Search - 9/11: The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 09/12/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 9 mins Studio: Paramount Members Wishing: 4 Genres: Culture & Society, Biography, Social Issues, Tragedies & Catastrophes

Telecast to coincide with the six-month "anniversary" of the horrific terrorist attack on New York's World Trade Center, the powerful and poignant two-hour CBS TV documentary 9/11 grew out of an independent film project inaugurated by French filmmakers Jules and Gedeon Naudet several months before the tragedy. Originally intending to produce an in-depth study of a "typical" American fireman, from the rookie training days to matriculation as a full-fledged firefighter, the brothers virtually lived in the headquarters of the F.D.N.Y.'s Engine Seven, Ladder One company. Thus it was that the Naudets were on hand to tape record the airliner "bombing" of both towers one and two on that fateful September 11 -- and even more dramatically, one of the brothers was able to record the hectic activities of the firefighters as they courageously went about their duties in the doomed lobby of tower one -- with only minutes to spare before both towers would collapse into a sickening mass of rubble. Although the more appalling examples of carnage are tactfully left unshown, such chilling vignettes as the offcamera sounds of crashing glass, indicating that another victim has jumped to his or her death from the uppermost heights of the twin towers, are left intact, obliging CBS to run a disclaimer in hopes of sparing the victims' loved ones any further anguish (too, the amount of understandable profanity spoken by the harried firefighters far exceeded anything ever heard before on mainstream American television). Telecast with only three commercial interruptions on March 10, 2002, 9/11 was dedicated to all the victims of the tragedy, with most of the proceeds going to the Uniformed Firefighter Association Scholarship Fund. The special garnered one of the highest ratings posted by CBS in years, with 38 million viewers tuning in. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert De Niro - Host
Gedeon Naudet - Narrator
Jules Naudet - Narrator

The horrific events of September 11th, 2001 were captured on film by two brothers (Jules and Gedeon Naudet) and turned into 9/11: The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition. This documentary is presented in a non-anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen transfer. The film retains a gritty, stoic feel that lets viewers grasp what it was like to be in New York City when the World Trade Center buildings were attacked, then subsequently collapsed to the ground. The imperfections on the video transfer suit the film well. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo in English. Much like the video portion of the disc, the soundtrack is filled with imperfections and blemishes, capturing every chill and horror from one of America's darkest hours. The defects on both the video and audio portions of this disc allow for a realistic, somber record of the events. No alternate soundtracks or subtitles are available on this disc. The sole extra feature to be found here are a few interviews with various firefighters who survived 9/11. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide