9/11 - The Filmmakers' Commemorative Edition Reviews

• Perhaps the best documentary on 9/11

  
  By A3LA8WLE0RQ4MB on 2003-02-03
  This film is the "accidental documentary" made by French brothers and film makers, Gedeon and Jules Naudet. The brothers were making a film about a young fire fighter during his 9-month probationary period. With the help of their friend, firefighter James Hanlon, there were given nearly unlimited access to all the goings-on at the firehouse, Engine 7, Ladder 1, on Duane Street in Lower Manhattan, less than ten blocks from the World Trade Center. Little did the brothers know that they would be the witness to history, just three months after they began their project.

  Gedeon is the older brother, and the avid film maker. But, by the time of 9/11, an additional camera had been purchased for Jules for "camera practice." Jules is with the Battalion Chief, Joseph Pfeifer, and 13 other fire fighters from the house, filming as they investigate an odor of gas at 8:46 am on Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001. They are standing in the path of the plane as it flies over and hits Tower 1, and Jules is filming the entire time. His is the only footage of the attack on Tower 1. The reaction of the firefighters is immediate, as they take off for the Trade Center, a place they previously would visit up to five times a day on a shift. They know the Trade Center perhaps better than any other firehouse in Manhattan. But, nothing has prepared them for this.

  What transpires is the only known footage of the struggle of the firefighters inside Tower 1 as they try to figure out what to do in the chaos and confusion. They had seen it all, they thought, but this was something they hadn't prepared for. The film is very sensitively edited, so you don't see the blood or the gore or the bodies, you only hear about them. The focus in this film is on the brotherhood of the firemen, what was going on in the towers while the rest of the world looked on, helplessly. How men who make less money than half of the City are the ones who rush into the burning buildings, and who do not hesitate to lay down their lives while saving others. It is the tale of a true brotherhood, of men who are doing jobs handed down to them from generations before. It is more than a story of 9/11, it is the story of the world of New York fire fighters.

  Before 9/11 happens, we see the inside of the firehouse, how the young "Probie", Tony Benatanos, is brought into the fold, how the firemen interact and eat together and needle each other. The French brothers did not set out to make a documentary on 9/11, certainly, but fate dealt a hand. This is the most extensive, mind-boggling film, and the DVD contains extended interviews with the firemen, who have seen so much, but still seem to be in shock about what they saw that day.

  James Hanlon narrates this film beautifully, and the brothers are interviewed describing that terrible day. The firemen are truly amazing, the footage is incredible, and, if you only see one documentary on this horrible day, this is the one to see. It truly portrays the victims, the heroes, and the survivors sensitively, honestly, and shockingly. It is unforgettable.
  
  

• Faithful and respectful record of that horrible day.

  
  By AUDSM2CTLLW1Q on 2002-08-19
  Words still fail to properly express the absolute horror endured by all who experienced 9/11, either firsthand or over the television. This documentary of that awful day, filmed by French filmmakers Gedeon and Jules Naudet, provides a medium where viewers can relive, but yet, come to terms, with the horrors of that day. Given the enormous wealth of footage taken that day, it was only a matter of time before that material was put together into some kind of video record. When word came down that, in early March, documentary footage shot by the Naudet brothers would be broadcast without interruption on CBS, I felt both apprehension and anticipation. I was in anticipation because I needed to see it in order to come to terms in my own mind with the events that happened. I was concerned about the prospect of this documentary because there were chances that it could be superficial and/or exploitive, which would have been a tremendous shame. Much to my relief, the Naudets' "9/11" special was nothing like that. It presents both a factual and honorable record of that day.
  
