Satire In Bowling For Columbine, By Michael Moore

Michael Moore uses a myriad of techniques including editing, sound and inclusion of comedy satire to influence the audience’s viewpoint and position them to share his view on subjects presented in his documentaries. In his film Bowling for Columbine (2002), one of the subjects brought up is the issue of gun violence and accessibility in America.

Bowling For Columbine starts with archival footage of the National Rifle Association. It is included to imply that the film is endorsed by the NRA but as the footage is in black and white, compared to the rest of the film it seems that Moore has already begun positioning us. This archival footage implies that the NRA is outdated and the inclusion is therefore seen as another form of irony or social

By presenting this in such a way it makes it seem like a part of the everyday routine, positioning the audience to believe that this violence is a part of everyday life. The soundtrack playing in the background of this montage is, ‘Battle hymn of the Republic’ this song adds to American patriotism and further sets up that violence is a part of the American way through subtle techniques. The film then goes to a long shot of Moore entering a bank. Moore appears in all his documentaries as a separate character and Louise Spence states, “ It's this constructed ‘enacted’ self that secures the bond with the referential world and lends a particular voice to the documentary.’ The inclusion of Moore in his film is vital to the atmosphere and his ordinary, jokey, working class self gives the viewers a character to side with. This persona is further emphasised with the inclusion of home footage of him as a young boy and his personal background with the rifle subculture. This footage is included as it shows he is not in a position to condemn or

On April 20th 1999, two boys open fired over 900 rounds of ammunition killing 12 students and one teacher. This is presented in the film with eerie footage of Moore walking through the hallways of Columbine High with the emptiness echoing the scenes of devastation experienced in the school. The Columbine massacre is then re lived with actual split screen security camera footage of terrified students diving for cover as the two boys open fired. This footage is overlaid with the logged voices of 911 callers with the calls escalating in panic as the footage rolls on. The way this footage is presented is extremely confronting for the audience and we are forced to see that gun violence and accessibility is an issue. The guns the boys used were legally purchased and the bullets they had bought from their local Kmart. Later on in the film, Moore takes two victims of the Columbine shootings to Kmart headquarters. They cause the manufacturers to phase out the selling of handgun bullets by showing the wounds the victims received and appealing to their better conscience. The scene includes footage of people having to help carry the victim in the wheelchair up the stairs as the store has no disabled access. The inclusion of this footage further demonized the store and when only after Moore brought the press did the decide to phase out the bullets, the win seemed