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The film narrates the true story of two policemen, Jimeno and Mc Loughlin, who survived the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Jimeno and Mc Loughlin, together with a group of officers, were among the first people to arrive at the World Trade Center in order to rescue people after the fall of the First Tower. Unfortunately, the South tower collapsed on them and only three people in the group survived: Jimeno, Mc Loughlin, and Pezzullo. They got trapped under the remains of the tower. From that moment, they started fighting against death. At first, they tried to free themselves and were almost optimistic they would manage to get out of the rubble. Afterwards, however, the Second Tower collapsed, too, and Pezzullo died. The other two got rescued by two Marines and taken to hospital. In the meanwhile, their families had been waiting anxiously for some news.
Throughout the entire film the audience can see images of their families suffering, images of their colleagues dying next to them and much more. In additon the movie develops another important aspect: it displays solidarity among people by showing how many good men and women run to the World Trade Center after the fall of the First Tower in order to help their fellow citizens risking their own lives as well.
During the film, it is mentioned that 2,749 people died in the collapse of the two towers; 343 of these were firefighters. Only 20 people were pulled out alive after the towers collapsed.
INTERVIEW TO OLIVER STONE AND THE CAST
In the interview Garth Franklin made to Oliver Stone and the cast about the movie, the register explains clearly his attitude towards his production, his intentions and thoughts, moreover revealing some interesting details about the making of the film.
First of all, the set and the actors. The interior halls and the exterior set were built in Playa del Rey in California. These were vast sets, and the actors were divided in different modules, so that they never saw each other, everything they had to know was suggested. And it was very important for Stone, who thinks that the key of his film is the contrast between light and shadow. Before starting the production, actors were supposed to talk with their real-life counterparts, Nicholas Cage describes in the interview this experience: “He allowed me to video tape him and ask him literally thousands of questions about the experience, how he got through it, what he relied on, images of his family, Will Jimeno, the two of them, keeping each other alive in prayer. So it was enormously helpful. I really wanted to get it right”.
Secondly, Stone’s idea about the movie. He defines World Trade Center as “a simpler film, a modest film about working class people”, which is strictly connected with the emotions of these four Amenicans. He wants to show the emotions America felt on that day through the two wives, who gradually realize that their husbands would probably not come back home. His last answer to the journalist who asked him a reflection about the victims war always causes: “I just hope to God that we can move to a peaceful world, wherein we can respect the rights of civilians, and I don't know how to do that except through international bodies and a sense of commitment from everybody to stop this destruction of civilian life.”
CRITICAL RESPONSE IN THE USA
The film received appraisal from American critics. Positive reviews in the USA are certainly more than the negative ones. It is described as “one of Stone’s most powerful movies” by the New York Daily News; most journals and newspapers appreciated the rapresentation of that catastrophic event, considering the film the right tribute to all the victims of the terroristic attacks. What liked American people was the fact that Stone focused the attention of the audience on the American spirit, their values and ideals, such as courage, solidarity, love for family and for their own country. Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, from the Atlanta Journal, says that "World Trade Center is not a great movie — there are lapses in pacing, and emotional manipulation. But it's a quite good one, full of great moments and with a final 10 minutes so choked with emotion you'll be digging for Kleenex (you've been warned)". World Trade Center recounts a powerful and gripping story, which created strong emotions in the American viewers. It is very unusual to see all the people who stand up from their seats at the cinema and walk toward the exit without saying a word. After having read all the names of the people dead because of that terrorist attack, no one is able to speak for a great amount of time.
CRITICAL RESPONSE IN ITALY
The first show of the movie in Italy at the Venice festival, was not so a great success: people at the end were somehow disappointed and someone even hissed. Critics were most of all negative, they criticize Stone and his World Trade Center. Those who love the register looked for the conspirancy and the critic to President Bush all along the show, but there was no conspirancy, nor a critic. It was seen simply as a dramatic story of two firemen, well described, but it was not what the Italian audience expected. Tullio Kezich of the Corriere della Sera, said that it seemed to be a too simple way to face so a big tragedy, “the Odissea of the two men is a set too small for an event that caused 2749 victims, whose shadow looms over the happy ending” (September 11, 2006).
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Comments (2)
Alida said
at 7:08 pm on Nov 8, 2006
Dear Sarah,
I'd like to ask you why my images cannot be seen on this page..Thanks a lot! Have a nice week! Alida
Sarah said
at 1:35 pm on Nov 13, 2006
Dear Alida, we may have run out of space on the server. We'll try and figure it out in class.
Sarah
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