Director: James Hanlon, Gédéon Naudet, Jules Naudet, Rob Klug
Starring: Tony Benatatos, Jamal Braithwaite, Steve Buscemi, Joseph Casaliggi, Robert De Niro
Genre: Documentary
Theatrical: 2002 Rated:
Duration: 112
Summary: I watched this DVD yesterday on the Second Anniversary of 9/11 and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever watched but I am glad that I did. At the beginning it states that "Viewer discretion is advised" partly because of some of the scenes and of course the occasional swear word but that aside, I believe this documentary is essential viewing for anyone who wants to be a witness to the horrific events that unfolded on the 11th September 2001.
Brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet were filming a piece about Firefighters in New York City and had picked one rookie Tony, who they were going to follow through his 9 month probationary period from fresh-faced applicant right through to his becoming a Fireperson in his own right, so for the first 20 minutes or so it's a regular film about Fire station life. Then everything changes.....
The firefighters get called out to a routine gas check and it's then that you hear what sounds like a low-flying plane directly overhead. One of the firefighters remarks on it because you don't normally get planes flying over Manhattan and by the time the camera is turned in the direction of the plane, you see it slicing into one of the Twin Towers. Then you get to see the firefighters as they are racing through the City and towards Tower 1 and already the sky is thick with smoke and people are rushing out onto the streets to see what is going on.
One of the brothers films from INSIDE Tower 1 (the only footage anywhere of what was happening from inside the WTC) while the other brother takes his camera out onto the streets where you get to see firsthand reactions from the New Yorkers who are gathered there. Inside the Tower you see debris strewn everywhere and people running about trying to get out. It's harrowing to watch and especially because every minute or so, you hear very loud thuds echoing across the lobby of the WTC and these are people's bodies as they hit the building, having either jumped from or fallen out from the top 20 storeys or so.
It's not only a film about the tragedy that befell NYC on that day but also about the bravery of the Firefighters who risked life and limb to go in there to get people out. James Hanlon (a firefighter with the company that Jules and Gedeon were filming for) supplies a voiceover for parts of the documentary and interspliced with this are clips of the Fire Station itself and of other Firepersons whose lives were impacted and affected on that fateful day.
I would recommend anyone to watch this because it's something that I believe everyone should see. You also get to hear the sound of Tower 2 coming down from inside Tower 1 and then you see as they battle to find an exit from where they find themselves. You are then taken through the lobby of the building and outside where you are confronted by the full horror of the scene, there are what looks like bodies strewn on the ground and even more debris and white dust. You then walk out and can see the remaining Tower still standing but on fire. Several minutes later, this too comes down and you see the cameraman running with all of the Firepersons and then laying down in front of a truck for protection as yet more debris rains down on the stricken City.
It's a brilliant documentary that gives you the inside track on what happened that day. You see NYC just hours before and there's an almost idyllic calm as the sun comes up over Manhattan, you are then shown the fire crews as they busy themselves for the approaching day, you see them as they realise the full horror of what is transpiring as soon as the first plane hits the WTC and you see the people of NYC attempting to make some sense of what is happening as it's happening. This is essential viewing and cannot come more highly recommended.
Starring: Tony Benatatos, Jamal Braithwaite, Steve Buscemi, Joseph Casaliggi, Robert De Niro
Genre: Documentary
Theatrical: 2002 Rated:
Duration: 112
Summary: I watched this DVD yesterday on the Second Anniversary of 9/11 and it was one of the most difficult things I have ever watched but I am glad that I did. At the beginning it states that "Viewer discretion is advised" partly because of some of the scenes and of course the occasional swear word but that aside, I believe this documentary is essential viewing for anyone who wants to be a witness to the horrific events that unfolded on the 11th September 2001.
Brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet were filming a piece about Firefighters in New York City and had picked one rookie Tony, who they were going to follow through his 9 month probationary period from fresh-faced applicant right through to his becoming a Fireperson in his own right, so for the first 20 minutes or so it's a regular film about Fire station life. Then everything changes.....
The firefighters get called out to a routine gas check and it's then that you hear what sounds like a low-flying plane directly overhead. One of the firefighters remarks on it because you don't normally get planes flying over Manhattan and by the time the camera is turned in the direction of the plane, you see it slicing into one of the Twin Towers. Then you get to see the firefighters as they are racing through the City and towards Tower 1 and already the sky is thick with smoke and people are rushing out onto the streets to see what is going on.
One of the brothers films from INSIDE Tower 1 (the only footage anywhere of what was happening from inside the WTC) while the other brother takes his camera out onto the streets where you get to see firsthand reactions from the New Yorkers who are gathered there. Inside the Tower you see debris strewn everywhere and people running about trying to get out. It's harrowing to watch and especially because every minute or so, you hear very loud thuds echoing across the lobby of the WTC and these are people's bodies as they hit the building, having either jumped from or fallen out from the top 20 storeys or so.
It's not only a film about the tragedy that befell NYC on that day but also about the bravery of the Firefighters who risked life and limb to go in there to get people out. James Hanlon (a firefighter with the company that Jules and Gedeon were filming for) supplies a voiceover for parts of the documentary and interspliced with this are clips of the Fire Station itself and of other Firepersons whose lives were impacted and affected on that fateful day.
I would recommend anyone to watch this because it's something that I believe everyone should see. You also get to hear the sound of Tower 2 coming down from inside Tower 1 and then you see as they battle to find an exit from where they find themselves. You are then taken through the lobby of the building and outside where you are confronted by the full horror of the scene, there are what looks like bodies strewn on the ground and even more debris and white dust. You then walk out and can see the remaining Tower still standing but on fire. Several minutes later, this too comes down and you see the cameraman running with all of the Firepersons and then laying down in front of a truck for protection as yet more debris rains down on the stricken City.
It's a brilliant documentary that gives you the inside track on what happened that day. You see NYC just hours before and there's an almost idyllic calm as the sun comes up over Manhattan, you are then shown the fire crews as they busy themselves for the approaching day, you see them as they realise the full horror of what is transpiring as soon as the first plane hits the WTC and you see the people of NYC attempting to make some sense of what is happening as it's happening. This is essential viewing and cannot come more highly recommended.