Dramatization. Creative license. Artistic freedom. All words that Hollywood takes into consideration when it produces “true life” stories. But is there ever a point when the movie studios go too far? Or has there even been a line drawn in the proverbial sand?
Maybe not. But if anyone has seen the new previews for “United 93,” then hopefully they can see that someone has gone too far. Universal Studios’ “93” is a movie depicting the flight and crash of the fourth airplane in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Part of the synopsis on Yahoo!Movies explains that the film “recreates the doomed trip in actual time, from takeoff to hijacking to the realization by those onboard that their plane was part of a coordinated attack unfolding on the ground beneath them.”
The backlash created by this film has already prompted a New York theater to pull the preview from its lineup. And at least one person, namely me, was infuriated when the preview appeared at the local theater last week.
I could not, and still cannot, believe the gall of some people who rush to capitalize on the greatest tragedy of my generation.
If that upcoming release wasn’t enough, Oliver Stone and Paramount Pictures are bringing us “World Trade Center” in August. This story, according to Yahoo!Movies, is about the “true story of Will Jameno and John McLoughlin … who rushed into the burning World Trade Center on 9/11 to help rescue people, but became trapped themselves when the tower collapsed.”
This movie looks to be one of those “edge of your seat” nail-biters. And yet, should this disaster have been made as well?
With no disrespect to the two brave firemen whose stories inspired the film, do we really need to have a suspense movie set against the backdrop of the thousands of lives lost in NYC on that day?
I have been a fan of Hollywood and its products for most of my life. And I’m usually the first to defend Tinsel Town’s right to produce controversial movies. However, I’m more than disappointed in these new 9/11 films. I’m furious.
Perhaps these movies are the latest trend in the business. A few summers ago we had natural disasters ‹¨ la “Twister.” Then we had gross-out comedies such as “Something About Mary” and “American Pie.”
I suppose this could be the summer of 9/11.
Or maybe, in some altered brain of an executive, this is a way of showing that Hollywood really cares. But where are the proceeds for these disgraceful films going?
Another viewpoint, possibly, is that people need to hear the stories to understand the monstrosity of that day.
But it’s only been five years. We all lived through the ordeal. We remember the pain, suffering, fear, heartbreak and sense of loss. We sat through the endless hours of breaking news to try to grasp some sort of understanding as to why this senseless violence had to happen. We cried, screamed and blankly stared into an unknown future.
We know, better than anyone, the full impact and horror of 9/11. Regardless of the caliber of the writing, direction, acting or production of those movies, nothing will be able to recapture the emotions we endured during 2001. We don’t need Hollywood to tell us what to feel about 9/11. We already know.
With no viable excuse to produce and market the 9/11 films, I don’t understand why Hollywood and the studios are sticking with them. They are disrespectful to the families and friends who lost loved ones during the attacks. They are trying to dramatize one of my worst memories. And they are attempting to turn a buck by commercializing and dramatizing 9/11.
Almost 60 years after Pearl Harbor, we had the movie, complete with historical inaccuracies. Almost 2,000 years after the crucifixion of Christ, Mel Gibson made a film to exploit the religious icon.
Both were also marketed as stories of triumph and love. And both were also made with no reason other than to satisfy somebody’s poor taste.
The same is true with these 9/11 movies. Don’t disrespect the people involved in these events. Have some decency.