World Trade Center: Yet Another Classic from Oliver Stone
It would not be hard to argue that any American who is old enough to remember (strangely, there are those who can't at this point) was affected in some way, shape or form by September 11th. Standing in my 11th grade history class, watching as the second plane slammed into the tower, is a moment that I remember with distinct lucidity. The fact that life in America as we knew it had been rocked to its very core, and that it was never going to be the same, sat prominently in everyone's minds as we watched almost 3,000 of our countrymen perish in a single summer's morning.
Today, America sits at a very different point that it did almost five years ago: many still harbor hatred for the terrorists responsible and retain fond memories of lost loved ones, as this is easily achieved every time the footage of a collapsing symbol of American economic power is replayed for us. Yet, to many, the true feelings of 9/11, the ones that defined for me the five day period subsequent to the attacks, have vanished. Oliver Stone's film World Trade Center is magnificent in that it is able to recapture the camaraderie, brotherhood, unity and friendship that was fostered as we as a nation sat reeling, whether we were glued to CNN or digging through rubble searching for survivors.
The major question that must first be addressed is the one that has been brought up so many times over the past month: is America ready for this film? Isn't it too soon? Given Hollywood's track record, it is easy to think the latter is true. However, Stone is able to produce a film that is so void of typical cinematic overinjection of drama and overacting that the film views much less like a chronicle of that horrific day than it does a testament to the strengthening in human relationships that tragedies bring about.
Do not enter this movie expecting a rehash of what we saw on CNN, miles away from danger, on that morning: in fact, you can expect quite the opposite. Stone is able to masterfully craft a film that depicts both the terror, uncertainty, and determination of those trapped in the rubble, as well as the painful inner conflict, coping and uncertainty of their family members miles away. The film uses an almost nonstop ambient of news reports being watched by characters in the background, the anchormen and women's' voices clear and discernible, yet playing such a minor role compared to the true story at hand. The confusion of the early morning was perfectly captured, from the main characters refusing to believe that both towers could've been struck as they enter them to discussing how the Pentagon had just been hit by a nuke and that Washington was gone. Soon after, they're pinned beneath tons of twisted metal, talking about their families and discovering their own separate wills to survive.
I watched the movie in Battery Park, a stone's throw from Ground Zero. Expecting to find a sold-out show, I was surprised to see that when the film began the theatre was nearly empty. There were no previews, no beginning credits: there is just the beginning of one of the most fateful mornings in our country's history. The film manages to run a perfect duration, not overdoing character analysis or prolonging dramatic uncertainty.
Passing Ground Zero on my walk back the subway, I was awestruck with the way I viewed the deep scar in the ground where the towers once stood. Having passed it so many times, with obvious reverence and and solemn respect, I no longer felt the heavy, hanging feeling that I had developed in the years since the attacks; in a such a strange way, this battle wound on the southern tip of Manhattan serves as a symbol and testament to the strength of human spirit and the innate good that can come from anyone when the time calls for it. In that, this film proved to me without a single doubt that no matter how one was affected by 9/11, whether it be as significant as a personal loss or little more than media exposure, we as Americans are not only ready for this film, but are in dire need of it. At a point where the attacks are being looked at as little more than a reasoning for entering a controversial conflict, it is comforting to realize that the truly important aspects of that day were reminded to us from the least likely of places: Hollywood. This film will stand the test of time as one that speaks above 9/11, above the War on Terror, and above terrorism and patriotism to a theme that has unified us and will continue to unify us in situations where we find our strength being tested. In that way, World Trade Center is a truly excellent film.
Today, America sits at a very different point that it did almost five years ago: many still harbor hatred for the terrorists responsible and retain fond memories of lost loved ones, as this is easily achieved every time the footage of a collapsing symbol of American economic power is replayed for us. Yet, to many, the true feelings of 9/11, the ones that defined for me the five day period subsequent to the attacks, have vanished. Oliver Stone's film World Trade Center is magnificent in that it is able to recapture the camaraderie, brotherhood, unity and friendship that was fostered as we as a nation sat reeling, whether we were glued to CNN or digging through rubble searching for survivors.
The major question that must first be addressed is the one that has been brought up so many times over the past month: is America ready for this film? Isn't it too soon? Given Hollywood's track record, it is easy to think the latter is true. However, Stone is able to produce a film that is so void of typical cinematic overinjection of drama and overacting that the film views much less like a chronicle of that horrific day than it does a testament to the strengthening in human relationships that tragedies bring about.
Do not enter this movie expecting a rehash of what we saw on CNN, miles away from danger, on that morning: in fact, you can expect quite the opposite. Stone is able to masterfully craft a film that depicts both the terror, uncertainty, and determination of those trapped in the rubble, as well as the painful inner conflict, coping and uncertainty of their family members miles away. The film uses an almost nonstop ambient of news reports being watched by characters in the background, the anchormen and women's' voices clear and discernible, yet playing such a minor role compared to the true story at hand. The confusion of the early morning was perfectly captured, from the main characters refusing to believe that both towers could've been struck as they enter them to discussing how the Pentagon had just been hit by a nuke and that Washington was gone. Soon after, they're pinned beneath tons of twisted metal, talking about their families and discovering their own separate wills to survive.
I watched the movie in Battery Park, a stone's throw from Ground Zero. Expecting to find a sold-out show, I was surprised to see that when the film began the theatre was nearly empty. There were no previews, no beginning credits: there is just the beginning of one of the most fateful mornings in our country's history. The film manages to run a perfect duration, not overdoing character analysis or prolonging dramatic uncertainty.
Passing Ground Zero on my walk back the subway, I was awestruck with the way I viewed the deep scar in the ground where the towers once stood. Having passed it so many times, with obvious reverence and and solemn respect, I no longer felt the heavy, hanging feeling that I had developed in the years since the attacks; in a such a strange way, this battle wound on the southern tip of Manhattan serves as a symbol and testament to the strength of human spirit and the innate good that can come from anyone when the time calls for it. In that, this film proved to me without a single doubt that no matter how one was affected by 9/11, whether it be as significant as a personal loss or little more than media exposure, we as Americans are not only ready for this film, but are in dire need of it. At a point where the attacks are being looked at as little more than a reasoning for entering a controversial conflict, it is comforting to realize that the truly important aspects of that day were reminded to us from the least likely of places: Hollywood. This film will stand the test of time as one that speaks above 9/11, above the War on Terror, and above terrorism and patriotism to a theme that has unified us and will continue to unify us in situations where we find our strength being tested. In that way, World Trade Center is a truly excellent film.
posted by Zach at 11:12 PM
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