2. Manipulative Editing
This film is full of manipulative editing and its the footage of NRA speeches that bears the brunt of it. Footage is shown of Charlton Heston proudly proclaiming From my cold dead hands right after various audio and video recordings of the Columbine Massacre are shown, implying that he made these remarks shortly after Columbine, thus making him out that he doesnt care about the Columbine Massacre. The reality is that this remark, which later became synonymous with Heston, was actually made a year after Columbine at a rally in North Carolina and was Hestons response to being given a handmade musket as a gift. The second piece of NRA footage that Moore manipulates is from the NRA rally that took place in Littleton, Colorado (the location of the massacre) ten days after the shootings. Charlton Heston reads out a letter from the Mayor of Littleton that says Dont come here. We dont want you here. Hestons response as shown in the film is massively edited to remove any conciliatory remarks or references to the fact that the rally has been shortened in response to the shootings. A comparison of the transcripts of Hestons speech as it happened and how it is presented in the film can be seen here:
http://www.hardylaw.net/Bowlingtranscript.html The gaps in the footage are covered by shots of post-Columbine anti-gun protestors. This is a technique used in a lot of documentaries is and is commonly known as a noddy, the process of cutting to a reaction shot of the interviewer (which may show them nodding, hence the name) whenever part of a speech is cut to avoid showing the gaps in the visuals. Its used here to disguise the trimming down and stringing together of different parts of Hestons speech to suit the films purpose. And its done amazingly well. Moores skill at manipulative editing is unquestionable. His ethics and his use of filmmaking techniques on the other hand definitely arent. Moores hat trick of trying to screw over the NRA with edited footage is noting that the NRA held a rally in Flint, Michigan shortly after a school shooting there. But the footage shown is from a political Get out the vote rally that Heston spoke at. Something with absolutely no connection to the NRA or to the aforementioned school shooting, and that took place eight months after the shooting.