We want Moore
Well, the US government has been trying to come down on Moore and his producer the Weinstein Company and is attempting to impound the negative. If the film were impounded, there might be attempts to cut some footage, in particular the last 20 minutes, which related to a trip to Cuba. Moore travelled to the Caribbean island in March with a group of emergency workers from New York's Ground Zero to see whether they would receive better care under the Castro regime than they had under George Bush. He had applied for permission to travel in October 2006 and received no reply. In a letter dated May 2, the treasury department notified Moore that it was investigating him for unlicensed travel to Cuba, or, as the missive put it, engaging in "travel-related transactions involving Cuba."
On May 19th SiCKO already featured at the Cannes Film Festival; and producer Harvey Weinstein told the press about the situation with the US Treasury department:
"We had to fly the movie to another country. Let the secret service find that out - though this is the same country that thought there were weapons of mass destruction (in Iraq - edit), so they'll never find it."
Moore's underlying thesis in Sicko relates to the structure of American society. "It's important to have a safety net and free universal health care. In America, unfortunately, we're more focused on what's in it for me. It's every man for himself. If you're sick and have lost a job, it's not my problem. Don't bother me." The insurance companies are a negative force, he believes. "They get in the way of taking care of those who are ill. They make it worse. We don't need them," he said.
As usual Moore's documentary has some examples that blow your mind:
After an attempt to obtain treatment at Guantanamo Bay detention facility - which Moore described as the only place on U.S. soil where there is "socialised medicine" - they seek out a hospital in Havana. All are checked and treated free of charge. One woman discovers that an inhaler for her respiratory problems costs approximately five cents in Cuba compared to 120 dollars in the U.S.
Off course piracy normally hurts studio's and in particular small, independent movie makers - like Michael Moore. But in this case I think it is a good thing that this happened before some three-letter agency impounds the movie. It's out there and there is nothing Bush can do about it.
Seriously: Michael you're my hero!
Michael Moore on David Letterman
P.s.: do visit Michael Moore's official Website as well!
