Bowling for Columbine (2002 Michael Moore)

With its cutting sarcasm and dark comedy Bowling for Columbine is one of the blackest comic documentaries ever, Michael Moore tackles the thriving gun culture of America, questioning all, from Mayors to actors on why Americans shoot each other so much. Michael Moore presents the documentary, probing those around him and using ironic voice overs juxtaposed with archive footage to show the sheer ridiculousness of the American media. Whilst no conclusion is reached the film offers some simple reasons and quickly disproves many of them using well known hooting such as those in Columbine High school to emotionally punctuate the entertaining film.

Bowling for Columbine is a truly participatory documentary (Nichols 2001) his involvement in the documentary whether through voice over, probing interviewees or just wondering around it is his character that makes the film what it is. The fact that I am not an American may change my view of the film, for those outside of America it seems somewhat true and comical. Americans however may find the film an attack on them but it is worth remembering that the majority of "expert" witnesses that agree with Moore are, like Moore himself, actually American. The whole documentary is an extremely good example of a stongly formed, one sided argument, it has a typical problem/ solution structure as defined by Nichols (2001) in Introduction to Documentary however there is no solution, just on big problem. The documentary follows Nichols' "3 way relationship" between audience, subject and film maker in an interesting way. It is very similar to what Nichols describes as I speak about them to you however the them is, for Americans, us therefore I would frame it as I speak about you to you which is an odd concept only pulled off because of its satirical nature.

One of the best parts of the documentary is the part in which Moore questions Charlton Heston, president of the NRA of which Moore is a part of. Moore digs at the NRA, in part blaming them for the gun culture in the USA, throughout the whole film, using Heston's prolific catch phrase "from my cold dead hands" at the most inappropriate times possible constantly vilifying him for this scene in which Moore interviews Heston. Moore gets into the interview on slight false pretences and repeatedly questions Heston more and more on a harsher basis, to an extent to which Heston turns to escape in his own home.

The structure of the documentary is fairly simple, after the initial set up of the problem Moore presents a possible reason for the killings and then uses historical cases of other countries that have had or have similar situations but not the same effects on the culture. The only possibility Moore doesn't deny is the idea that the media uses fear to promote consumption and this fear and consumption perfectly benefits the gun trade. Another common theme is that of the American government itself perpetuating the violence, hiding the murder that it commits rather than dealing with its problems.

Moore's documentary is stunning, and painfully comical, you cannot help worrying about the deep and emotive events such as the Columbine shooting, which Moore respectfully leaves to the 911 phone calls, that leave a dark undercurrent throughout  the film. However it seems as though the character/ persona Moore has created for himself allows him to easily satirise any subject without too much difficulty, lightening it for the audiences. Bowling for Columbine is Moore documentary and dark comedy at its very best!

Bibliography

1. Bowling for Columbine (2002), Moore M., USA, Canada, Germany,  Alliance Atlantis Communications

2. Nichols. (2001). Why are ethical issues central to documentary film making . In: Introduction to documentary. usa: Indiana University Press. p1-19.

3. Nichols B. (2001). How do documentaries differ from other types of film. In: Introduction to documentary. usa: Indiana University Press. p20-41.