Categories
entertainment Politics

The Film that Disney Blocked

Lion’s Gate is going to distribute Michael Moore’s controversial new film “Fahrenheit 9/11”.

The distributors plan to start showing the movie in U.S. theatres on June 25, with pay television rights to be handled by Showtime, a partner of Lion’s Gate, AFP said.

The film, which won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme D’Or last month, criticizes President George W. Bush’s response to terrorism and also highlights ties between the Bush family and Saudi oil families.

Update: Fahrenheit 9/11’s trailer is now online. Also check out reviews from IMDB. Apparently you don’t need to actually have seen the movie to say whether or not you liked it.

Categories
Disney

Disney’s 71% Increase in Profits and Fahrenheit 911 Update

Things are looking up for both Eisner and Moore.

Disney reported a better-than-expected 71% increase in income for the second quarter which must come as an extreme relief for Michael Eisner who has been under pressure to improve performance or risk losing his job.

Meanwhile a Miramax spokesman has stated that Miramax will distribute Michael Moore’s new film, though not under the Miramax label.

Update: May 25, 2004: From the New York Post:

Michael Moore’s documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” could wind up costing Disney more than $100 million and go down as another Michael Eisner blunder.

The movie is poised to set a new record for highest-grossing documentary after its release in six weeks’ time.

The stakes are higher — and hotter — between Miramax and Disney, its corporate parent, now that Moore has nabbed the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, for the Bush-bashing documentary.

The post-Cannes publicity for the film only intensifies the battle over who will distribute it in he United States, and if Miramax can get back in the mix.

Update June 29th, 2004: If you are wondering when Fahrenheit 911 is coming to Lethbridge (I am too), try the Cineplex Odeon website. In the meantime, I recommend reading Plastic’s commentary on the film. Plastic is one of the few places, I know of – on the net, where you can get quality discussions.

Update June 30, 2004: An anti-Michael Moore website is encouraging people to download Fahrenheit 911 for free. They are offering the same version of the film that you can find at Suprnova.

Categories
Disney documentary

Disney Blocks Moore’s New Anti-Bush Movie

The Walt Disney Company is blocking its Miramax division from distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly criticizes President Bush, tracing the links between the Bush family and Saudis like Osama bin Laden.

Mr. Moore’s agent, Ari Emanuel, said Michael D. Eisner, Disney’s chief executive, asked him last spring to pull out of the deal with Miramax. Mr. Emanuel said Mr. Eisner expressed particular concern that it would endanger tax breaks Disney receives for its theme park, hotels and other ventures in Florida, where Mr. Bush’s brother, Jeb, is governor.

While Emanuel admits that Michael Eisner asked him not to sell this movie to Harvey Weinstein, he defiantly states, “that doesn’t mean I listened to him.”

According to news sources Miramax and Disney spokespeople had no comment, but Moore on the other hand did.

“Some people may be afraid of this movie because of what it will show,” Moore wrote. “But there’s nothing they can do about it now because it’s done, it’s awesome, and if I have anything to say about it, you’ll see it this summer — because, after all, it is a free country.”

Fahrenheit 9/11 is one of the films in competition at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.