Michael Moore gives us the impression that everyone is against President Bush, in the way he is presented, looking ridiculous, almost like a childish character. The way the atmosphere changes from Bush working, to when he is on holiday gives the impression that he doesn’t care about the American people and it questions his responsibility as a leader. Not only is he portrayed as a ridiculous character but also as a devious cheater who used his family connections to his advantage. I don’t know if this is a fair and accurate representation but it is a very convincing one because of the use of this rare evidence that was never shown to the public at the time.
The use of sounds and visual techniques in this documentary expresses different moods i.e. when Mr Bush is at work it is very serious and sombre using actuality footage, skipping from scene to scene with the use of editing. When Michael Moore is commentating on the text, he uses different styles of music to reflect the moods of both humour and drama. The actuality footage is evidence of what we see (i.e. Denotation) shows Mr Bush and his team in the white house during his daily work schedule and the preparation that goes into it. However the Connotation that Michael Moore wishes us to understand is one of a corrupt white house, Moore has only chosen footage that puts Bush in a bad light., with his use of institutional sources in the media creating an aura of endless threat from the terrorists. It is assumed that the audience doesn’t know anything and feels confident in their president.
The Documentary narrative gives the audience a history before 9/11 occurred i.e. the fiasco of the election and Bush’s connections with Saudi Arabia, the Taliban and Sadam Hussein. Thus Creating Mr Bush as a villain because of his bad judgment and the way he dealt with the aftermath of the crisis and the effect that it had upon the American people, who are the target audience. However does Michael Moore feel that he has the right to perform a public service in making this documentary by making the people aware? Because of their fear and horror at 9/11 does the public need someone to blame? Moore is using President Bush as an example of the opposite of what the American people consider a good president should be based on major values and ideologies of honour and trust.
This documentary has drawn upon the tradition that documentary is fiction and they only give one version of the facts of any situation. They tell dramatic stories and they entertain and engage as well as inform. Documentaries give political and ideological messages in what is shown, and how it is shown. Another documentary that I have used as a reference is “Super Size Me” by Morgan Spurlock which follows a similar theme and convey messages about the “realities” they portray. These messages colour, bias and control the betrayal.
It is expected that the audience would be highly shocked and some may be unconvinced by this documentary. The use of Mise-en-scene in this documentary when the ex FBI agent gave his opinion would further the public’s belief and the use of written text and documentation, is proof of things existing .Also by interviewing random people off the street to give their opinions (Vox pops) would make it more relevant. The fact that Michael Moore interviewed Britney Spears would have appealed to the younger generation. Age, gender and background would influence people’s reaction and evaluation to this text, also a person’s preconceived opinion of Mr Bush prior to seeing this documentary. In my opinion it appears that George Bush is still popular with some of the people however he is portrayed as a figure of ridicule.
I think this documentary has got positive value in that it has highlighted many aspects that everyone should be aware of i.e. Bush’s connections with the Saudi’s and the vast profits from oil and the apparent alteration of certain documents from his army career. Also the visible recordings and disruptions of fighting in Iraq highlighting the horror’s of war and the desperation of the mother who lost her son.
