Clearly, Moore is willing to say the things that cannot be said. And show the things that cannot be shown. This is certainly true of the CCTV footage from within Columbine High School, which he had to think long and hard about including. "I had it in and out, in and out," he says. "It was very easy to get; I just asked for it. I was surprised nobody had run it, because TV usually likes to put the lurid tabloidy stuff out. But I think it's too frightening. People don't wanna think about it. That school is so painfully normal it could be your school. There's nothing strange about Columbine. But I didn't want to put in any shots of people being shot or anything like that."
Actually, for all that the footage radiates horror and panic, it's hard to tell what one is seeing, other than lots of ill-defined black and white shapes swarming from one side of the screen to the other. Moore explains: "First the kids hear the shots outside the cafeteria, so they all duck under the tables. And then at some point their teacher, on the bullhorn, says 'Everybody out!' and they just tear out of there. But some don't get out and they're hiding. There are four different cameras in four different corners of the cafeteria, so those kids are hiding on the opposite end from Dylan and Eric and are trying to not get killed."
In his film Moore notes that on the same day as Columbine - April 20, 1999 - America dropped more bombs on Kosovo than at any other point during that conflict. He also points out that the number one employer of parents of children killed at Columbine was Lockhead Martin, the world's leading weapons manufacturer.
Actually, for all that the footage radiates horror and panic, it's hard to tell what one is seeing, other than lots of ill-defined black and white shapes swarming from one side of the screen to the other. Moore explains: "First the kids hear the shots outside the cafeteria, so they all duck under the tables. And then at some point their teacher, on the bullhorn, says 'Everybody out!' and they just tear out of there. But some don't get out and they're hiding. There are four different cameras in four different corners of the cafeteria, so those kids are hiding on the opposite end from Dylan and Eric and are trying to not get killed."
In his film Moore notes that on the same day as Columbine - April 20, 1999 - America dropped more bombs on Kosovo than at any other point during that conflict. He also points out that the number one employer of parents of children killed at Columbine was Lockhead Martin, the world's leading weapons manufacturer.