More '9|11'

Got a note from a friend last night asking me to clarify my stance on the footage from the WTC that aired on CBS Sunday night. According to her, I came across as if I thought that it was dull and uninteresting.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason I didn't write anything extensive on Sunday night was twofold. First, I didn't really trust myself to accurately express what I felt about it, and second, I was really fucking tired by the time it ended. I still don't think I can put into words the entire spectrum of my feelings toward the show, but I am a little more awake now, so here goes.

I wanted to watch 9 | 11 because it is history. There were people who said that footage from inside as the planes hit should not be shown, but do we not watch film of the attack on Pearl Harbor? Wasn't there a movie about it this past summer? Just because you don't like a particular event in history doesn't stop it from being true, and the same goes for this case. The final words on the screen at the end of the program were Let Us Never Forget, and we deserve to be reminded of the reality of a day that seems so long ago.

That said, 9 | 11 was more than a history lesson. The first twenty minutes, the introduction of the Ladder and the Probie were beautifully shot and perfectly edited. Following their story through the ordeal added a personal element to the story of September Eleventh that was a vivid reminder of its reality. In a day of unbelieveable events, it seems even more unbelieveable that everyone from that Ladder made it back from the Trade Center; just another ridiculous element of a day that would be considered far-fetched if ever written as a movie.

The footage from inside the Trade Center was important not only as a document of history, but as a testament to the firefighters who died in the collapse. Several of the faces that appeared in the lobby appeared again at the end of the show; it is fitting that in their last images they are at their best.

I don't really have an ending for this "review," but let's just say I wouldn't trade the two hours I spent watching it.

March 12, 2002 - 08:26 AM