  The circumstances by which the Naudet brothers ended up filming on the front line of the worst U.S. disaster since Pearl Harbor were quite interesting. The filmmakers, who got the only video footage from inside the WTC after the attack, were initially in New York to film a documentary about the journey of a fireman from young academy recruit to tested veteran. Interviews with the recruits of the FDNY academy lead the Naudets to select Tony Benetatos as the subject of their film. He seemed to embody the idealism and determination that were crucial to a member of the FDNY. With the assistance of firefighting friend, James Hanlon, the Naudets were able to follow Benetatos as he was assigned to Hanlon's firehouse, Engine 7, Ladder 1. Throughout the summer, they tracked him as he was getting educated in the ways of being a fireman. Right up until the evening of September 10th, the documentary footage was of a jovial, albeit uneventful, nature. That would all change the next morning. As Gedeon Naudet was the more accomplished camera man, Jules would frequently go out with the firemen on any call in order to perfect his camera technique. This morning, Jules went out early with Battalion Chief, Joseph Pfeifer, and several others to investigate a gas leak 10 blocks south of the WTC. What happened next was caught on film and among the most chilling images anyone has every seen. Something seemed to roar overhead and everyone looked up to see commercial airliner flying dangerously low. A few seconds later, every one's gaze (as well as the camera's) was trained on the North Tower of the WTC, and all watched in horror as plane slammed into its upper floors. This IS the only known footage of the first plane hitting. Instantly, Pfeifer and the rest of the firemen call in disaster and proceed directly to the site, with Jules tagging along with the permission of Chief Pfeifer. Everyone knows the sequence of events that happened next, with second plane crashing and both towers coming down. However, it is because of Jules Naudet's camera work that people have an archival record of the firefighters coming to terms with gravity of the events that have occurred and the grim determination with which they were dedicated the resolving it.
  
  There are criticisms and protests about this documentary having been released, but it must be understood that almost any footage of that day would be subject to controversy. Too many people were affected by it and the wounds and emotions are still very raw. The Naudets deserve much credit for how they handled the filming and the editing of this footage into the "9/11" documentary. There were many chances to be exploitive and show far too much graphic footage of that attack. Yet, the Naudets avoided doing so on each and every occasion. Upon entering the North Tower, screams were heard to Jules right. There were several people on fire, having been engulfed by the jet fuel that shot down the elevator shaft. This footage was not edited out of the documentary because it was never filmed in the first place as Jules thought it would have been disrespectful to do so. The sounds of the rest of that morning told the tale of the horrors that were not necessary capture on video. Jules kept focused on the actions of the firefighters working feverishly to control the situation and begin rescuing people. The loud, almost bomb-like crashes, happened with terrifying regularity and signaled another person who had chosen to die by their own hand and jump rather than let the fire get them. Each time, the firefighters looked up and cringed, because they knew what it meant. At no time, though were images of the people falling or the aftermath on the ground filmed. Of course, there was no getting around the horror of the next image: the firefighters frantically scrambling out of the lobby as the South Tower fell and made everything black as night. The abject terror of that scene can scarcely be described. In the aftermath of both towers collapsing, the documentary focused primarily on the rescue efforts and concerns about the safety of fellow firefighters.
  
  Thanks to the Naudet brothers, we now have a very accurate and respectful documentary of 9/11's 'day of infamy'. Having a piece of history like this to view will allow people to never completely forget that day, while also allowing them to come to terms with it.
  
  

• Oh I Just Don't Want To See That Anymore

  
  By on 2002-09-15
  Yeah yeah yeah - I've seen it all. I understood the horror. I'd seen it over and over as it happened and in the replay that day. I've cried my eyes dry. I watched the documentaries about the WTC being built, and how it collapsed. But you know what, I didn't know JACK until I watched this.
  
  The confusion in the lobby caught me first...what WAS that noise...then they explain. I became sick. At every horrifying crash, the firefighters look up, gulp the fear back, literally, and go back to the business of trying to save people.
  
  The video of Father Judge praying in the lobby before the collapse is priceless - the only two mental images I had of him were still pictures of the blessing for the victims of Flight 900 at the shore, and his body's removal from the tower. This video shows you he was about the business of praying for the folks there in earnest.
  
  Finally, I sat down with my pc and froze the dvd whenever I could see a name on a helmet or an overcoat and went to read about that person's life. And death. And I cried again. And became angry all over again. I will never forget the images on this film.
  
