BBC is now broadcasting "Path to 9/11"

[DemExpat]

So far it is incredibly boring and stupid. Doubt if it can capture the 'regular' American audience's attention for long. It is so unengaging, my husband and I feel we are watching some "B" series.

Lots of disclaimers in bold text before it started.....:-)

Very disjointed as well.

Of course I just switched stations from a Dutch station showing Michael'Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11", so the contrast is remarkable.

Let's hope the rest of it is so unimpressive and boring.

I won't sit through it, just wanted to witness what it is - will leave it to others to detect the lies and distortions throughout.

DemEx

[uppityperson]

1. BBC? whole thing, what?

tv? cable? USA? more info please.

[DemExpat]

2. Television broadcast.....started at 9 pm Central European time.

n/t

[uppityperson]

5. got it, just looked to see where you were

so, on to libel suit? This could be interesting. Thanks.

[hootinholler]

69. Yes it could be.

Libel laws in Britain are very different than here, but I expect the BBC would have the legal angle covered before they air it.

-Hoot

[EFerrari]

3. It's slightly embarrassing for the world to see how low our

media has fallen.

Sorry, World.

:(

[DemExpat]

6. I was very angry with BBC for this....

but I so far don't see much that will impress European audiences.

DemEx

[EFerrari]

11. It will probably be a long time before anything we do impresses

anyone.

lol

:hug:

[Eurobabe]

15. Not on in Germany??

Which BBC channel?

[DemExpat]

16. BBC 2...

DemEx

[DemExpat]

17. The music is so crappy too.....

dead give away of a crappy film.

:D

DemEx

[Kurovski]

25. From what I've seen, the writing is also quite crappy.

Instead of telling a story, it actually tells you what to think about situations and individuals.

The apparently bogus Berger scene could have been written by most 12 year-old boys enamored of 3rd rate espionage/military novels, boys still unversed in how actual adult human beings speak to one another, but nevertheless making a valiant, hopeless attempt at importance and "sounding" accurate.

A real schlockudrama.

Edit: The style reminds me of the "Left Behind" film I saw. Instead of exposition, they give you explanation. The sign of both lousy dramaturgy and good propaganda.

[AX10]

26. American media has to be one the worse in the western world.

[DemExpat]

27. U.S. Sit Coms are popular the world over......

as well as some talk shows.

:-)

but I agree, media coverage of news and current events there is poor IMO.

DemEx

[katinmn]

45. Sure seems like all the big players have been taken over by a

cult - media, DOD, White House, a good share of the House and Senate.

Pretty sad, and like you said - embarrassing.

[Imagevision]

4. Dutch station showing Michael'Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11", so the contrast

is remarkable.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DemExpat]

20. It is uncanny to be able to switch back and forth between these

alternate worlds.

DemEx

[tlsmith1963]

72. Thank You, Dutch Station

I wish that a channel here would air "F-9/11" against "Path to 9/11". They probably don't have the guts.

Tammy

[annabanana]

7. European audiences haven't been spoon fed crap for years...

There's no reason to think that anyone outside the US will fall for this sh*t.

[DemExpat]

23. That is one consolation.

I would be even more disheartened if they would.

[Warpy]

8. "unimpressive and boring" sounds so typically

conservative, from the oxymoronic Christian rock or rap to those paintings of cows on hillsides to that beige and washed out plum they all favor in their beige painted houses.

It's nice to have another excuse to keep my blood pressure down by avoiding it.

[whistle]

9. When you finish with the Mickey Mouse version watch this ...

9/11: Press For Truth

google has it up

networks should run this also--so everyone can see the republican stonewalling and see the warnings they got prior to 9/11.

excellent film, with lots of paul thompson's time-line and the jersey girls.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-10167206415364...

[DemExpat]

12. Yes, I will be happy to see this....

finding this Path show a chore to keep my attention on...:-)

DemEx

[mnhtnbb]

13. Separate thread analyzes showing in New Zealand for lies

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2099550&mesg_id=2099550

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

14. Methinks it's time to contact ofcom.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/

[BrotherBuzz]

18. No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of American people

How well will it play in Peoria? That be the ten dollar question.

[DemExpat]

19. Yes, you guys need to watch at least of little of this too to get an

impression.

I'm thinking it will not hold their attention for long.

DemEx

[tenshi816]

21. There's another thread going on this,

and so far the consensus is exactly as you say. I can't believe there's been so much hoo-hah over this film - so far it's awful and I'm not saying that just because it's going to blame Bill Clinton for 9/11. It's simply a badly shot film with boring dialogue.

[DemExpat]

22. I agree, it will take real die hards to watch the full length of this.

Really,and this cost something like $40 million?

:shrug:

[ikri]

37. If this did cost $40 million to make

I'd be asking serious questions about how that money was spent.

As mentioned by others; the directing and editing is woeful and annoying, the dialog is pathetic and the acting is, at best, mediocre.

It almost makes me wonder if the real reason for ABC keeping the controversial parts in the film was to ensure that it'd be watched by as many people as possible because if this weren't controversial, no one would watch this past the first 30 minutes.

[DemExpat]

38. The only reason I'm watching....

BTW - I love your sig line link and am going to follow your example.

:hi:

DemEx

[ikri]

44. There are instructions

On how to add the signature on this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2081886

[DemExpat]

46. Thanks, ikri!

I had gone to my change profile but realized I didn't know how to make a text link out of it.

DemEx

[DemExpat]

24. So far it is just like watching any other "B"

American series - this time over terrorists. Not much political stuff yet.

Not sure if this has any power to re-write history. Maybe that part is coming.

DemEx

[DemExpat]

28. My impression so far is that this film just reinforces

the "fear factor"...."terror"...."Islamic terrorists"....the threat is still there because the images that you see - of the Middle East, Arab types in the West.... are NO different from the images we still get from Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is the purpose of this film as well IMO.
To reinforce the war on terror and how it will keep America safe.

:puke:


DemEx

[ikri]

49. You missed another

Early on in the film there's a short segment supporting wiretapping.

It's only a couple of minutes but it's early on in the film and most people will probably see that part before they get bored and turn over.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

29. I agree with you

and the camera work was/still is incredibly choppy. Made me sick. Why in the world did they make the decision to make the whole movie hand-held-camera produced?

Oh let's look through the pieces of fabric at Ramzi Yousef, and the windows where they're all meeting.

Someone needs to rebuff this movie, I've found many discrepancies so far. I think this is better than a pill of Nyquil!

[DemExpat]

31. Yes, I'm signing off for bed,

I am sure that many will rebuff whatever this typically right wing drama series is showing.

The message now is that the Dems are SOFT ON TERRORISM.

:hi:

DemEx

[DemExpat]

30. OK.....Clinton denying sex with Monica was just shown....

but I've seen enough and am going to bed.

Tomorrow I will see what repercussions this will have in the US and elsewhere.

:hi:

DemEx

[FunkyLeprechaun]

35. The same

It's really boring and I just want to go to sleep right now.

[EVDebs]

66. Clinton took a phone call from Arafat (while Monica was falating him)

So he was multi-tasking. Besides, Clinton at his worst is better than Bush at his best, IMHO.

[Imagevision]

32. Bottomline: to show the world Clinton was responsible for 9-11 not Bush

With 60 days left before elections can Dems afford to be distracted from more important Bush/GOP failures??...

[DemExpat]

33. It is heating up now......a Karen Hughes type character

crying to Dems meeting that so many innocent in the Nairobi and Dar es Salam bombings were killed when we could have had Bin laden! :puke:

That's it for me....

DemEx

[michael_1166]

34. Path to 9/11 will not have any effect whatsoever

on the elections, because it puts everyone to sleep.
Good night from Germany (watching BBC 2), I've seen enough of it now... yawn.

[DemExpat]

36. Yes, good night, Michael,

:boring:

DemEx

[FunkyLeprechaun]

40. Just 20 more minutes

And this torture is over

[DemExpat]

43. I guess I can hold out that long...

:D

This first part has left me mildy irritated at the Clinton/Dem jabs, but mostly bored and glad it is over.

In my view, it is too bad to be very powerful.


DemEx

[FunkyLeprechaun]

48. One thing I would have suggested...

Besides rewriting it to have facts, is to fire whoever is the director of photography.

It is incredibly bad. The camera work is AWFUL. Half of the time I can see Harvey Keitel's make-up.

[LeftyMom]

39. I'm surprised they're airing it in the UK

Libel is much easier to prove there than in the states, so even if the rather stringent standards for libeling a public figure aren't met in the US, Clinton, Albright, Berger, etc would now have grounds to sue in a much friendlier legal enviornment in the UK.

[Junkdrawer]

41. Damn. I was just about to post the same thing....

As one wag put it, "After Monday, ABC will stand for the Albright, Berger, Clinton Network"...

[Karenina]

68. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[FunkyLeprechaun]

42. The BBC

Is very non-partisan. I've seen plenty of movies that I would have liked to see in the US. Here are two emails that I got from the Democrats Abroad UK chairperson:

You may have heard about the efforts in the US to stop ABC from
broadcasting 'The Path to 9/11', the biased, inaccurate film made by
Disney (Touchstone TV) about the events leading up to the
day...starting in 1993. We now need to act here in the UK to stop BBC
2 from showing it. The premise is that Clinton screwed up and
therefore caused 9/11...how convenient just before the mid-terms.

