Bowling For Columbine Documentary Analysis

My final paper will take an in-depth look at Michael Moore’s three documentary films, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Capitalism: A Love Story, to prove my thesis that his documentaries utilize interviews and news clips to construct a powerful liberal leaning narrative that provides a one-sided alternative way of understanding the American political and social system. All three films rely heavily on Michael Moore’s interviews with numerous individuals that represent a spectrum viewpoints. Moore’s strong presence within the documentary allows for the audience to easily align with his viewpoint. His distinct placement of the interview content and video clips create a strong one-sided narrative that goes against the traditional narrative the media and government put forth. Moore’s three documentaries are of a similar style, where Moore is very much a character pushing the narrative forward. Moore’s major presence and bias within the documentaries make them all clearly push a single narrative, making them propaganda. Moore takes on gun violence, the Bush administration, and the capitalist system, providing a critical analysis of the decisions of the government, media and American citizens. I will analyze specific instances where video clips are quickly cut to

It also outlines how Moore’s documentary highlights the dangers of understanding the world through the dominant hegemonic ideologies circulated by politicians and/or the media. This text will help to prove my point that Moore’s films successfully create a new alternative ideology, or narrative, of the American social, political or capitalist system. I argue this is done through his thoughtful editing of interview content contrasted with historical/political video clips that doesn't tell, but shows the audience, therefore making them accept Moore’s