Moore Hope

While opposing the for-profit sale of illegal copies, film-maker Michael Moore has reportedly welcomed the distribution of pirated versions of his film, Fahrenheit 9/11. “I don’t agree with the copyright laws and I don’t have a problem with people downloading the movie and sharing it with people as long as they’re not trying to make a profit off my labor... I do well enough already and I made this film because I want the world, to change. The more people who see it the better, so I’m happy this is happening,” he was quoted in Britain's Sunday Herald. -- Ed.

By Dez Williams

After seeing Fahrenheit 9/11 on Monday June 28th and attending one of the MoveOnPAC ‘town meetings,’ I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. It tasted of well-off politically charged thespians being either repulsed or swayed by this film. It was more than just this foul taste; I was having reflux. The people that matter, the poor people whose children join the army to fight the Stupid White Men’s war, the people whose lives were shaken after two guys went Bowling For Columbine, the people fired after standing on the picket lines shouting ‘Downsize This!’... those people do not have $10.25 per person to be entertained by some mega blockbuster such as “White Chicks,” much less to forgo slapstick entertainment to see an important political film. This film would not have the opportunity to make them galvanize a move toward giving the President the pink slip. The taste kept creeping back up in the back of my throat, and I couldn’t swallow it.

I felt that something needed to be done, but just what could I do? I have openly criticized the film to my peers, but I do see its value and I wanted to make some strong rebel move that would not involve Mr. Moore earning more, while still using his cleverly made film to get Bush out of office. I decided that if Muhammad wouldn’t go to the mountain, then I’d take the mountain to Muhammad.

I would borrow a friend’s film projector, hook it up to a portable DVD player and broadcast the film on handball courts in urban parks around the city. How would I get a DVD copy of the current number 1 film in America? I remembered when I wasn’t sure if I wanted to plunk down $14.95 for Bjork’s fifth album Vespertine, I had to trawl stacks of bootlegged $3 CDs lying on sheets spread on the sidewalk by guys with last names such as Ogada and Mokaba. I ultimately found the songstress under a skimpily dressed woman with a fat booty and platinum effect title that screamed “Hot 97 Summer Jam 2001!” The answer to my question was simple, I’d make the same walk down 14th Street till I see one of the staple bootleg guys and buy myself a bad, but no doubt still effective copy of Fahrenheit 9/11.

I wasn’t really sure if they would have thought of it as bootleg worthy, since their market is typically the urban youth of NYC and families who can’t afford to take 2 parents and 3 ½ kids to the movie theater. I was sure they would have Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Stepford Wives and Garfield: The Movie, but would they have Mr. Moore’s all-important film?

I started at 4th Avenue and 14th, and I didn’t even get fully across University Place before I noticed a group a guys wearing do-rags, Air Force Ones, oversized t-shirts, and baggy jeans. Each held a plethora of CDs like a Vegas high-roller holds whatever he’s just been dealt. Their audience was a group of very young white pseudo skaters no doubt trying to get their hands on some underground hip-hop CDs without having to venture up past 72nd Street or through any subway stations with ‘Bridge’ in the title. They all stood over an open carry-on suitcase littered with bad-copied CD covers in cheap jewel cases. On my approach I had made up my mind that there was no way these guys would have my product, but in passing, out of the corner of my eye I spotted the familiar pudgy face holding the manila envelope. “No way!” I thought to myself. I’d struck gold, it was the one and only copy they had, and I picked it up and held out my $10 bill, laying claim to a key piece in my puzzle. Being the skeptical New Yorker we most are, I asked the obvious. “Is this a good copy?” I didn’t really expect an answer. I thought this to be a copy meant to fool a dumb uptight passerby. I thought this guy hadn’t even heard of the title and was planning on pushing off an empty box on me. The answer was there in my face staring up at me from the pixilated 99-cent Kinko’s copy of the DVD cover, of course it would not be.

