9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition

One of the best This is one of the best 9/11 movies I own. I think the personal stories within it are what make it so great. These videographers were the only ones that we know of who caught the image of the first plane crashing into the building. You get to hear the dialogue of the firemen, who perceived the destruction of the buildings as being like a controlled demolition. You get to see inside the WTC, the destruction of the lobby, the absurdity of a fireball coming down the elevator shafts to destroy the lobby, the fineness of the concrete dust. You see it all. The movie does not seem to have a conspiracy agenda. However, if you pay attention, you can see that the government report does not add up. Rating: 5 (Charlene Clark, 2010-01-30) 9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition customer review

This helped me understand 9/11 better than all media accounts put together Perfect comments have already been written here, so I'll add what this documentary helped me do: As a European, I felt horrified like everyone else by what I saw live on TV and in countless following debates and comments on the event... but the whole thing also felt kind of surreal to me; too big to really grasp; it also seemed to affect US citizens so much that I felt there was something I didn't quite understand about the impact of the attack. And I discovered how right I was about not fully grasping the event, when a friend who had moved to the USA two years before the attacks visited: he told us we just had no idea to what extent there was a 'before' and an 'after 9/11' to the people of the United States; about how deeply traumatized they were, how impossibly difficult it was to go on with their everyday lives knowing that this had happen in their own country. On how nothing would ever be the same again. I remember very clearly how, after watching this incredibly precious document, I thought: "NOW I can feel true compassion, now I understand the terror, the immeasurable shock, the fear. Now it has become HUMAN and REAL to me." Like many others in their comments here, I can only urge everyone to watch this movie. It quite simply puts you INSIDE the event. It shows real human beings going about their lives (although firemen obviously do not lead "everyone's life") and who, just like the makers of the film themselves, who were "just" shooting a documentary, get hit by something they couldn't be prepared for... and do what they can to face it and do their job (and boy, do they have ressources - and something for which 'bravery' almost seems too poor a word for - in face of the incredible, the unknown, and death that can strike at any time...) It IS fortunate those two filmmakers where there, because they put a human face on a faceless disaster: the planes flying into the towers, the towers smoking and collapsing, well: through these cold and, sadly, spectacular views, you just don't learn about the human suffering behind what you are seeing. The intolerable worry of the brother who knows his sibling might have been right at the crash site at the worst time, and of whom he doesn't hear for hours, is the most powerful and convincing of incarnations of what everyone in the same situation must have gone through. This film shows you the chaos, the distress, people living an unbearable ignorance of what is happening to them. It makes you aware that 9/11 was not this movie-like event, magnified more or less intentionally by media coverage. There is no script, nothing makes sense, pain and death is everywhere, and the guys who came to save lives suddenly are in a situation where they have no idea if they themsleves are going to make it. Last but not least, there is no word on the political meaning of the event. It's about the people and the disaster that hits them, about courage and distress. This is a real life catastrophy captured on film by accident - but not from the roof of a building at a safe distance. It's about as "in the middle of the event" as it can be. It reminds me of the works of great war photographers who lived side by side with the soldiers fighting and brought back pictures telling everyone how much war was not the clean and effective business it was supposed to be. Today, if I was told to, I'm not sure I would muster the courage to see one more documentary on 9/11... but this one is SO MUCH MORE. Rating: 5 (fedtho, 2010-01-12) 9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition customer review

9/11 The Filmmakers Commemorative Edition Great record for the following generations. Will illustrate how the US was attacked by Suicide Bombers in stolen aircraft and more than 3000 Americans died due to Muslim Extremist. Rating: 5 (Stanley G. Baker, 2009-12-28) 9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition customer review

Compelling! This film was shown to me in Law Enforcement Managers Course. It touched me on so many levels that I was a must for my home library. Rating: 5 (Randy, 2009-10-06) 9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition customer review

Stolen Innocence I watched this documentary when it aired on television with no commercial breaks (Robert Deniro hosted the event) It is the most humbling piece of work I've ever watched. It is clear that we are witnessing the loss of innocence in the everyday life of a firefighter, as their way of life is violently ripped away. I really felt for them (the filmmakers and firefighters) when you can clearly see that none of them knew how to react in the face of an enormous catastrophic event. It was filmed with respect for the victims and its story clearly needs to be told. The image of two firefighters discussing their job while the Twin Towers are lit up at night in the background, 2 days before 9/11 is extremely haunting. Rating: 5 (Kelly R. Cronk, 2009-09-24) 9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition customer review