Michael Moore is Okay with Piracy; Sicko Release Date Bumped Up
As many people are no doubt aware, a DVD quality version of Michael Moore’s upcoming movie Sicko leaked online a week or two ago, making it one of a handful of high profile releases to get stung by piracy prior to its release date. Now, while Eli Roth has already come out and denounced the leak of Hostel: Part II as one of the main reasons for its disappointing box office turnout, a lot of people have been wondering if Michael Moore would care or be affected by it himself. Back when Fahrenheit 9/11 came out, he claimed that piracy was not an issue that bothered him… of course, that movie had a very specific agenda and it was most definitely about getting the message out to as many people as possible. On the other hand, it also didn’t have a DVD-quality workprint spread online before its theatrical release date as far as I know.
Anyway, in recent press conference, Moore confirmed once again that he is quite liberal in his views on movie piracy, and that he was generally okay with it (although he did hint that it was actually an example of someone trying to sabotage his movie… gotta love those conspiracy theories).
“I’m not a big believer in our copyright laws. I think they’re way too restrictive. I just read Don DeLillo’s book ‘Falling Man,’ a wonderful book. If I were suddenly to take this out of my bag and say to you, ‘Hey, you should read this, it’s great’ would I be breaking the law? No. I’d be sharing something with you. I’m sharing a work of art with you, and what happens is that if you like that book, there’s a very good chance you might go on Amazon next week and order three more of Don DeLillo’s books, because you got the free book from me. I’ve never supported this concept of going after Napster. I think the rock bands who fought this were wrong. I think filmmakers are wrong about this. I think sharing’s a good thing. I remember the first time I received a cassette tape of a band called The Clash. I became an instant fan of the Clash and then bought their albums after that and went to their concerts and gave them my money… but I first got it for free. C’mon. Everyone in here’s either young or were young, and that’s how it happens, right?”
While it’s nice to see him being consistent with his opinion, even I have a hard time buying that theory completely. Piracy is an easy scapegoat for a lot of things, but I do think we run the risk of devaluing our media to the point where no one wants to pay for anything anymore… in particular the younger generations who have grown up without knowing any better. Moore does bring up another good point afterwards, however, that seeing movies is a “communal experience” and piracy can’t duplicate that. I agree.
Despite Moore’s views, that hasn’t stopped The Weinstein Company from pulling the movie off YouTube, and also trying to get the movie out to audiences sooner. Some sites have reported that the release date of Sicko was bumped up to this weekend; in actuality I think what’s happening is they are just doing a ton of sneak previews starting on Friday. Have you seen the leaked version of the film? I’ve been tempted but I am going to wait to see it in theatres personally. I’ve been looking forward to this movie all year and I just don’t want to ruin it for myself.
Comments (6)
I read your excerpt three times and couldnt find the conspiracy theory. what am i missing?
Posted by Goon on June 21st, 2007Sorry, it was a really long quote so I only took part of it… you have to read the original article from Coming Soon.
“The film that’s leaked onto the internet is not taken at a movie theatre with a little home video camera, right? The way it’s usually done? This is an inside job,” Moore responded when asked for a statement on the leak. “Now, if you were a police detective, one of the first questions you’d ask is motive. Who has a vested interest in destroying the opening weekend’s box office of this movie? If I were the police or the FBI investigating this felony that’s taken place, that’s where I would look.”
Posted by Sean on June 21st, 2007no offense to Moore, but that sounds like something a 53 year old man who doesnt understand the internet would say.
Posted by Goon on June 21st, 2007He’s just trying to spin it into publicity for the movie. I’m sure the people who leaked Hostel 2 and Ratatouille were also conservatives who wanted to silence their political message.
Posted by Sean on June 21st, 2007While I have no interest in seeing this movie, I do believe that Michael Moore was the one who leaked the video. Look at the publicity he’s received from it. I tend not to watch Michael Moore “documentaries” because they seem to be more about Michael Moore than the supposed topics. If he did one where his face wasn’t all over the poster, I might consider checking it out. While I’m not a fan, his quote is the first sensible thing I’ve heard come out of his mouth. I’ve been saying the same thing for years. Many times I’ve had the same experience with music. I’ve also had it happen with movies. I saw “Shaun of the Dead” and “The Descent” online before they came out in the US, and liked them so much that I saw both in the theater, rented on dvd, and now own both on DVD. I’ve also had the same experience with some software. I’ve had someone give me a piece of software, I learned how it works at home, and then pushed my employers to buy the software for use on our projects. That’s happened quite a bit. It may not sound logical, but it works. Wow, I can’t believe I agree with Michael Moore, though I did like “Canadian Bacon.”
Posted by jumpcut on June 21st, 2007Leave a Reply