Michael Moore and the Rhetoric of Documentary

by Thomas W. Benson (Editor), Brian J. Snee (Editor), Jennifer L. Borda (Contributor)

Not afraid to tackle provocative topics in American culture, from gun violence and labor policies to terrorism and health care, Michael Moore has earned both applause and invective in his career as a documentarian. In such polarizing films as Bowling for Columbine , Fahrenheit 9/11 , and Sicko , Moore has established a unique voice of radical nostalgia for progressivism, and in doing so has become one of the most recognized documentary filmmakers of all time. In the first in-depth study of Moore’s feature-length documentary films, editors Thomas W. Benson and Brian J. Snee have gathered leading rhetoric scholars to examine the production, rhetorical appeals, and audience reception of these films. Contributors critique the films primarily as modes of public argument and political art. Each essay is devoted to one of Moore’s films and traces in detail how each film invites specific audience responses. Michael Moore and the Rhetoric of Documentary reveals not only the art, the argument, and the emotional appeals of Moore’s documentaries but also how these films have revolutionized the genre of documentary filmmaking.

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 27, 2015

Reviews

[Wendelle]

an essay series devoted to evaluating each of Michael Moore's documentaries, and in so doing, critiquing the character and main driving arguments of Michael Moore. Bits of it feel like unkind psychoanalysis.

[Carl Rollyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exemplary collection includes original essays on all of Moore's documentary films and an introduction exploring Moore's significance in the history of the documentary. Essay collections tend to be uneven, but the impressive contributors Benson (rhetoric, Penn State) and Snee (communication and media, Manhattanville College) assembled write both knowledgeably and clearly. Especially valuable is the treatment of Moore's reputation in the media, from the early, enthusiastic reception of Roger and Me to subsequent doubts about Moore's manipulation of his narrative and manufacture of evidence to support his point of view. The history of documentary itself is an important feature in these essays—as it must be since Moore's polemical work challenges the founding principles expounded by pioneering documentarian John Grierson, who coined the term "documentary" and suggested documentaries did not have an ideology. Moore's work is openly ideological, but that alone does not discount his achievement—since Grierson, in fact, often supported the status quo. Both Moore's critics and his supporters get a full, intensely analyzed hearing. Extensive notes and bibliography make this an indispensable study of not only Moore but also a period of documentary filmmaking.