X

Bowling for Columbine (2002) - 17 corrections

Directed by Michael Moore, starring Michael Moore (add more)

Genres: Documentary, Crime

Comments made in brackets are corrections from other visitors. To submit your own corrections for mistakes, just click "edit" under an entry, then choose "correct entry". You can also submit corrections for corrections, if you think a mistake has been unfairly removed.

Mistakes
Pictures
Corrections
Questions
Submit
Michael Moore states that the NRA shows up in Littleton, Colorado for a large pro-gun rally. This is not entirely true. The NRA is a New York corporation and a non-profit organization that is regulated by law. New York law requires the NRA to have annual meetings (to allow members to debate, pass resolutions, amend by-laws and choose officers). This NRA pro-gun rally at Littleton originally included the annual meeting and other activities and was scheduled well before the shooting. This event was to occur over several days. The New York statute requires a minimum of ten days notice to change an annual meeting date. The Columbine shooting occurred 11 days before the NRA meeting. It was determined this was too short of a time frame to notify all its members of any possible meeting change. However, the NRA in sympathy with the shootings cancelled all other activities and events relating to this big pro-gun rally. So the event was shortened to one day rather than several and basically only included the NRA annual meeting. So the NRA tried to be sensitive to the residents of Littleton, considering the circumstances. [This 'mistake' appears to be entirely based on personal opinion. The annual meeting of the NRA is obviously pro-gun and has a sizeable attendance. As such, Moore's description of the event being a large pro-gun rally is not unreasonable. The cancellation of the side-events, subjective claims of NRA "sensitivity" and irrelevant legal aspects do not invalidate this description.]
Edit Corrected by Tailkinker
Moore sets up an appointment with Heston for the next day at 8:30 AM, yet when he is interviewing him, the wall clock behind Moore shows 6:05. This is because Moore spliced together footage from several different interviews, but tried to make it look like one interview. [The fact that the clock continually shows 6:05 disproves your statement. Had the clock shown different times when it was shown, it would be another matter. However, the most likely explanation is that the interview was rescheduled, but the reason for this was not interesting enough to include in the film.]
Edit Corrected by Twotall
Contrary to the cartoon segment ("A Brief History of the United States") of the documentary, no one was ever burned to death for being a witch in America. In Colonial America, the punishment for witchcraft was death by hanging. Only in Europe is where witchcraft was punished by burning at the stake. [The cartoon segment is essentially a satrical look at American history and its facts seems to be exaggerated more for a comedic look at America. As for burning witches in Colonial America, the facts of how some were the executed of witches is very much a disputed subject. While its believed many were hanged as opposed to being burnt as it was more humane, there are historians who believe some were burnt. A quick search on Google will show this but this is one site that talks about the execution of witches. Burning Times.]
Edit Corrected by Lummie
Moore depicts Charlton Heston's speech "Cold dead hands" as being held 10 days after Columbine at the NRA's annual meeting in Colorado. When in fact the speech was given one year later in Charlotte NC. [Michael Moore doesn't depict that specific speech as being held 10 days after Columbine. He said he held a rally 10 days after Columbine shooting, and used video footage to show scenes of his rallies, this footage using one of his most infamous quotes. Also, he doesn't specifically say that it is the speech given at Colorado. His suit and tie in the Charlotte speech is even different than that of Colorado.]
Edit
In the scene where Michael Moore calls out to Charlton Heston, asking him to look at the picture of the little girl, the camera angle switches around from his back to his front while he is calling out to Heston, which he doesn't respond to, making Heston seem like he is avoiding the issue. The only problem with that is that you can't see the cameraman in the front from the back, which you would have to for the shot to be taken. The only way in which the cameraman wouldn't be seen is if it is the same cameraman, taking a shot of his back, then walking around and taking the shot again from the front. Given that cut, we can't even be sure Charlton Heston was remotely within earshot. [Granted Moore would have had to film his reaction later and would have been likely after Heston left, however there is nothing wrong with filming reaction shots at a later time. Heston was still close enough to Moore to hear what he said at that moment and decided to not engage Moore anymore. As evidenced in the interview he had, he knew it was going nowhere. It was better that he end the interview then and there, and not answer any more of Moore's questions. Unless there is some change in the continuity of the shots to show Moore has altered the scene to his advantage it cannot be considered a mistake.]
Edit Corrected by Lummie
When Moore is going on about "violent video games from Japan," he shows a group of teenagers playing "Mortal Kombat." This game is actually American in origin (developed and published by Midway Games Inc.), not Japanese. [Moore says that also in Japan kids play violent video games, not that the games are actually from Japan. Of course, the violent game itself is from the States.]
Edit
The National Rifle Association (NRA) was founded in 1871 by an act of the New York Legislature. The terrorist/then white supremist organization the Klux Klux Klan (KKK) was founded former Confedrate officers in 1866. Recognizing the dangers of the KKK, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the Klan Act and the Enforcement Act. This empowered him to utilize troops to suppress the Klan. This action however, made him quite unpopular with the racist whites at the time. So these are two separate organizations not similar like the movie implies. [The movie specifically stated concerning the NRA and KKK "Of course they had nothing to do with each other... One group promoted responsible gun ownership, and the other group shot and lynched black people"]
Edit
Moore spliced together two campaign ads. One actual Bush/Quayle ad, another by an independent expenditure campaign. The Bush/Quayle ad never mentioned Willie Horton, but the other non-Bush/Quayle ad did. Although Moore's film shows these as one ad, and "Paid for Bush/Quayle" shows at the bottom of the ad, when most of the footage was not. [While the independent campaign ad does not have the "paid for" note on it, records from the company show that they were hired by the Bush campaign to make the ad in question.]
