Being a huge fan of documentaries, I particularly enjoyed this weeks reading and assignment. I watch a new documentary at least every couple of weeks on Netflix but after looking at the top grossing documentaries link I decided to focus on Bowling for Columbine for this assignment. According to the box office link, Bowling for Columbine is the 12th highest grossing documentary having made a total of $21,576,018 since being released in 2002. Michael Moore, the same director of Fahrenheit 9/11, created Bowling for Columbine in part as a response to the Columbine school shooting that occurred in 1999. Bowling for Columbine examines gun use and violence in America and the opinions of the American people. This movie had an impact on my life when I first saw it because to me it was a very honest discussion on a topic that many in America do not want to have, which is why are we so gun crazy? Given how the frequency of school shootings has continued and even increased since Columbine, this documentary is relevant now more than ever.
Bowling for Columbine unfortunately did not have the effect that Michael Moore hoped it would. The documentary tried to bring attention to the issue of gun violence and encourage gun control legislation. While the documentary did bring attention to the issue it was not effective in the way Moore planned it to be.
Moore’s documentary making history is discussed in “Reality Movies” in the context of corporate media sponsorship for his films. As “Reality Movies” states, “But the lesson we can glean about independence is that this value varies depending on who’s paying the bills. In that sense, feature-length news documentaries are as safe – or as at risk – as other forms of journalism.” Fahrenheit 9/11 according to the box office website is the highest grossing documentary since it’s release in 2004 and was a large payoff to the independent production company that decided to take a chance on him. Overall, Bowling for Columbine is a great documentary that both entertains and informs the viewer about several different viewpoints for a single issue.
robindemele 
Your interesting analysis has made me want to watch this documentary that I have not yet seen. I think it is a very sad thing that whenever a tragedy such as the Columbine shooting happens in America, many peoples first reaction is protest in order to not lose their gun rights. I find that behavior to be disrespectful and un-empathetic. That being said, from watching the trailer alone I might disagree with the honesty of this documentary. This Columbine tragedy and the many like it that have been occurring recently is multifaceted problem and this documentary seems to have made it entirely about gun control. It also seemed to me that he portrayed gun owners negatively when most gun owners are not like this. Of course I am just judging this by the trailer which isn’t really fair, but I think that gun control legistlation is also a multifaceted issue that should not be seen only in the eyes of murder.
LikeLike
Robin,
I had never heard of this documentary right now, and I’m actually very interested in watching it. I am always curious to what extent do documentaries really have the effect that the film maker is really trying to address? Yes, the documentary can be productive but is it in the way the film maker was wanting it to be? Just as you had showed what Michael Moore’s intentions were on this documentary. I find documentaries to be most interesting because it gives you a different view point, as you had stated at the end of your blog. I completely agree, even if it is a counter argument to what you may agree on, it gives you information to why and could bring someone to think of the situation differently. Documentaries are highly entertaining because of how informative they can be.
Briana
LikeLike