The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader

Michael Moore

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Year: 2004
• Print ISBN: 9780743272926
• eBook ISBN: 9780743273800
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

From the Oscar and Emmy-winning director of Fahrenheit 9/11 comes the official guide to the film, including the complete screenplay of the 2004 Cannes Film Festival Best Picture Award winner. The Cannes Film Festival jury voted unanimously to award the 2004 Best Picture Award to Michael Moore and Fahrenheit 9/11. Since then, it has gone on to smash all box office records for a documentary and created an international discussion about the Bush administration and the war in Iraq.The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader is a powerful and informative book that includes the complete screenplay of the most provocative film of the year. The book also includes extensive sources that back up all facts in the film, as well as articles, letters, photos, and cartoons about the most influential documentary of all time.

Part I

Fahrenheit 9/11—
The Screenplay

Narrated by Michael Moore

Fireworks and confetti fly through the air as a triumphant Al Gore cheers at a podium with FLORIDA VICTORY sign in background—he is flanked by celebrities

NARRATION

Was it all just a dream?

AL GORE

God bless you, Florida! Thank you.

NARRATION

Did the last four years not really happen? Look, there’s Ben Affleck, he’s often in my dreams. And the Taxi Driver guy, he was there, too, and Little Stevie Wonder, he, he seemed so happy, like, like a miracle had taken place. Was it a dream?

Or was it real?

It was election night 2000, and everything seemed to be going as planned.

News clip montage

TOM BROKAW (NBC NEWS)

In New York, Al Gore is our projected winner.

DAN RATHER (CBS NEWS)

The Garden State is green for Gore.

We project that Mr. Gore is the winner in Delaware. This state has voted with the winner.

Excuse me one second, I’m so sorry to interrupt you. Mike, you know I wouldn’t do this if it weren’t big. Florida goes for Al Gore.

JUDY WOODRUFF (CNN NEWS)

CNN announces that we call Florida in the Al Gore column.

NARRATION

Then something called the FOX News Channel called the election in favor of the other guy.

BRIT HUME (FOX NEWS)

I interrupt you, FOX News now projects George W. Bush the winner in Florida and thus it appears the winner of the presidency of the United States.

NARRATION

All of a sudden, the other networks said, “Hey! If FOX said it, it must be true!”

TOM BROKAW

All of us at the networks made a mistake, and projected Florida in the Al Gore column. It was our mistake.

Shot of John Ellis working at phones and TV monitors on Election Night

NARRATION

Now, what most people don’t know is that the man who was in charge of the decision desk at FOX that night, the man who called it for Bush, was none other than Bush’s first cousin John Ellis. How does someone like Bush get away with something like this.

News clip of Bush cackling

NARRATION

Bush brothers sitting on plane

Well, first, it helps if your brother is the governor of the state in question.

GEORGE W. BUSH

You know something, we are gonna win Florida. Mark my words. You can write it down.

NARRATION

Shots of Katherine Harris, Database Technologies, and voters at polls

Second, make sure the chairman of your campaign is also the vote countin’ woman and that her state has hired a company that’s gonna knock voters off the rolls who aren’t likely to vote for you. You can usually tell them by the color of their skin. Then make sure your side fights like it’s life or death.

JAMES BAKER (FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, BUSH LAWYER)

I think all this talk about legitimacy is way overblown.

CROWD PROTESTING FLORIDA RECOUNT

President Bush! President Bush!

NARRATION

Democratic Leaders of Congress, Congressman Richard Gephardt, and Senator Tom Daschle sitting at desk looking at phone

And hope that the other side’ll just sit by and wait for the phone to ring.

And even if numerous independent investigations prove that Gore got the most votes…

JEFF TOOBIN (CNN NEWS CONSULTANT)

If there was a statewide recount, under every scenario, Gore won the election.

NARRATION

It won’t matter,...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Colophon
• Also by Michael Moore
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword: “The Work of a Patriot,” John Berger
• Introduction
• Part I: Fahrenheit 9/11—The Screenplay
• Part II: Fahrenheit 9/11—The Backup and Evidence
• Part III: What the Public Thought of Fahrenheit 9/11
• Part IV: Essays and Critiques of Fahrenheit 9/11
• Part V: Beyond Fahrenheit 9/11—More Writings on the Issues from the Film
• Part VI: Cartoons and Photographs
• About the Author