World Trade Center - Too Soon?
So Fidel's amigo and leftist icon Oliver Stone made a 9/11 film. What I want to know is: Where are the distraught women sobbing "too soon"? Where are the cynics and their accusations of exploitation? In an election year! You know, the kind of handwringing United 93 was greeted with only four short months ago.Stone talked about his new movie at the Bangkok International Film Festival:
However, when asked whether the world in general and America in particular was ready for a drama about the 9/11 attacks, the director was dismissive.Charlie Sheen was quoted as saying
"I would hate that to be the main question about the movie, though I sense that is what's going to happen," he told the BBC News website.
"I'm not in the business of knowing whether America is ready. You just hope it will be."
Call me insane, but did it sorta look like those buildings came down in a controlled demolition?He'll be disappointed if Stone is hyping government "myths". It's more likely Stone's story will amount to: building falls on two buddies, who with luck and perseverance survive. That wouldn't be a big surprise. Out of fear or disinterest Hollywood has so far felt no pressing need to confront the more complicated issues.
Questions like who brought those buildings down and why. It's pretty clear to many of us. If others need mass media treatment and consensus then by all means let's move it along.
UPDATE: For many New Yorkers it is too soon. It must be true. AFP says so.
UPDATE: An essay by Christopher Hitchens written shortly after 9/11, about an encounter with Oliver Stone:
I challenged Stone to reconsider his view of the immolation of the World Trade Center as a "revolt." He ignored me. Later he added that this rebellion would soon be joined by the anti-globalization forces of the Seattle protesters. When he was asked by a member of the audience to comment on the applause for the September 11 massacres in Arab streets and camps, he responded that the French Revolution, too, had been greeted by popular enthusiasm.Hmmm, I wonder if Stone's opinion has changed?
posted by Tanstaafl at 7/31/2006 08:30:00 AM
9 Comments:
I have not seen the movie nor have I any intention to see it but have read about some surprised and surprisingly positive writeups by conservative commentators like Cal Thomas.
Who is this imposter?
"World Trade Center" Movie
I know its been almost 5 years. I didn't know anyone who died in the attack on the WTC. I still can't go to see a movie about it.
When I see the skyline of New York in any movie I think of those magnificent, missing towers. When I see an old movie with the towers it's still brings out a feeling of great sadness.
I'm not quarreling with the making of the movie. I just personally can't watch it. How do you feel about it?
I feel similar to you Marshall. My husband wants to see the recent film about flight 93 and I just cannot bring myself to do it. It's too sad. I feel the same way about the twin towers.
It brings me great sadness also to see an old movie with the towers or to do a jigsaw puzzle of the old NYC skyline. And sometimes you just sort of stumble into it and you're reminded all over again. I was watching the movie WORKING GIRL on cable and they showed the skyline with the towers. It's an awful feeling.
I don't know if we're like the majority of Americans. Maybe for us it is too soon. But I can't imagine not feeling this way about it. I'm sure it will be with me the rest of my life. If that's the case then this is as good a time as any to release the movie I suppose.
Whether any of us who experienced 9/11 are ready for it or not the more important issue is whether this film accurately captures what happened.
Younger people will someday form their impressions from such sources, just as most of us have had historic events imparted on us.
5 years beyond 9/11 and after all the related events, most people still cannot name the adversaries in World War Jihad. Some will not acknowledge there is a world war, even as they scream: "Civil war in Iraq!" "Ceasefire in Lebanon!" "It has nothing to do with Islam!"
I fear the next few years will show us whether 9/11 was a "wake-up call" or merely an ignored warning sign.
My earlier post was lost...
Basically, I dont feel the need to give Oliver Stone a penny for this - the day is burned in my psyche with little hope of forgetting or fogging. I guess this is how people remember things like Pearl and JFK.
I think it is more likely to be the ignored "wake-up call". People will hear it and then fall back to sleep.
When we talk about "impressions", the trailer shows Cage suggesting this was something we couldnt prepare for. That's a crock - the warning signs were there (1993) and the FDNY was grossly ill-prepared for any significant building collapse. In a city full of skyscrapers ranging in ages upwards to 100 years old - despite all the heroics, blood and sweat of each firefighter - the institution failed.
The towers falling was probably unavoidable (a separate argument) - the subsequent loss of life to FDNY, NYPD, MTA, etc during, after and still to this day was avoidable.
I dont need Hollywood on this one.
If we're going to blame govt when buildings come down, especially after an attack, the only economically feasible way to prevent it would be to not build them in the first place.
Likewise New Orleans.
New Orleans aside... I was blaming NYC for not being prepared - buildings come down for more reasons than jihadis.
Pataki just signed a bill allowing people to put in claims 2 years after diagnosis with 9/11 symptoms. Boy, I cant wait for that medicare reimbursement debate.
We are a society of reaction and that is one of our failings.
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