Brainstorm 2004 - Eisner liked Fahrenheit 9/11

Michael Eisner is on a panel now at Brainstorm 2004. He was asked if he regretted not distributing Fahrenheit 9/11. He said no. Disney is not partisan and the movie was clearly political. Disney is an entertainment company. He said Rupert Murdoch said no for a completely different reason. Murdoch said he hated Moore and liked Bush. That's not why Disney didn't distribute the film.

When asked whether he liked the movie, Eisner said he loved it. It was like going to a rock concert. It was entertaining, hilarious. He loved it in a non-political way.

14 Comments

01. Scott Kobayashi - Jul 16, 2004 - 08:57

So Eisner is also saying that Disney has never ever distributed a movie that was or contained "political" subject matter? Wow.

02. The Zero Boss - Jul 16, 2004 - 10:18

That's an interesting challenge - find a political film produced and/or distributed by a Disney subsidiary.

I looked at Touchstone Pictures, and the closest I could find was Kundun. They also made Starship Troopers, though, which may well place them in a lower circle of Hell than Lions Gate.

03. Boris Anthony - Jul 16, 2004 - 10:46

Scott, I assume we are both going on the little Joi has posted here, and as such, Eisner said no such thing. That would be ludicrous considering the plentiful examples of Disney produced anti-german and anti-japanese propaganda from the 2nd World War.

However, finding F9/11 "hilarious, like a rock concert" is disingenuous of him. It was not meant to be entertaining, it was meant to be shocking. Of course, being in the position he is in, he must choose his words carefully. Sadly.

04. wag - Jul 16, 2004 - 11:00

Next time ask him if he thinks Disney distributing Sean Hannity's radio show qualifies as "partisan" and "political".

05. cigars - Jul 16, 2004 - 14:33

I though that it was a paid political advertisement...got free tickets so it was not paid by me...

06. Joi Ito - Jul 16, 2004 - 20:05

Sorry, I was just quoting. It's hard for me to imagine that they didn't distribute the movie just because it was political.

But it is funny that he said he loved the film.

07. Michiel - Jul 16, 2004 - 20:37

I believe that Michael Moore is getting a bit much attention, as is his movie 911.

About the Brainstorm blog: GREAT! Thank you Joi to share thoughts from the very place where they are made.

08. Roman - Jul 17, 2004 - 04:33

I'm sorry couse my english but I must to say my sentence. Machel Moore ist a obvious propagandist like another foolish creators party.He's "truth" /If he had ?/
ist no for this time.

Wspolczuje amerykanom takiego inteligentnego glosiciela prawdy.

Need to know fair pley.

U nas w Polsce pseudointeligenci nasmiewaja sie i wzbudzaja politowanie.

Real TRUTH is never so popular

09. pj - Jul 17, 2004 - 19:12

Complete crock. All mass-market films are political... some more than others.

Tron wasn't political?

10. anon - Jul 18, 2004 - 07:12

song of dee south

11. Roman - Jul 18, 2004 - 17:01

Probably last reaserch Moore's shit and blood to show 85% HAINTZ ketchup, 15% of the hate
and 5% relief of intelligence.

12. Mike B. - Jul 21, 2004 - 01:59

If Eisner truly does not regret the decision, then something might be wrong with him. He and his company lost the opportunity to swim naked in a giant porcelain tub filled with over 80 million dollar bills. If Eisner conciously chose to stoically adhere to an anti-partisan principle that precludes the ability to harvest massive and unexpected windfalls, then I would think twice before investing in Disney.

13. Joi Ito - Jul 21, 2004 - 03:22

;-) I think I agree with you Mike.

14. Mike B. - Jul 21, 2004 - 03:26

Thanks, but I must admit that I took a cheap shot. Eisner must have been blinded by anger or pride. If he knew how much money the movie was going make, I'm sure he would have done the "right thing". :) Okay, thanks for putting up with my pontificating... again!

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Disney och politik from p-blog ::: pierre andersson
July 16, 2004 11:20 AM

Joi Ito's Web citerar Michael Eisner. He was asked if he regretted not distributing Fahrenheit 9/11. He said no. Disney is not partisan and the movie was clearly political. Disney is an entertainment company. He said Rupert Murdoch said no... Read More

Michael Eisner liked Fahrenheit 9/11 from Mike Steinbaugh
July 16, 2004 12:04 PM

He thought the movie was great but doesn't regret the decision to not distribute the film. He claimed that Disney is a non-political company. Read More

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July 16, 2004 11:00 PM

When asked whether he liked the movie, Eisner said he loved it. It was like going to a rock concert. A blogger is attending a brainstorming session that also happens to attended by some of the media elite. Among them Read More

Passing over Partisanship from Read and Pass
July 20, 2004 7:37 AM

Rupert Murdoch mandates the incredibly right winged political bent of Fox News so much so that their reporting is often inaccurate. Richard Michael Eisner keeps Disney so apolitical that they wouldn’t publish a fact-checked documentary that would ear... Read More

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August 7, 2004 2:20 AM

Up early for you, late for me. Magnificent sky, though the day seems to be changing its mind. Cleaned like mad, which returns me to myself in the right way. (When my resident software is operating properly, I am... Read More

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