"Bowling for Columbine" and "Roger & Me" now out on DVD!

Mike's Letter

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August 18th, 2003 12:00 AM

"Bowling for Columbine" and "Roger & Me" now out on DVD!

Dear Friends,

Well, tomorrow is the big day -- "Bowling for Columbine" hits the video stores! And here's an added piece of good news -- tomorrow you can also pick up, for the first time on DVD, my first film, "Roger & Me." (If you go to www.michaelmoore.com or www.Amazon.com, you can save a bunch by buying them both together).

I know it's taken awhile for "Bowling for Columbine" to come out on home video. Normally, movies are released on video within 4 to 6 months after being in the theatres. The problem with "Bowling for Columbine" is that it wouldn't leave the theatres! It has been in theatrical release for a phenomenal 44 weeks ? over 10 months! These days, something like that never happens. The previous box office record a documentary was $7 million. To date, BFC has brought in nearly $22 million in North America and another $35 million overseas. So, um, you can see why the studio wanted to keep it in the theatres as long as it could.

The DVD of "Bowling for Columbine" is loaded with lots of extra features including the following:

? For the first time, I give the blow-by-blow of what happened at the Oscars when we won the Academy Award back in March and I had something I wanted to get off my chest in front of a billion people.
? After a brief introduction by me, I turn the actual commentary track on the DVD over to the people you never hear from on these commentary tacks ? the film's receptionist and the underpaid interns. You'll get to listen to them dish the dirt and tell you how we "really" made this movie?
? My Return to Columbine ? six months after the film's release, I returned to Denver -- and 8,000 people showed up to see me and respond to the film's impact on them?
? World Tour Extravaganza ? See what it was like as "Bowling for Columbine" took Cannes, Toronto, London and Paris by storm. See me attempt to speak French!
? The uncensored music video from Marilyn Manson -- "Fight Song."
? The HBO/U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Freedom of Expression Award ? This includes a rollicking on stage interview of me conducted by Clinton's press secretary Joe Lockhart.
? The Charlie Rose Show -- A half-hour interview that covers the issues raised by Bowling for Columbine and how it relates to what was then the impending U.S. attack on Iraq.
? "Mike's Action Guide" ? You've watched the movie, now turn off the TV ? there's work to do! A complete list of how to get involved accessed through a web link and DVD-ROM feature.
? The one and only official photo gallery of the film's crew ? see the people who made this film happen! Suitable for computer wallpaper!
? Theatrical Trailer -- Watch the original three-minute trailer as shown in theaters.
? The "Bowling for Columbine" Teacher's Guide -- I asked a group of teachers to work with me and develop materials that could be used when "Bowling for Columbine" is shown in the classroom. This is a great resource and I hope that teachers will use it to get students thinking and talking about all the topics the film raises. Teachers can download and print the materials with the DVD-ROM feature on their computers.

"Bowling for Columbine" brought up issues that got millions of people debating why we are such a violent nation. Is it our "culture of fear?" Is it because we have yet to solve our race problem? Do we have just too many guns lying around? Does our epidemic level of personal gun violence have anything to do with the way we use our bigger guns to attack and intimidate people around the world? These are all questions worth exploring, and while I certainly don't pretend to have all the answers, I do know that to ignore these issues means we will only have more tragedies to face in the future.

Thanks again - and enjoy the video/ DVD of a film of which all of us who worked on it are quite proud.

Yours,
Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
http://www.michaelmoore.com

P.S. And again, don't forget to check out the debut DVD of "Roger & Me." You can order it here (http://www.michaelmoore.com) or ask for it at your local video store and retail stores that sell DVDs. It contains a recently recorded a commentary track I made for it. If you haven't seen it already, I encourage you to check it out. OR, if you have seen it, you'll be stunned by just how relevant it remains today.

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