Please contact the BBC to complain. Make sure they know you are a TV
license payer. You can contact the BBC by phoning XXXX XX XXXX or by
entering your complaint of the contact us page for the Newswatch
programme. It's NewsWATCH NOT Newsnight. Newswatch is the programme
that takes the BBC to task about their programmes.

Then she sent an email after she got complaints:

Dear Members of Democrats Abroad UK,

Please accept my apologies for the message I sent out last night.
Several of you have written to me questioning why Democrats are
trying to stifle free speech and hold ourselves as non-Americans.
That was not the intention. We should not be trying to stifle free
speech, but making sure that people know what is fact and what is
fiction. Requesting time for a rebuttal probably would have been the
better approach initially. Someone with more experience dealing with
the media modified the message sent by Tom McMahan and localized it
for the UK. I did not think carefully about what was said with
respect to how we contact the BBC. I read it to suggest that we
emphasize that we are part of the British community, which we are,
and not that we pretend we are not Americans. Upon, re-reading it, I
realize that it was poorly drafted. It was never anyone’s
intention to suggest that we misrepresent who we are. I do hope you
each take what action you think is prudent to make sure that the
facts are known about this film and I am sorry for the tone and
approach taken in my initial email. The desire is simply to get the
BBC to allow a factual rebuttal to be made. I hope this does not
dampen anyone’s drive to get out the vote and help us take back
the House and Senate in November. We need to be focusing on what we
can do to make the world a better place for our children and
grandchildren.

I do agree with her that a rebuttal is important. So far it is incredibly boring and not exactly riveting.

[malaise]

51. They're really missing the plot here

The world hates Bush not Clinton.

[malaise]

They're missing the plot here

The world hates Bush and loves Clinton.

[seabeyond]

47. regardless of all hte controversy i also heard it was pretty bad

seems to fit your judgment

[FunkyLeprechaun]

50. It is a yawn-a-thon

I can't stop yawning.

"Honey I Suckle the Kids" was 100000000 times more riveting than this. This is incredibly boring, if this is shown in history classrooms in 20 years, it'll give the kids a good time to have a nap.

Now getting to the last 5 minutes of the show.

[DemExpat]

52. ....the boxcutters......

and to be continued. New Year's 2000

And BIG FAT disclaimer again....

DemEx

[FunkyLeprechaun]

53. To add

"The Movie is a Dramatisation.... It contains fictionalised scenes."

Yeah... here's MY disclaimer. BORING.

[seabeyond]

55. so, it is bad,boring, poorly done.... and the yelling of a week has

hyped the repug lie and swiftboating of the event and made them to look like the worst an american can be. not bad

[Junkdrawer]

54. "Path 9/11 from Outer Space" n/t

[NoodleyAppendage]

58. I know who Cheney would play.

Though, I think this might be a better match for Richard Armitage.

J

[StraightDope]

59. Lawl...

Plan 9. :rofl:

[DemExpat]

56. If that was supposed to be a tribute 5 years after 9/11......

total trash IMO.

:puke: :nuke:

Typical...

DemEx

[City Lights]

57. You are watching a "B" movie.

"B" as in bullshit. ;-)

[sg_]

60. I thought it was poor.

It didnt keep my attention really, decided with about ~30min of it remaining to go to the shower.

[ikri]

61. On the plus side

No one (except maybe the freepers) will be talking about the content of the film once it has been shown. It's so boring and jarringly unwatchable (thanks to the crass directing) that people will be hard pressed to remember any specific dialog from the film.

People will very likely be asking just how such a bad production actually managed to make it to a tv screen.

I've seen some terrible films over the years but that travesty of film-making is right up there with the films of Alan Smithee.

As I suggested earlier, I seriously suspect that ABC have kept the controversial sections of the film, and have indeed possibly hyped them up, with the knowledge that without those parts in the film no one is likely to watch past the first 20 minutes.

[DemExpat]

62. A cheap attempt to gain politically from 9/11.

That is all this is. Disgusting as usual.

So cheap that I don't think many will fall for it.

DemEx

[helderheid]

63. waar zit jij?

[DemExpat]

64. Ik zit in Den Haag....

al jaaaaaren...

:D

:hi:

DemEx

[helderheid]

74. hoi terug!

:hi:

[Gloria]

65. I guess this is the fruit of Blair screwing the BBC a couple of years ago

remember???

[rodeodance]

67. lets hope it is flop the world over.

[tlsmith1963]

70. I'm Sorry, UK Residents...

that you have to watch the film that is a new "low" in American television. I don't plan to see it at all myself. I don't have time for lies.

Tammy

[Glenda]

71. Thanks, DemEx, for going through the pain of watching

at least parts of it to report to us :)

[DemExpat]

73. I had been so worked up about it I felt I needed to see what it really

was about.

The first part was an impotent attempt at propoganda and shameful 9/11 tribute.
They probably had edited all of the "powerful" pieces out.

:D

DemEx