When I first heard that CBS was going to air a documentary on the 9/11 tragedy, my stomach turned. I envisioned the documentary makers as people who, upon hearing what was unfolding at the Twin Towers, rushed down there with video cameras in-hand in an effort to get the "best" footage for themselves. I imagined the filmmakers as people attempting to cash in on a national tragedy and prey upon a populace still reeling from the aftermath. There was no way I was going to watch such a program.

Fortunately, by pure chance, I happened upon a news piece about the documentary itself. My initial impressions couldn't have been further from the truth. The filmmakers, French brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet, originally had started filming their documentary in June of 2001. Their idea was to follow a rookie firefighter through his probationary period in an effort to witness his transition "from a boy to a man". The rookie they selected from all of the applicants, Tony Benetatos, was stationed at Manhattan's "Engine 7, Ladder 1" company -- right down the road from the Twin Towers. After months of following Tony and the other firemen the brothers had become like family to the members of the fire house, but were afraid that they would have no documentary to show -- because there had simply been no fires all summer. Then September 11th happened.

This documentary is something special. The story is told with video footage and via interviews with the firefighters and Naudet brothers. There is no embellishment. There are no interviews with victims or their families, no expert analysis -- just men trying to do their job and save lives. The documentary is powerful and moving, and showing the true spirit of the heroes who rose to the occasion on those dark days.

I believe that sometimes things are fated to happen, and I firmly believe that those brothers were meant to be there that day. They were meant to document the events from the inside, from the perspective of the fire fighters. There is simply no other explanation in my mind.

The documentary:

The documentary started in June of 2001, when Gedeon and Jules begin following "probie" Tony Benetatos. Tastefully narrated by fellow firefighter James Hanlon, we get to see the brothers as they begin to be accepted as members of the fire house. We get to see Tony, frustrated that there have been no fires to put out, no chance to prove himself. We get to know and like these firemen. And it all takes place with the World Trade Center Towers standing proudly in the background.

Almost 30 minutes into the documentary we reach the morning of September 11th. Chief Pfeifer and some of his men go out to check a leaky gas main. Jules goes with them for some camera practice (Gedeon is the usual cameraman, Jules was just learning). They are on the street checking the main as a plane passes very low overhead -- Jules' camera catches the roar of the plane's engines and the firemen looking up, then turns to catch the plane itself and captures the only footage of the first plane hitting the tower.

The men, with Jules in tow, all rush to the scene. As the fire fighters are preparing to enter the building, Jules asks Chief Pfeifer if he can go in with them. Pfeifer says yes, as long as Jules sticks with him. Being the first ones there and because they've worked in the towers before, Chief Pfeifer is in charge and leads the command post at the lower levels of 1 World Trade.

From Jules' perspective we see the lower levels of the North Tower -- the windows are blown out, the people are panicked. Firefighters from other units, unfamiliar with the World Trade Center, are confused about the elevator systems and exactly which tower is which. We see the communication problems, caused by equipment that could not carry a signal within the Trade Center's walls. In interviews we get the perspective of the firefighters from Jules' unit -- climbing 80 stories worth of stairs, fully expecting to get the fire put out.

Some of the footage is extremely chilling. You keep hearing crashes outside and seeing the firemen jump and react to the noise. It isn't until a few moments later that you learn what those crashes are -- people jumping from the upper floors, hitting the ground just outside the windows. Thankfully the camera does not show this (the news program I saw said that the footage was very carefully edited to remove any such images -- you will see no gore on the screen at any time), but simply hearing it is enough to chill me to the bone. The firefighters and Jules do speak of very disturbing things -- the people jumping, the people on fire in the lobby and coming down the stairs -- mercifully none of this is visible on-screen.

While all this is going on, Gedeon Naudet is at the firehouse with probie Tony, reacting to the news footage on television. Tony is dying to go help, but has been told to stay at the station and provide information to anyone who comes in. We see retired firemen, coming into the station in an effort to get the equipment to go help. We see a very worried Gedeon, knowing that his brother is in the middle of it all, concerned for his brother's life. Eventually Tony can stand it no longer, and goes to the towers accompanied by a retired chief. Gedeon, wanting to find his brother, wanders outside filming the reactions of people on the street.

I'm not going to go into detail on the entire documentary -- I doubt I could do it justice. Jules continues to film from inside 1 World Trade, while Gedeon films outside. The second plane hits -- the firemen in the lobby do not immediately know what happened. You feel their confusion, and the hopelessness of the men still trying to get to the fire to put it out.

Some of the most chilling scenes include the footage from Jules' camera, still inside the lobby of the North Tower, as the South Tower collapses. The firemen run for their lives, still not knowing exactly what is happening around them. As the dust settles Jules tries to help out, using the light from his camera to help get people out of the dust and wreckage. Also the footage, again from Jules -- this time on the street in the shadow of the remaining tower, right when it too begins to collapse. It is truly amazing to be able to witness these horrible events from his perspective.

