Bowling for Gaza in Middle Earth
by Kazarian
"Oh God of Battles! steel my soldiers’ hearts;
Posses them not with fear; take from them now
The sense of reckoning, if the opposéd numbers
Pluck their hearts from them."
—William Shakespeare
Henry V (act 4, sc. 1)
The good-guys are always outnumbered, and the few heroes come in many forms. In The Two Towers, the second installment in the Lord of the Rings film-trilogy, the remnants of the Fellowship of the Ring defend the people of Middle-Earth from the attack of an evil wizard’s army of a hundred thousand orcs. The hero, Aragorn, leads his valiant knights into battle with courage and veracity, with the dwarf Gimli by his side. Despite the overwhelming odds of his own demise, he fights without fear, knowing that evil must be conquered with goodness. On the other side of Middle-Earth, Frodo Baggins quietly continues his quest to destroy the enchanted ring. He is not a knight. He is a humble little hobbit, doing what needs to be done to save civilization, and he often feels afraid.
In our world, the final war between good and evil isn’t being fought on distant mythic battlefields. Although ravaged by wars, our world is meeting its end by other means. Go to the movies or turn on your television and watch the struggle continue. Good and evil are engaged in bloody battles of holocaustic video Armageddon. As a quiet hobbit infiltrates the depths of Hell, a knight in over-sized shining armor doffs his helmet to reveal his obligatory baseball cap.
In his latest film, Bowling For Columbine, Michael Moore charges into one of the world’s most foul and wicked battlefields, the American culture. Bowling For Columbine is a deeply moving and wildly humorous look at today’s society and the prevalent feelings of fear in the United States. It should be required viewing for everyone on the planet.
Moore is a master of consolation and confrontation. In one scene, he gently comforts a high school principal who lost a six-year-old student to gun violence. In another scene at the home of National Rifle Association (NRA) spokesman Charlton Heston; Moore’s honest questioning reveals a character nothing like the noble Ben-Hur who Heston made famous. When Moore attempted to talk to Dick Clark, the famous television personality, he literally shut his van door in Moore’s face and drove away. Up and above his valiant daring, Moore should be honored for his ability to ennoble the souls around him. With his wit and wisdom, he inspires change and evokes conviction in others. Michael Moore, like Gimli, the plain but perservering dwarf of Middle Earth, courageously instills confidence in the hearts of those who fight for truth.
Meanwhile, far from the mainstream battlefields, a modest hobbit pursues his destiny with truth. Filmmaker James Longley grew up in a "shire," far from Middle-Earth on a small island off the coast of Washington state. In a journey to the Middle-East, he found adventure, or adventure found him.
In January 2001, Longley traveled to Israel to gather preliminary footage for his documentary film, Gaza Strip. He planned on staying for two weeks and ended up staying for three months. In Gaza, Longley found a torrent of war. Because of inadequate mainstream-media coverage, many people are unaware of the atrocities that the Palestinian people endure. Armed only with his video camera, Longley recorded over seventy-five hours of everyday life in the Gaza Strip. He captured a wide range of people and events immediately following the election of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Longley has given us an honest view of Israel’s military occupation of the Gaza Strip. His film is presented without narration or interviews, offering a candid look at the cruel reality of one of the darkest corners of our world. Gaza Strip is reality, amidst a world of rampant fantasy.
James Longley is not a dashing knight. Like the young hobbit Frodo, he quietly carries out his duty to the world, despite personal sacrifice. Longley lets the glory go to well-know cavaliers, while his humble voice speaks volumes with his touching documentary of truth.
The Frodo, Gimlis, and Aragorns of the world are not alone in their fight to save Middle-Earth. Many people support the cause to save goodness and further truth. The brave theaters that showed Bowling For Columbine and Gaza Strip should be honored for the role that they have played in this epic battle. High schools have arranged for their students to see Bowling For Columbine free of charge. Progressive minds have enabled Gaza Strip to be seen on European television despite its continued rejection in the United States. Without this support, our heroes would have lost the battle long ago.
Waging war on evil can be intimidating. But in The Two Towers, Frodo’s friend Sam reminds us that, "There is good in the world, and it’s worth fighting for." As evil encroached on their world, the people of Middle-Earth were faced with difficult questions. Shall we ignore the forces of darkness? Shall we flee from the dark lord’s terrifying hordes? Or shall we stand and fight to defend that which is good, true, and beautiful? We too must answer these questions.
Editors Note: For more information on Gaza Strip, go to www.theredbutton.com; on Bowling for Columbine, go to www.michaelmoore.com