  The French people gave us the Statue of Liberty, and now they (in the form of these two wonderful French brothers) have given us one of the most important keys to understanding the attack - in all its horror and honesty, this is the one I'll show my grandchildren, God in heaven willing.
  
  Jules and Gedeon, and Firefighter Hanlon, God Bless you each.
  
  

• No sugar coating here

  
  By AHNDWVX0WCDXG on 2002-09-03
  I watched the TV broadcast of this film not knowing what to expect. What I got was an excellent documentary which started out mildly enough with two French film makers following the training of a probationary firefighter in New York City. Unfortunately for them, it looked as if they were going to make a rather run-of-the-mill, uneventful documentary. It apparently had been a slow summer for the FDNY. Then came the morning of September 11, 2001 and a routine call to check out a gas leak on a city street. What followed is the most important film of that day ever. There are no talking-head news reporters. There are no politicians making speeches. What we see are the firefighters in the lobby of the World Trade Center, having no idea what is really happening above them. From their position inside the building they couldn't see what we were seeing outside. They were kept guessing. But they could see enough to know that people were jumping out of the building. Although they had to wonder what could be so bad above that jumping from those upper stories was preferable to waiting for whatever happened, these firefighters also knew that it was their job to go up and meet headon with whatever those who jumped were fleeing. This documentary shows a side of September 11 that we were not allowed to see in the media. Everyone should see this at least once.
  
  

• Simply Unbelievable

  
  By A2R9J5LULVKF6T on 2002-09-22
  I've always been a visual person.. in school, at work, I always have to see things in order to make sense of them.

  9/11 was no different. I, like most people around the world, was glued to the TV for days after 9/11, watching stories of survivors and of those lost, piecing together what had happened in an attempt to fully understand what happened.

  Unlike most media coverage of 9/11, this DVD focuses on one of the many families in NYC - that of a firehouse 7 blocks from what was once the WTC. The brothers who made this had been invited in pre-9/11 to make a documentary of the 'coming-of-age' of a junior firefighter who joins the department as a "proby" .. but as with everything else in the world on 9/11, took a completely different form after the first plane hit Tower 1 of the WTC.

  It is heartbreaking, inspiring, horrifying and even uplifting all at the same time. The company documented was indeed rare - all of its fighters lived to tell their stories (often as voice-overs for amazing footage taken from inside Tower 1 as everything was going on) and through the sights and sounds captured, 9/11 makes a bit more sense.

  The word "hero" has been thrown around a lot in the last year, describing everyone from firefighters to postal workers and volunteers. But to see these guys go into the buildings and selflessy go about doing their work is the most inspiring thing I've seen since 9/11. While it's sometimes hard to watch, it puts the horrible events in NYC on that day into perspective, and makes you realize that if people who barely escaped with their lives - in spite of losing so many others - can go on, so can the rest of us.
  
  

• A fitting tribute to the FDNY
  By on 2004-05-21
  I managed to get hold of this DVD recently. It took me a few days to get up the courage to watch it as I was worried about reliving so many of the horrible memories of that day. Although this DVD is upsetting, it is an incredible documentary (all the more so as it captured the only image of the first plane crashing into the WTC) and in my view probably the best documentary to show future generations when they ask "What happened on September 11th?" It is a look at that tragic day's events as they unfolded, with all the sense of chaos, fear, panic and confusion that people in the towers and in the direct vicinity of the WTC must have felt. What started out as a documentary on a NYC fire crew turned into an "accidental" documentary on the world's worst terrorist attack. We are, fortunately, spared the graphic images of people dying, although the sound of bodies hitting the ground is very disturbing and the footage of the second plane hitting tower 2 was the most shocking I had seen (it graphically conveys how fast that plane was going when it hit). This DVD is above all a fitting and respectful tribute to the FDNY without being overly sentimental or deliberately pulling at the heart strings. The tragedy is left to speak for itself.
  
