Yesterday I watched United 93 which, unsurprisingly, is all about what happened on United 93 on 9/11 (I wrote that just so that I could fit in those links. I know... I'm obsessed with Wikipedia).
Now I can't say it showed me anything I didn't already know (I'm one of those sad people who owns the 9/11 Commissions Report). But it certainly takes you on an emotional roller-coaster, showing in graphic details those things we had all imagined happened that day, and reminding us of the terror that those on the planes must have experienced. I think the word to describe this movie is "harrowing"; I defy anyone to watch this and not get a lump in their throat or a tear in their eye at least once.
It's an American movie tradition to bad mouth other countries when making historical films (us Brits are an easy target)... and it looks like they even managed to slip some patriotic xenophobia, however small, into this movie!! See Skating on Thin Air. What really annoys me about that is the disrespect to this person... it's really soured the movie for me... I know it's only one person. But he was a real person, with real feelings and with a real family. Based on NO evidence he's made out to be the wimp. Grr... the basis for the movie was exciting/disturbing enough already without the need for too much artistic license. And they used up all their artistic license allowance on fleshing out what we suspect happened (i.e. that which we have at least some evidence for, through cockpit recordings and telephone calls).
Good movie, just marred in my mind by the above.
Interesting to read a European's reaction to the film...I found it heartrending, as well.
ReplyDeleteIs the graphic in your post from the marketing campaign in Britain? Very different from the poster used here in the U.S.
I don't know where it comes from. I prefer the poster which is a shot of the crown of the statue of liberty with the plane in the background, but all the ones I could find were too small for my liking.
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