So, it is done. Wilders’ creation has been unleashed on the interwebs. And…it’s a huge anticlimax because it’s not by far as bad as in everyone’s imagination. I wanted to review it purely based on artistic merit, discounting the issues I might have with the content, but truth be told… it has little, if any. It’s amateurish cut-and-paste work, employing the same techniques Michael Moore often does (most notably superposition to imply a causal connection), but without the skill (and humor) that make Moore’s work bearable.
The one even slightly interesting artistic choice is to show video clips (of 9-11, the attacks in Madrid, imams shouting crazy stuff etc.) framed as if they are in a book, which is suggested to be the Koran. If only it had been done less clumsily. Also, the attempts at manipulation (a hand starts turning a page, the screen fades to black… then a text tells us we just heard a phone book being torn) are crass and obvious. The problem? Crass as the manipulation is, some people are sure to fall for it.
I could go on. About the lack of original material, about the violation of “show, don’t tell”. About its vain attempt to appropriate powerful material (those shots of 9-11, especially, still carry a wallop). But in the end, the so-called “movie” violates the most important rule: it’s boring.
Ironically enough, the ideological content of Wilders’ film might not violate any laws…but it looks like he did violate copyright laws: he used one of the Danish cartoons without asking for permission, and the author is pissed.
I’m fairly radical in my defense of free speech. I think Wilders should be allowed to air his movie. I, in turn, think I should be allowed to dismiss it, and ignore its existence from now on.