  
• Lest We Forget...
  By A1FL9JCI32TC0Y on 2006-03-14
  Never before have I watched a documentary and journeyed through a whole range of human emotions - shock, disbelief, sadness, horror, terror, anger, and respect (towards ALL the brave firemen and emergency services who put their lives before everything else on that fateful day). I cannot guarantee that this is the best documentary of the events of that day, as I have yet to see any others. However, if it is not, then I would be very surprised.
  
  9/11 is, in a way, the Zapruder film of the 21st century. Like the Zapruder film the video camera captures an event in history that is unbelievable as well as shocking. I am sure that Jules Naudet's video clip of the first plane hitting Trade Tower 1 will be dissected and analyzed even more than Zapruder's film.
  
  I am sure that any material relating to that horrific day on September 11th will provoke all kinds of emotions to all kinds of people. However, Jules and Gedeon Naudet's documentary is a sincere and tragic testimony to the people who perished whilst simply going about their normal ordinary lives.
  
  Starting out as simply a `boy to man' documentary following `probie' Tony Benatanos, the documentary is remarkable in that sense alone. We see the life of a blue collar young man who wants to be a fireman not for money or prestige, but to be simply a hero and to save lives. At the beginning though, he has to do mundane tasks whilst his rights of passage, his `first fire', remains elusive.
  
  As this DVD has a lot of insightful reviews already, there is no point going into the events that lead up to the first attack, as they have been explained better by others. However, I will try and explain why this DVD is a soul searching journey of hope and bravery in the wake of so much horror.
  
  For a film that shows 3000 people perishing, there is little graphic footage. The `whacking' sound of people hitting the floor below the towers is enough, and to show physical evidence of this serves little purpose as one can imagine the terror and the destructive energy that these poor people suffer. Jules, who is, ironically, the brother who hardly does the filming, sees two burning people in the lobby of the first tower but doesn't have the desire to film them. In this, I think that the two French filmmakers remain with integrity as well as courage.
  
  The footage inside the lobby is really tense with the sound of crashing outside and the thought of climbing 80 floors of stairs. We know, post-9/11, the fate of the building, yet we watch with strained hearts as the firemen remain in the lobby of a building we know will be raised to the ground within a matter of minutes.
  
  The scene that fills the viewer with hope is the one when the already exhausted firemen of Ladder 1 are called back out to search for victims in gruelling 24 hour shifts. They have to sign a list first and they do not hesitate even though the dangers are not yet over.
  
  This DVD is for all kinds of viewers, whether they be experts on what happened, or just simply somebody who wishes to relive the day that reshaped history. I think that even if the relatives could brave themselves to find out exactly what happened that day, then they could watch this and feel no malice, or cheap exploitation of the tragedy.
  
  This is by far, the best documentary I have ever watched. It was on British television on the anniversary of the attacks and stupidly, I missed it. Having bought it, I value every penny spent on it.
  
  
  
• The Worst Day in U.S History Becomes a Great Documentry
  By A2W8RONWHD8R9T on 2002-07-20
  I've lived very close to the city my whole life (probably 5 miles) and have been there very often. So when I first heard about this documentry I couldn't wait to see it because this was the most historic event I have ever been alive to see (and probably will ever see). I'm now 20 years old and was 19 on 9/11. Although, I do have to admit that I thought they would just show a whole bunch of images that everyone has seen on TV. I was so wrong. What I saw was so unbelievable. Words couldn't discribe how horrific alot of the images were.

  The documentry of 9/11 was originally supost to be a documentry of a person becoming a fireman in one of the New York City fire departments (Engine 7 Ladder 1). Two French brothers were the filmmakers. It starts in early June 2001 with basic training and goes through the life of a fireman all through the summer (until 9/11) It was originally aired on CBS on March 10 and was hosted by Robert DeNiro.

  This documentry is very informative (and as one might expect) has very disturbing images. It shows so much like both planes crashing into the World Trade Center, both of them collapsing, inside the World Trade Center (when the attacks were occuring),lots of fottage of the recovery effort,and lots of interviews with the firemen of Engine 7 Ladder 1.