Edit
The Iraqi forces that invaded Kuwait in 1990 never used American tanks and equipment as claimed in the documentary. The tanks and equipment they used were mostly made in the Soviet Union. [The fact that Iraqis used American weapons is well known and has been widely confirmed by many government officials. Richard Clarke in particular wrote that the Iraqis procured American weapons from nearby countries, especially Saudi Arabia, that had bought the weapons from America. Reference: "Against All Enemies" by Richard Clarke, pg 42.]
Edit
Columbine High School (scene of a notorious school shooting in 1999) was never located within the city of Littleton, Colorado. Littleton is actually the mailing address only. Columbine High School is actually located four miles west of the Littleton city limits in unincorporated Jefferson County (still the suburbs), and is part of Jefferson County Public Schools, not Littleton Public Schools. [It is referred to as being in Littleton since when the shootings occurred it was known as the shooting in Littleton. Moore, like any filmmaker, would want the audience to recognise the place and the incident.]
Edit
Panama dictator Manuel Norriega was never "president of Panama" as depicted in the documentary. He was a military/political leader who acted as the "power behind the throne" who installs loyal men as presidents of Panama. [Moore is expressing his opinion. Almost everyone refers to Noriega as 'the President of Panama' - it's a term of convenience. Moore is saying that to all intents and purposes he was the President, and he's right.]
Edit
The scene with Moore receiving a gun for opening a CD is most likely staged which is why this entry is a deliberate goof. In the beginning of Bowling, Moore receives a gun for opening a CD. The bank is in Michigan, and Moore is a resident of New York, which has some of the most stringent gun laws in the nation. Under the Gun Control Act (18 U.S. Code sec. 922), a gun transfer to a non-resident of a person's state is extremely controlled. If a person is not a licensed dealer, which a bank is not, then he cannot transfer a gun to a nonresident at all. He must have a permit to own a rifle or shotgun. So, Moore waited the six-month period it takes to receive this permit, then told the bank that he had covered his New York legal bases, and then ordered the rifle, all the while to film a scene showing how easy it is to get a rifle in the United States. [Moore has publicly stated several times that the event was not staged. The only arrangement that he took was to phone ahead to ask if he could bring his camera. The bank is a licensed gun dealer.]
Edit Corrected by Phoenix
In the scene where he is interviewing the spokesperson for Lockheed-Martin in the factory producing the huge, silver-colored missiles, Moore makes it sound as if those are missiles with an offensive military use. In fact, those are Titan IV missiles, used by NASA and the USAF to launch satellites into space, not nuclear warheads. True, early Titan missiles (Is & IIs) were nuclear-tipped, but the last of these was phased-out in 1987, and the last time the U.S. produced a brand-new nuclear missile (an LGM-118 "Peacekeeper") was in 1990. [The lockheed martin spokesperson talking to Moore doesn't say that they DON'T make offensive missiles. Even so, very few people are rocket scientists who can tell the difference between offensive missiles and satellite missiles by just looking at their shell casings. These missiles were merely shown on screen to get a point across, that Lockheed Martin makes missiles. And some of those missiles may have been, are, or may be, used for offensive purposes, because Lockheed Martin makes MISSILES.]
Edit
Contrary to the claim found in the documentary, the United States government never endorsed the murder of the President of South Vietnam. It only endorsed his overthrow, not his death. [The US endorsed his overthrow with full knowledge that it would almost cetainly lead to the death of most high government officials, as most coups do. Saying the US didn't endorse his death is like saying you support crashing into other cars but don't endorse the death of the occupants.]
Edit
The "Wonderful World" segment of the documentary has several inaccuracies. 1) The Emir of Kuwait is not a dictator, but the legal ruler of his country. In fact, Kuwait is considered one of the freer Middle Eastern countries. 2) The U.S. government never gave aid to Taliban-ruled Afganistan. It actually gave that money to U.S. and international agencies that distributed humanitarian aid to the people of Afganistan. 3) Panama dictator Manuel Noriega was never a CIA agent. He was a CIA informant who used to provide intelligence to the United States. 4) Chile President Salvador Allende was not assassinated; he committed suicide with a gun. [1) Kuwait at that time and now, consists of some 95-98% of her population being on a "worker-visa". Many have lived their entire life in Kuwait, but the only ones that can get citizenships are of the ruling families. And only those with citizenship can vote. Which means that only some 0.5% to 1% of the population can vote... sounds like a dictatorship to me. 2) CIA gave money outside what the humanitarian organizations gave. They continued to do so until four months after 9/11. 3) CIA officially denies Noriega was an agent, but some former CIA members have given statements that he was/is. 4) To which most independent investigations except the US's claims the "suicide" was false and that he was indeed murdered.]
Edit
The Shah of Iran was never "installed" by the United States, contrary to the claim in the documentary. He was a legal ruler, starting his rule in 1941. [In 1953, the Prime Minister of Iran forced the Shah to flee the country. American and British intelligence agencies then caused the overthrow of the "legal government" and placed the Shah back in charge. The Shah then fixed it so that there was basically only one party, making him effectively a dictator.]
Edit
Regarding the school shooting at Buell Elementary School, Michael Moore claimed no one knew why the little boy shot the little girl (Kayla Rolland). Actually that statement isn't entirely factual. The little boy who killed Kayla had a history of violence. He had been previously suspended for stabbing another student with a pencil. He actually fought with Kayla the day prior to the shooting. He also once stabbed another child with a knife. [While the above is true, the fact is, we do not know WHY he suddenly moved forward and did it. No one can. We're not in his head.]
Edit Corrected by Sereenie