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9/11 film draws mixed reactions
07/08/2006 10:04 - (SA)
New York - For many New Yorkers it is too soon. For others the very idea of reliving the September 11 tragedy through the eyes of Oliver Stone in his new film World Trade Center is too traumatic to think about.
"I have no interest whatsoever. I think it's horrible. Just the idea of having a movie about 9/11 bothers me," said Jessica Amato in summarising the mood of many New Yorkers about Stone's new project, released nationally on August 9.
The movie, inspired by the true story of two police officers who were miraculously rescued from the debris, sparked wide-ranging debate before its release.
Mary Schneidman, a mother who lives in one of the city's upscale suburbs, said she trusted Stone to do an honorable job.
"I'm really interested. I like Oliver Stone. He has an interesting take on issues in his movies," said Schneidman.
The movie had a Hollywood-style sneak preview on Thursday evening, with the red carpet rolled out for celebrities, but also attended by key figures in the tragedy such as former mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Victims' relatives also attended the showing.
Among these was Mary Fetchet, who lost a son that day and is the founding director of the Voices of September 11, a non-profit advocacy group.
Preserving memories
"I think these movies are very important, the stories have to be documented," she said.
Carie Lemack, who lost her mother in the first plane attack and later founded the Families of September 11, a victims' support group, said she started running out of movie theatres when the film's trailers hit the screens in May.
"I didn't want to have to see my mom's murder, I don't know why I have to experience it every time I'm going to watch the movie."
Her organisation's internet site devoted its front page to a discussion on whether those who were struck by the events should watch.
"The answer is very individual," the Families of September 11 site says.
Stone himself has so far received predominantly positive reviews from critics and he repeated on Thursday that he believed the film would preserve the memory of the event for future generations.
But a few months after the modest box-office performance of United 93 - the story of the hijacked plane that was taken over and downed by passengers who all lost their lives - some New Yorkers are sceptical about the movie's potential success.
"Why I hate this lousy movie," wrote Cindy Adams, the popular columnist for the New York Post.
"New Yorkers infuse such pain and emotion into 9/11 that, for now, absolutely nothing could project onto a screen what still rips at our entrails," Adams wrote on Friday.
The police union of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, which lost 37 people on September 11, has already officially informed its members of the risk of traumatic shock should they decide to see the movie.
- AFP
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South Africa