  I usually only write reviews on movies, but this was definitly an exeption that I wanted to make because it was so good and so important event that had happened. 9/11 is definitly one of the best documentries I have seen It is definitly worth to buy especially for the historic point of view and to see first hand what people actually went through. It's a piece of history that every American should have in thier home.
  
  

• Simple and heartbreaking
  By A2XVKS99BIN1O4 on 2006-09-02
  I remember that I had to stop watching a lot of the sepetember the 11th footage after 2 days of constant repitition, However I am amazingly glad that I chose to watch this film.
  
  It is by it's own simplicity, one of the best pieces of documentary filmmaking I have ever seen.
  
  It starts out innocently but changes with those first oft seen images of the first plane.
  
  However it seems almost impossible to believe that what stands out in this film, is not the horror, but the sheer stubborness and determination of the the various people. from the Police Department, to just the ordinary bystanders , who helped out. Without even mentioning the numerous stupidly brave beyond belief Firemen who kept going in...
  
  It should be in many aspects a very depressing film, about the brutality of modern society, and the unfathomable cruelty Man can inflict...but what comes out through the tears and horror, is something much better. It is about how true the human spirit is, regardless of the battering that there are always those who will stand up for everyone else...
  
  It is also in some ways ironic and fortunate, that it was 2 french filmmakers who truly captured this tradegy, and in whose hands an honest and true film has come about
  Having seen a number of other documentaries (form a variety of nations), I am often amazed at the amount of sensationalism injected into these when the sheer stark facts do the job that much better.
  
  One final comment, This is harrowing inspiring and well worth showing to every child over the age of 10.
  why as they said about the slowly receding memories of the second world war and before..
  
  Lest we forget...
  
  
  
  
• An Amazing Story
  By on 2002-09-12
  This was truly one of the most powerful and personal stories I've ever seen aired about the September 11th tragedy.

  Originally planned to be a documentary about a probationary firefighter, the filmmakers, two French brothers, just happened to be filming at the firehouse on that horrible morning. The first brother was actually riding along with some of them firemen who were on a call right near the World Trade Center. He managed to capture on film the roar of the first plane overhead and the startled looks of the firefighters hearing it, then actually followed the first plane's path into the building. He stayed with the team and actually has footage of being inside the lobby of the Tower. He stayed there until the second building was evacuated. The second brother also managed to capture some truly remarkable film, as he stayed with the "newbie", then set off to find his missing brother, who he assumed was killed.

  This film is not about gore, but just a very real, very personal story of a bunch of guys who were just doing their jobs and what happened to them that morning and in the days following the disaster.

  This is a great story.
  
  

• Jaw Dropping...
  By A1EM9ZCEYQPF36 on 2002-08-12
  ...as if that day wasn't shocking enough! I watched this special on tv on the six month aniversary of the attacks and every emotion went through me again. This film is in the raw. 100% real emotion, real thoughts, and on the spot footage as the 1st plane crashed into tower 1. The filming continued into the lobby of tower 1 as all the fire fighters planned the next move as tower 2 was struck. No media pictures or news cameras have captured what Jules and Gedeon captured on film that terrrible day. Two brothers, each with cameras, one inside tower 1 and one in the streets of NYC, each filming history. If you want to know what American heros and families whent through that day or to see on the front lines this film is one to show you. It is difficult to watch but at the same time it is a salute to Americas bravery and the strenght of a nation. GOD BLESS AMERICA!
  
  
• Life-altering documentary
  By A82SKI0TEFTN3 on 2005-12-31
  This is one of the most amazing pieces of film that will ever be produced about the 9/11 disaster. It truly brings you so close that you have no choice but to feel shocked, saddened, and angered like you were actually there. Like some other reviewers, I watch this film over and over again, a few times a year.
  
  The legacy of this film will hopefully go on for hundreds of years so that all in the future can be made aware of all our events surrounding 9/11.
  
