M A I N   N E W S

A Horror TOO Real for CINEMA
A decade is a short period to look at an event of the magnitude and complexity of 9/11 with objectivity and Hollywood is still struggling with films on the World Trade Centre attacks; the box office remains lukewarm
Vandana Shukla/TNS

New York, September 10, 2011: The memorial on the ruins of the World Trade Centre. — AFP

Chandigarh, September 10
What seemed like an apocalyptic day, failed to ignite much creative energy in Hollywood. The industry that has been churning out outstanding documentation of human tragedy of the Holocaust, the World War II and the Vietnam War, year after year (The Schindler’s List 1993), The Pianist (2002), Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, etc), failed to re-create the horror of 9/11— the most dramatic event in recent human memory — on celluloid.

The reasons could be many. Unlike other history-shaping events of the past that inspired great celluloid dramas, the politics and conflicts that led up to the flash point of 9/11 are yet to be comprehended fully. Speculations are still rife as to what led to 9/11. The overpowering trauma and shock triggered nagging questions. People wanted answers, for, there were gaping holes in the narrative of the dramatic collapse of the twin towers. Those who witnessed it could not come to terms with the reality of this surreal drama of destruction. Moreover, this was one event in history which could not offer happy endings, even if it wished to.

Then, a number of conspiracy theories surfaced that further fuelled the unanswered questions. No wonder, a number of analytical documentaries came in quick succession based on the events that led to 9/11. These documentaries turned out to be more successful than any full length feature film — which were not many. In fact, the running time of some of these documentaries is longer than that of a feature film, but the engaging logic and real-life unfolding of events keep viewers hooked on.

The making of documentaries made better sense in a nation angered by the betrayal of the government that showed more alacrity in its search for ‘weapons of mass destruction’ and waging a war against Iraq rather than providing a sincere answer to what led to the loss of lives of its own people. So, when an eccentric, bohemian, fat and notoriously uncompromising Michael Moore made Fahrenheit 9/11, it made people sit-up and watch what they had suspected — the other reality behind 9/11 unfold before them.

The evidence documented in Fahrenheit about the Bush administration and alleged links between the families of George W Bush and Osama bin Laden left no doubts in the minds of the Americans that things were not as they were made out to be. People wanted something to fill the gap, to find answer to their unanswered queries, and it was there — in their face. There was more to 9/11 that met the eye, literally, despite the fact that the collapse of the towers was watched by millions across the globe.

The film received unprecedented popularity and was awarded Palme d’or, the top honour at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first documentary film to win the prize since 1956. At the box office, as of 2010, Fahrenheit 9/11 is the highest-grossing documentary of all time, taking in over $200 million worldwide, including United States box office revenue of almost $120 million.

Many more documentaries and feature films followed Fahrenheit 9/11 but none could match the overwhelming response received by this documentary.

Oliver Stone, known for examining conspiracies, as he did in JFK, disappointed in World Trade Centre (2006), the first notable feature film based on 9/11, as the film was a simple attempt to eulogise the heroism of Port Authority Police Officers who were the first ones to spot the planes hitting the North Tower of the WTC and went ahead for a rescue operation, losing lives of several of its personnel. The film is a dramatic re-creation of those actual events.

Despite the commercial success of this Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena starrer, the film raised quite a few controversies, which perhaps proved to be a dampener for other film makers. Widows of some of the martyrs did not like the idea of the subject being exploited by the film, and, as it turned out, although ex-marine Jason Thomas who joins the rescue operation with Dave Karnes, was, in fact an Afro-American, he was shown as a white man in the film. Perhaps, too close proximity with the event prevented people from accepting fiction for a fact they had witnessed on their TV screens.

Another mainstream feature film, United 93, based on the hijacking of the four planes, was made with the help of the relatives of the passengers on the ill- fated planes, which too attempted to recreate the events of 9/11 with strong patriotic overtones. But this 2006 film, together with ‘World Trade Centre’, could make less than $250 million at global box offices — about the same as "Avatar" grossed on its opening weekend in 2009.

Another documentary, which records actual events of the falling of the two towers on 9/11, as close to reality as possible, was released in 2002. This was a matter of chance that the events got documented in a way as they were unfolding. On September 11, 2001, filmmakers James Hanlon and the Naudet brothers were shooting Tony Benetatos, a probationary firefighter of the NYCFD (New York City Fire Fighter Dept), on Duane Street with the intention of making a film about the probationer’s experience. Suddenly, they noticed the American Airlines Flight 11 going overhead. Jules, the cameraman, panned the camera to follow the plane to document one of the only three known recordings of the first plane hitting the North Tower (Tower 1) of the World Trade Centre. The members of Battalion 1 of the NYCFD, who were called on Church and Lispenard Streets to check a gas leak, were the first to arrive at the scene and Jules was allowed to follow the chief of Battalion 1 during the attempted rescue operation.

The film gives various firemen's accounts of the events — from the initial crash to the building's collapse to the attempts to rescue survivors from the rubble. The documentary is full of profanities, mouthed by personnel in the real-life crisis, yet, it was aired by CBS channel.