Manufacturing Dissent by Debbie Melnyk & Rick Caine

The truth is a tricky thing. Many seek it and quite a few become certain that they offer the one others should listen to. In the US the career and films of Michael Moore have created heated debate and provoked multiple counterattacks, but at times one feels that in Europe his work has been accepted as “the truth” or as “the documentaries” about life and politics in America during the Bush administration.

Moore has taken a very effective approach which suits the blockbuster-loving generations in Europe, by marketing his political views in a way that echoes the advice of the great Billy Wilder : a “message wrapped in chocolate”. The editing, staging, use of archive footage and catchy tunes create emotions that leave nobody cold after a Moore film. But where does history, or should we say the reality of events, become involved ? And how will history view the films of Moore ? Manufacturing Dissent by Canadians Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine delves into his world, trying examine the facts and the ways he uses them in his films. Like Moore, who tries to track down people who seem to prefer hiding, they go after him, only to find it impossible to get an interview.

Manufacturing Dissent (the title referring to Chomsky’s book Manufacturing Consent) starts to go through Moore’s manifestations one by one with interviews and research, but it too, like many recent documentaries, must have faced the question of whether to take a more entertaining approach, and how to compete with the “Moore machine” that has become so effective in it.

Whether Moore’s films have had enough political clout to affect voters can be debated, but they have certainly contributed to the “blockbusterisation” of representing political events. It is important therefore that we hear alternative viewpoints as well. News reports, adverts, pamphlets, propaganda and documentaries - the line separating them has often been a fragile one. But surely one can always trust a Canadian ?

Atso Pärnänen