  By the way, those of you that saw the original CBS airing some years ago, or maybe even have it taped - not only does this DVD have extra bonus interviews of some of the firefighters at the end, it runs over 45 mins longer than the CBS footage, so you get a lot of additional footage that was never seen on CBS. The runtime on the main feature alone is over 2 hours. Worth the buy even if you have the original.
  
  
• A Breathtaking Look at the Attacks on 9/11
  By AIM1IGJIFJ1SY on 2002-11-02
  On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the WTC. This is a film that is unlike all the rest. It is an amazing look back every time you watch it. This DVD includes the expandend version of the film, 129 minutes. It includes a whole hour never seen on CBS. 9/11 begins with following a New York firefighter thorough his nine month probitionary period. Jules and Gedeon Naudet are the filmakers. The original plan was to make a documentary on a firefighter, instead of 9/11. Of 99 "probies," the choose Tony Benatadoes. When arriving at his firehouse, engine 7, ladder 1 downtown, he barely fought any fires.

  They follow him all the way the original plan to 9/10/01. The next day, the firefighters are called out. Jules takes his camera for camera practice. The firefighters went to the odor of gas in the street a few minutes away from the WTC. At 8:46 A.M, a plane engine was heard. Jules tilts his camera up just in time to film the only existing footage of the plane hitting tower 1. They got in the car and rode down to the WTC. Jules asks Batallion Chief Joseph Pfiefer if he could come into the lobby. He let him. You see the inside of the lobby after the plane hit. All the windows were blown out. The elevators were blocked out, so they had to climb 80 stories to get to the fire.

  Then, a second plane hit. This time, it was tower 2. Chunks of the plane engine landed blocks away. Gedeon was at the firehouse with Tony. He wondered where his brother was. Soon, in the lobby of twoer 1, the second tower fell. They were in the lobby and ran. They had to get out. When they got out, they plotted their next move. But next, the first tower fell. They saw it collapse, and ran.

  Soon Gedeon realizes, where's my brother? They get back to the firehouse, and he asks if anybody has seen Jules? He showed up behind him. Gedeon was happy. But then they realized, Where is Tony? Tony went with the retired chief and returned safely. The next day, they had to go back to dig for surviviors. Barely any were found. At the end of the program, there is a tribute to all of the firefighters that lost their lives on September 11. That ends the show.

  Also on this disk, there are interviews. These 16 minute interviews explore more in depth of what happens. That ends this filmaker's commerative edition. I rate this show five stars. This is the best 9/11 documentary I have seen. SO I urge you to get it.
  
  

• Fantastic Film, Bring Tissues Along
  By A9NSI03C75K66 on 2005-02-10
  This documentary is phenomenal. The real thing. I watched this the other day and for once completely understood the feelings of what went on. Since I was fortunate to not have anyone close to me affected by 9/11 events it hadn't sunk in what a tragedy it was until this film. Granted it is just one firestation, but it is not supposed to be of all of them. It is the raw footage that was filmed by two brothers who just so happened to have the camera rolling that day. If you want a film that shows all aspects including the Pentagon then this may not be for you, but if you want an inside personal view of what it was like for two brothers each with cameras, this movie is absolutely phenomenal. It will leave you awestruck. The intensity and feelings captured by these guys is amazing. I highly recommend this movie to get a true feel for what happened that tragic day. No special effects, no "extras" for effect, just the real thing.
  
  
• A Passion Play for our times.
  By A1ANQRZUP3L8FR on 2002-12-19
  As a great lover of documentary film and non-fiction writing, this production touched me in a way never felt before. This did not come at the first viewing, due to it's sublity - what was not seen - it's respect for the dead and their families. There was little of the explosions, fire, flying glass, and the dead. It was a little hard for me to follow this first time. The second viewing (and many subsequent vorays into this brilliant look into a darkness of horror) brought it together in the most compelling, personal, and compassionate way.

