is talking about. But, he also combines this with montages using different varieties of film clips that loosely illustrate what is being said in his voice-over. (For example, there is one point where Moore talks about the threat of the 'monster', at which point a clip from an old 1920s or 30s horror movie is used.) This gives a popular and entertaining feel to these sections of film - especially when combined with an irreverent look at American history and gun ownership using South Park style cartoons. To the point in fact where you will find yourself laughing out loud on a number of occasions.

Moore does change track during the process of the film, and this is probably one of the strengths and weaknesses of the film. His focus at first appears to be the NRA and their dogged determination to continue to protect the second amendment but, possibly in response to September 11 - which Moore comments on - Moore begins to
loo
k at things on a larger scale. Using Flint and its surroundings as a microcosm for the macrocosm does work, but shifting the focus to look at the concept of fear, as generated by politicians and the Media, sometimes feels a little messy. At times you wonder exactly where his argument shifts - and possibly more judicious editing would have remedied this? Yet, this is Moore's personal journey, and doing so would have left the whole film feeling much more engineered and manufactured.

Regardless of any small niggles (which also include comparisons of gun related deaths that should have been presented as percentages rather than numbers of deaths per country) 'Bowling for Columbine' is a great achievement. Moore presents a strong argument for a difficult problem - one which divides the American public. Although politically aware and demonstrational, Moore's film is unlikely to change any of the minds of those who wish to defend the second amendment. They will simply refuse to watch this film. Nonetheless, this film has achieved an incredible amount and is an emotionally presented, educational film whose message our own little island would be wise to take note of.

Simply 'stunning'.

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