“Of course it is,” said my bootleg pusher. “I got a portable DVD [player] right here so you can view it if you want.” I wanted to. He powered up the hand held device and proceeded to give me a blow by blow of the preview chapters, skipping so fast through the film that the only thing appearing on the screen was stills. “You remember dat right?” he’d comment at every poor quality film still. “Hold on a minute,” I said, wanting to ensure that there was some motion and that the audio was what it is supposed to be. “Let me see this part right here.” My particular request for pause came at the point Mr. Moore introduces us to the fact that a few companies stand to profit immensely from the war. “You heard that?” said my bootleg pusher. “That means Bush is makin’ crazy money from this war.”

Were my ears deceiving me? Did this do-ragged ‘thug,’ as I’m sure the President would refer to him, just make a political statement against Bush, president of the people? I wanted to hear more, and soon a second member of the three-man crew came over to join our little preview session. “What’s that?” he asked. “This is that Fahrenheit shit that shows how Bush fucked up the war.” “Werrrrd?” Okay... I’d seen and heard enough, I was now so charged that the film had indeed reached these guys that I wanted that damn bootleg copy on my person before they changed their mind about selling it and kept it to start there own personal ghetto revolution. I said thanks, took the DVD and was off. Before I could take 5 steps, the third man interrupted my headway. “Yo, whatchu got?” he asked, and without really stopping I showed him the cover. “Yo! Show that shit to as many people as you can!” he half-shouted as I descended into the New York City subway system.

I had thought this film would only be discussed in the same breath as fashion tips, “Oh my gawsh, I almost bought that dress” gushed one ‘town meeting’ guest to another then went on to discuss the finer stores carrying summer prints. I had thought this film would only be mentioned in sentences that included dollar signs—“Fahrenheit 9/11 makes $21 million in its first week.” I was really battling with the difference between Michael Moore and the attendees at the Re-building Iraq conference hungry to profit from this war. This is a war America needs, said the President while his ‘base’ makes millions. This is the film America needs, says Richard Roeper, while Michael Moore and others pocket millions. I knew the thought was disproportionate, but how could either really be just?

I am happy to say I feel much more clear now. This experience has settled my stomach faster than any over-the-counter digestive aide could have. Luckily we live in a society where the lower-class citizens have figured out ways of enjoying the finer things in life sans the high price tag. They can buy an ‘ice’ encrusted nameplate earring on Any Avenue in Brooklyn for $65, a Luis Vuitton bag on Canal Street for 25 bucks, or a bootleg copy of the country’s current Number 1 film from a bootleg pusher on 14th Street for less than the cost of a single adult admission to the theater. Media coverage both positive and negative has created great controversy about this film. The controversy has made it the Number 1 film. Being the Number 1 film, bootleggers would not miss the opportunity to make some sales to whoever is interested. They watch it. Their friends watch it. They encourage their clients to buy it. And so on. Will the same be true for middle America? Will the same be true for Flint?

Hopefully this is how this very important film will trickle down to the 35 million persons classified as “poor” by the Census Bureau, people who politicians think don’t matter but really need to see it. Hopefully it will get to them through bootleggers like the ones on 14th Street. Hopefully they will take action and vote President Bush out of office, or at least have their own opinion about what the hell is going on with our government. As for my course of action, I say support the bootleggers. You don’t have to be as extreme as I am planning on being. You don’t have to borrow projectors and drive around shady Brooklyn neighborhoods looking for handball courts. Go buy a copy and host a Fahrenheit 9/11 party, or mail it to that old college buddy you know might vote for Bush. The DVDs cost $10, the bootleggers are not using the funds for drugs, and I watched my copy… it’s not half bad.

In a city where you learn not to make eye contact, maintain 3 feet of personal space (even on the crowded subway), and try to be as invisible as possible to anyone that does not share your taste in clothing, your choice of energy drink, or the types of cigarette you smoke; Dez Williams has been making social observations for the past 5 years. For the most part these are just mental notes, but the really special interactions (like this one) are scribed and compiled to share with others at a later date.