  The horror comes not from planes, flames, and falling victims; it comes from the sounds, the faces of New Yorkers, the anquish on the faces of the fire fighters who have come here, full of confidence that they can certainly put out these fires and bring those trapped to safety. And as one event follows another, again, through sound and their view through the lobby windows in the Tower 1 lobby, you can see on their faces and in their eyes the confidence turn to confusion and fear and horror and the background is filled with the horrible sound of falling bodies, the building shakes beneath their feet, and the blackness falls. And there comes a time when you tangibly feel their fear - a knot in your own stomach as the drama plays out.

  You watch with tenderness the big, brusky guys of Station 1, Ladder 7 reunite in tears and hugs as they return - the big, tearless macho fellow who embraces a comrade as one would a lover and then says, after using a phone, "Whew! It never felt so good talking to my mother". In the lobby, you watch Father Jude standing in the center, his eyes reaching no one, his lips moving in what must have been the most deep-felt, loving prayer for the safety of all. And then he is lost.

  This is a very adult piece of film making...not for the curses or the horrors. To watch this is to understand, perhaps for the first time in your life, the nature of sacrifice. I kept thinking, why did they send these fire fighters up in that tomb - why - because it was their job, their mission, and ultimately, their heroism and essential goodness. And who can question that.
  
  

• Stunned
  By A2ODCS9M98KBFK on 2006-08-18
  Someone who was once very dear to me was killed on 9/11/01 and when I first caught a glimpse of this film on TV back then I was stunned when I when I saw him standing in the lobby of one of the buildings giving directions to emergency personnel and civilians alike (he was a PAPD Police Officer). This I am sure this is one of the last times he was seen alive and so having my own copy of this film means more to me than anyone can imagine. Thank You, Janice
  
  
• This is the 9/11 documentary to get.
  By A11ED8O95W2103 on 2006-04-23
  I wanted one record of the 9/11 tragedy so that when my children are old enough to understand it I can share the way history changed shortly after they were born, and perhaps explain why their world is the way it is. I'm very happy I got this particular DVD.
  
  
• Simple, Uncomfortable, Unpretentious
  By on 2002-09-12
  Unlike most of the 11th September media coverage this doco was not filmed by design. On 11th September - as they had been doing for weeks previously - the film-makers Gedeon & Jules Naudet were filming a documentary about a probationary firefighter's passage from boyhood to manhood when they found themselves literally in the middle of the destruction of the WTC.

  It is also hard to argue that the documentary is opportunistic. There is not a single suggestion in this documentary that the Naudet brothers were filming for the sake of filming. They didn't randomly "steal" bits of whatever footage they could get. Images of "strangers" are comparatively infrequent in this documentary and - critically - serve only to contextualise the stories of the firefighters with whom Gedeon and Jules already had a relationship. In turn, the trust placed in the film-makers by the firefighters is tangible. It serves as testament that this documentary was about a deeply personal story not a contrived "opportunity".

  Some people have questioned whether the film-makers should be making any money from this doco. Aside from the fact that the documentary was used to raise funds for the families of firefighters who perished in the WTC - it is strange to imagine that film-makers (or any other creative artists), are somehow less entitled than everyone else to earn a livelihood from their work. It is particularly strange when the work is of this quality.

  Reportedly, the naudet brothers rejected numerous and lucrative offers to sell their footage outright to major media companies - choosing instead to produce documentary themselves with the participation of the firefighters. One gets the sense that the experience of the Naudet brothers parallels at least in part the experience of the firefighters - they simply found themselves in a situation by virtue of timing, their jobs and their community. Like the firefighters, the Naudet brothers appeared to do their best job under what must have been unimaginably frightening and confusing conditions.

  In many respects, throughout the documentary, the film-makers story and the story of this particular group of firefighters is indistinguishable.
  
  The pre-existing affection and respect which the Naudet brothers have for the firefighters is enormously humbling. I felt less like a passive news voyeur, and much more like a guest being given permission to share a part of what must surely be counted amongst this "family's" most intimate and life-changing moments. For me, it was this this contextualisation, the pre-existing relationships, the subsequent brotherhood between Jules and Gedeon and firefighters which emerged over a 36 hour period, and the very explicit intention of the Naudet brothers which gives this documentary a rare integrity in a sea of 9/11 media sensationalism.

