Moore’s Capitol offense

Normally I enjoy Manohla Dargis’ film criticism immensely, but the annoying smugness of “Truth, Moore or Less” (June 27) reveals her intellectual distance from the events of our time more than it succeeds in establishing Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” as propaganda.

This is not an ordinary film, nor are these typical times. The way that Moore demonstrates restraint from using the immense resources that would have been available to him during the making of the film is precisely what keeps the film from being dismissed as propaganda.

The propaganda is being dished out by the Bush administration -- not Michael Moore. No administration has succeeded in controlling the media or the public’s awareness of events more effectively.

Moore’s film is likely to emerge as an enduring piece of a culture in transformation -- a shard of a broken mirror in which we see not only pieces of ourselves but the immense promise and potential we have lost in taking on this mantle of war. The film is not simply a documentary. It is an event in and of itself -- a phenomenon that breathes life and perspective.

Dana C. White

Santa Monica