Analysis Of Sicko By Michael Moore

Academy Award winning filmmaker and bestselling author Michael Moore is known for his strong views on debatable topics in American Politics. One of his films “Sicko” Moore expresses his dislike for the United States healthcare system and his views on the insurance companies in America. Throughout the film Moore shares the stories of many people who have been taken advantage of by the healthcare system. He also compares the American healthcare system to healthcare systems in other countries such as Canada, England and France. In “Sicko” Michael Moore is effective in producing propaganda with the use of emotional appeals, intertextuality and film strategies such as interviews and camera angles.
In order to create a feeling of frustration in the …show more content…
Many Americans love Star Wars and most of us know the iconic music that plays as we read the background story to begin each of the Star Wars films. Moore plays this tune while scrolling through a list of pre existing conditions that can deny you health insurance. The playing of this song creates a sense of familiarity for the viewer connecting them to the film and therefore, connecting them to Moore’s cause. He also does this with the tune “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Moore plays this to give the viewer a feeling of irony when a tune they tend to associate with happy thoughts suddenly becomes associated with something negative. This propaganda makes the viewer think and contemplate the situation. Near the end of the film Moore has Patriotic music playing as he sails towards not America but Cuba. In Cuba they arrive at Guantanamo Bay where American prisoners receive free health care. The combination of patriotic music along with the realization that prisoners are getting free health care and the viewer is most likely not is meant to infuriate the viewer. Moore knows he can strike a chord in many viewers feelings by showing some of the worst criminals and terrorist in the United States prison system in a way being treated better medically than hard working, law abiding American …show more content…
Moore interviews many different Americans who have all been taken advantage of by the American health care system in one way or another. Moore has the people tell their stories and in order to convey more emotion when there is a serious or sad moment, he zooms in on their face. Zooming in on the face of the person causes the viewer to focus in on the pain, sadness and frustration of the person. Making the viewer watch the emotions of the people in the movie plays into the pathos of the viewer. Moore uses these stories and the film technique of zooming in to create a negative feeling towards the American health care system in the viewer. Moore also interviews people from foreign countries such as Canada, England and France. Every person he interviews has only positive views on their countries health care. Moore does this to make the viewer feel as if other countries versions of healthcare are significantly better than health care in the United States. Moore uses this propaganda to make americans want a better health care system more similar to the ones making people in foreign countries so happy.
Sicko as a whole is a large piece of propaganda that conveys the ideas of Michael Moore on the American health care system. Moore develops his ideas with the purpose of changing the views of those who oppose him and strengthening the views of those with ideas that are similar to