United 93 is a film set to come out at the end of the month based on the September 11th attacks. Although this isn't the first film to depict something from that day, it is the biggest and widest release. Previous films The Guys and 11-9-01 were independent films that played only in select cities. United 93 is backed by a major studio.
It has caused some controversy. People are saying it's too soon and it's exploitative and sensational and just like hollywood.
I would challenge anyone who thinks like that to not dismiss certain movies as "hollywood". Hollywood, believe it or not, is filled with thoughtful and talented filmmakers.
Paul Greengrass, writer and director of United 93, is one of them.
His most popular film is The Bourne Supremacy but I encourage you to check out before dismissing United 93 is Bloody Sunday, which concerns the Irish civil rights protest march and subsequent massacre by British troops in 1972.
In his own words concerning the controversy:
"There are all sorts of reasons why we like to tell stories to tell each other. But one of the things we do is tell stories about the way the world is. I believe in a movie industry that operates across the board – it makes all sorts of different types of films. Including films about the big stuff facing us. Hollywood has always done that, throughout it’s history. It’s always done that, as well as all the other things. And it will have to grapple with 9/11 because it’s the single most important event that’s occurred in our lifetime...... 9/11, no matter where you are on the political spectrum, changed our world. It forced us to confront the way our world is going, and it presented us with some hard choices. That’s what a film needs to do, help us understand some of those things, but also of course take us to the heart of the human stories."
1 comment:
good point.
i think we do have to realize also that this is a creative artistic presentation of a factual event. it may be hard to ever have all the facts.
i think of this more as a homage to the fallen victims from that day. it's hard to imagine anything that will be presented in the film that have turned out to be a mistake to present/interpret.
maybe im speaking too soon without having seen the film. i just know paul has worked closely with the victims families and kept them up to date weekly on the progress, to the point where the families have called the movie "our film".
another thing paul said, answering if this was the right timing:
"We were informed with interviews from more than 100 family members and friend of the 40 fallen passengers and crew. The right time was when the families said, 'Yes.' "
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