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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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9/11:
The Filmmakers' Commemorative DVD Edition
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Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton |
| Genre: |
Documentary
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| Video: |
1.85:1
widescreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby 2.0
Surround Languages: English |
| Language: |
English
(captions) |
| Subtitle: |
English
|
| Length: |
129
min |
| Rating: |
Not
Rated |
| Release
Date: |
09/11/2002
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| Studio: |
Paramount |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
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None |
| Featurettes:
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None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
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Interviews: |
Bonus Interviews
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| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
N/A |
| Screenplay
by: |
N/A |
| Produced
by: |
Richard Barber, Mike
Maloy, Bruce Spiegel, Mead Stone |
| Directed
By: |
Jules Naudet,
Gedeon Naudet, James Hanlon |
| Music: |
N/A |
| The
Review: |
Now
that the one-year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist
attacks on New York City, and by extension America, has approached,
all manner of paraphernalia and memorabilia is making its way
to store shelves and homes across the nation. With the memories
and striking images of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon still fresh in our minds, it has been rather
difficult to forget these events; even one year later, it remains
as such. I'm sure it has been much more difficult for people
like Jules and Gedeon Naudet, French documentarians/brothers
who, in the months before that dreaded date, sought out to make
a documentary about a rookie firefighter and his climbing of
the ladder to become a pro. In their footage, we are taken from
the homey nature of the men's firehouse, where a sense of camaraderie
is established and later reinforced once the mayhem ensues.
With striking footage in and around the Trade Center at the
time of the collisions and the collapse of both buildings, the
two men, from two different vantage points, capture an intense,
engrossing, and completely brilliant portrait of history. Intercut
with interviews from the members of the firehouse and the filmmakers,
"9/11" takes us to the center of the disaster, before, during,
and after, in a way we could only imagine as we watched it around
the world. |
| Image
and Sound |
A
DVD mastering effort fit for a theatrical release. The image
quality for "9/11" is well-rendered, in both the interviews
and the actual footage taken during the disaster. Colors have
been preserved quite nicely in both segments, but what really
stands out is the efforts of the technicians to transfer the
footage of the attack without flaw. There is some minor edge
enhancement and the occassional noise, but overall, the image
is terrific. The sound is mastered in Dolby 2.0 Surround, though
there's not much surround except within the score. The documentary
footage is pretty much monaural, as well as the interviews,
but it works. |
| The
Extras |
Included
with the actual program are some additional interviews with
the firefighters who became the subject of the documentary.
These interviews cover several topics, like where they were
at the time of the first plane crash, to their afterthoughts
when all was done at the end of the day. Not much in the way
of supplements, but it's always nice to hear someone else's
perspective on a major event in history, and these introspective
interviews provide just that. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
We
who witnessed the disaster of the World Trade Center, whether
on live television or in person, will never forget the images
that rocked our minds and befuddled our eyes on Sept. 11th.
"9/11" captures that in a way that makes it one of the most
vivid and powerful historical documents in history. The DVD
is a little lax (some news footage and more material may have
made it a superb historical reference for those down the road),
but anyone looking for something to remember the day by will
get their money's worth. |
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