Poles Eye Moore With Jaundiced Eye

I am unclear as to how the Polish came to be thought of as dense and the butt of jokes. Other than an inordinate fondness for polkas (but I jest), I think they’re damn cool. Check out the perspicacity of this Polish film reviewer:

Michael Moore’s contentious film Fahrenheit 9/11 has opened in Poland, with some film critics likening it to totalitarian propaganda.
Gazeta Wyborcza reviewer Jacek Szczerba called the film a “foul pamphlet”.

He said it was too biased to be called a documentary and was similar to work by Nazi propaganda director Leni Riefenstahl.

But politicians opposed to Poland’s involvement in the US-led occupation of Iraq have urged people to see the film.

“In criticising Moore, I have to admit that he has certain abilities – Leni Riefenstahl had them too,” Mr Szczerba said in his review.

“Michael Moore will not convince Poles with his film,” the Rzeczpospolita newspaper said in its review.

‘A lot of truth’

“People are very sensitive to aggressive propaganda, especially when it pretends to be an objective documentary or a work of art.”

….This week, an Australian government minister described Moore as “the quintessential ugly American”, after the film maker criticised the Australian prime minister’s support of US President George Bush, saying: “What is John Howard doing in bed with an idiot?” [BBC]

Perhaps Moore’s seemingly Teflon shield overseas is beginning to wear thin. I wonder what Jacek Szczerba thinks about Linda Ronstadt calling Moore a “great patriot”?

And none of this would be much of an issue if Moore did not have “skills” as a filmmaker – as Szczerba mentioned – so did Riefenstahl.