Boston.com / A&E / Movies / History in the making

Boston.com / A&E / Movies / History in the making:

"By any standard, last year was a pretty good one for all kinds of documentaries. 'Spellbound' and 'Capturing the Friedmans' were hits. 'Love and Diane' and 'The Stone Reader' had their ardent fans. And at least four of the five Academy Award documentary-feature nominees had theatrical releases before they were nominated, which is rare.

But when Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' opens nationally on Friday, nonfiction filmmaking will have reached a watershed moment -- at least in terms of exposure. And the movie, which relentlessly targets the Bush administration for its failures before, during, and after 9/11, has inspired speculation of its own. Will it have any effect on the upcoming presidential election? With its incendiary accusations, triumph at the Cannes Film Festival, and distribution difficulties -- Miramax's corporate parent, Disney, refused to let Miramax release the film, and only a last-minute deal with the Weinstein brothers enabled the film to reach theaters -- Moore's movie seems almost engineered to make a difference."

By Wesley Morris
Boston Globe Staff