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Kim Johnson ReportingThe highly controversial film "Fahrenheit 9/11" opened in theaters across the country today. Michael Moore says his film is designed to convince American voters to remove President George W. Bush from the White House.
The Bush lobby has tried to persuade theaters from showing it, but it has been shown all day at the Broadway theaters. We talked with some people who saw it this morning. It was definitely a liberal crowd who turned out to see it.
The White House has called the film "slimy". Moore admits his work is decidedly anti-war, anti-President Bush.
Brad Stock: "I'm not one to believe everything I see or hear, but it was a lot of food for thought, and there are a lot of questions that haven't been asked by the mainstream media, so if it did that job, I think it did it very well."
The viewers we talked with said Moore connected the dots, connected bits of information, and say they were impressed by the amount of information.
John Flanders: “Information is not bad. It's access for everybody. You try to find truth, and know what's going on."
Peggy Moore: “I think he hit the mark. I think it’s his best film.”
Joe Hatch, the Utah spokesman for the Kerry campaign, hopes the film gets the undecided population engaged in debate about the war in Iraq.
Joe Hatch: "Whether it was a justified war. What we should do to get out of it. All that debate will occur, and I think that's healthy for the country. And I think the debate is going to be good for the Kerry campaign."
Joe Cannon, Chairman Utah Republican Party: “I don’t think it’s moving the needle one way or another. But it’s clearly propaganda. This is his shtick.”
While Fahrenheit 9/11 will probably polarize people in this country, it has achieved acclaim abroad. Moore won the Palme d'OR at the Canne Film Festival, France's highest film award.