The documentary doesn't end with the collapse of the towers or even the eventual reunion at the firehouse. It continues into the next week with the disheartening hunt for survivors. It also shows the people of New York, lining up in the streets to cheer on the rescue workers, bringing food and gifts to the fire station. It does my heart good to see this wonderful good-heartedness in such a time of tragedy.

I hope I am not ruining the "plot" for anyone if I tell you now that all members of Engine 7, Ladder 1 survive September 11th. It does make the documentary seem a bit less grim -- perhaps you can call it a touch of "happy ending", when so many (including friends and family members of the firemen) died on that horrible day.

The DVD:

The DVD is very plain -- there is no scene selection, no subtitles, no flashy graphics. It seems to be in keeping with the sincere and to-the-point nature of the documentary itself.

It is worth noting that when 9/11 aired on CBS, Robert De Niro provided some narration and appeared on screen. De Niro does not appear on the DVD edition.

There is indeed additional footage and bonus material. The documentary itself runs 129 minutes, which is longer than the version that ran on CBS (exactly how much longer is hard to determine, since the CBS version contained additional tributes and footage of Robert De Niro). Although I did watch the documentary when it aired originally I cannot tell you exactly what footage was added (although I would guess it was further interviews with the firemen), but it is blended so well nothing sticks out as being obviously added.

The bonus materials are a collection of additional interviews with the firemen. The four topics are "It was 8:46 in the morning", "The building started to shake", "It's not easy being a survivor", and "I'll never forget". All together the 4 bonus interview-sets are nearly an hour long, and are excellent additions to the documentary. The interviews are very simple -- just a group of firemen individually talking to the camera -- very simple and dignified. They simply talk about their experiences, which are all very interesting and worth watching.

This documentary contains the only known footage from inside one of the World Trade Center towers as the events of 9/11 unfolded. It also contains the only footage of the first plane hitting the North Tower -- however unlike the news footage on that day the impact isn't repeated over and over and over.

It is shot in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio on a single-sided, dual layered disc. The audio is in Dolby Digital 2.0.

The Naudet brothers' 9/11 documentary was nominated for 5 Emmys, and it won 2 of them (including "Outstanding Non-Fiction Special").

My impressions:

I saw tons of news footage of the 9/11 tragedy. I was at home, on maternity leave with my not-quite 2 month old son at the time. From the moment my husband called, telling me to watch the news, I was glued to the television. I was the main source of information for my co-worker friends and my family members, many of whom were stuck at their desks with no television access. I thought that I had seen all I cared to see on the events of 9/11. This documentary changed my mind.

The footage captured by the Naudet brothers is priceless -- from inside Tower 1 to survivors in the street to the reunions as the fireman make their way, one by one, back to the firehouse. It appears to be an honest, non-exploitive, and totally gripping film. You feel the brotherhood of the firefighters, and see New York City come together in a time of crisis. You get to see the faces and learn the names of the fire fighters, police officers, paramedics, port authority, and even ordinary people who were helping out in any way they could (such as the corner restaurant workers who provided water and a haven for the rescuers coughing up dust after the towers fell). I think it is an absolutely amazing piece of history, all captured on film.

The 9/11 documentary is simply stunning. I have not ever been one who cries at movies, but I cry every time I see this footage. I cry because of the horrible events and because of the lives lost, but I also cry because the dedication of the rescuers is so moving, even as you know their heroic efforts are doomed to fail. In the beginning you are laughing along with the firemen, in the middle you are shaken to the core with the tragedy of what is going on, then at the end you are simply proud to be an American.

While I think this documentary is very important I cannot recommend that it be shown to young children (nor am I sure that I would recommend it to someone who actually lost a loved one that day). The content is far too disturbing, with talk of people burning, talk of finding bodies in the rubble, and the horrible sounds of the people who jumped from the upper floors of the towers. The language is also quite bad -- unedited and raw emotions captured on film (not that I can really blame them for talking that way). I do plan to show 9/11 to my son someday, but not until he is quite old and I'm sure he can handle the tragedy of it all. I am not looking forward to the day when I will show it to him, however I think it is important that he see it.

I am extremely impressed with this documentary. It would have been easy for the brothers to make something cheesy, exploitive, or to include graphic shots. Instead they provide an extremely honest and real depiction of the events as they happen. It is respectful, rather than tacky. I don't think I can adequately express how impressed I am with how they handled such sensitive material.


MizGnomer's note: I've never had such a hard time writing a review before. I sincerely hope that I have not offended anyone who lost a loved one or was in any way affected by the events of 9/11. My intention was only to inform, as I think this documentary is a very important piece of work. Any income share generated by this review will be donated to a fire-fighter related charity.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age