  Some people will be uncomfortable with certain graphic elements of the footage. However, it is apparent that Gedeon & Jules themselves felt more uncomfortable with filming many aspects of the events than someone watching them through a two dimensional screen could ever be (with the obvious exception of victims' families and eyewitnesses). Unlike the mainstream media boys - who only stopped replaying graphic footage after members of the public complained, and then who repeatedly commended themselves for doing so - Gedeon & Jules neither hide us from the reality of their experience, nor expose the viewer to anything more than that which is relevant to their specific story. In a strange way, this allows the viewer to walk alongside the firefighters - but only to the extent that we have their permission to do so.

  In doing so, the brothers are amongst the few who have managed to avoid sensationalism, exploitation, and patronisation all at once. This is achieved because Gedeon & Jules never claim someone else's - a stranger's - story as their own. By allowing the story shared by the firefighters and the film-makers to emerge naturally through the medium - the Naudet's have suceeding in producing one of the few 9/11 accounts which neither negates nor globalises the events in New York, but is instead both compassionate and proportionate.
  
  

• One of the most amazing videos ever!
  By A3C1LFNPI06AI on 2005-11-21
  I bought three 9/11 dvd's a few years back. After watching one of them, I felt disturbed enough not to watch others. Now three years later, I watched this one.
  
  This is the best eyewitness account of 9/11. I encourage everyone to buy it and watch it. It truly captures the horror, evil, and heroism of September 11, 2001. Accidentally or by fate or divine providence... the world has a first hand record of a world wide tragedy.
  
  Thanks to the brothers who risked their lives to film it. Thanks to firemen who bravely responded and saved countless lives that day.
  
  So many good people were lost that day. This film is their best tribute. It also serves as a grim reminder of the evil of terrorism in our world. But moreso, it also is a reminder of the hope, courage and heroism of the FDNY and the leadership and citizenship present at every level of society and organization in the USA.
  
  What is worst and best in humanity is depicted on this amazing documentary.
  
  At one point the firefighters in the interviews mention that they would rather help people than kill people. In that statement, lies the greatness of the individual and our society.
  
  If you buy only one 9/11 video... by this one, and share it with whomever will listen and learn from it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Best 9/11 documentary out!!!!!!!!!!
  By A1OW8FCZ0MP55R on 2005-02-22
  This is by far the BEST 9/11 documentary around! When it came out on TV my husband and I went to our fire department to watch it. We were not the only ones who had that idea. EVERY FIREFIGHTER in our department was there. I don't think there was a dry eye in the place when it was over. It really showed what happened to the firefighters, and how they WANTED to be there.
  
  
• "Usually you can't hear planes in Manhattan..."
  By AUKLLB4J4YHNA on 2006-09-15
  As most the other reviews say, this is really the only 9-11 dvd anybody really needs to see. It's literally a video account, second-by-second, of the events in New York from the street level, and even inside the one of the towers as the morning unfolded.
  
  When I first saw this DVD for sale a year ago, I thought to myself "great, ANOTHER September 11th dvd" and put it down thinking it was just another compilation of archival news footage mixed with interviews of people that were there. This past Monday (the 5th anniversary) I watched a national tv news channel's streaming video footage on their site in real time of September 11th, 2001. I noticed the lack of footage of the first plane hitting. Then I remembered that footage didn't show up until later, and how it was shot by some french documentarians by accident. Anyway, I looked into it and found this DVD, again.
  
  Watching this DVD is probably the most accurate way to get a sense of what happened there in New York, and effective way to conjure all of our memories of watching at home. This is exactly what it was like. There is no truer representation. You're sitting there watching this, and you're getting into the feel of the documentary and the firefighters and the rookie, and all that.....then "I heard a plane and it was weird because you don't normally hear planes on Manhattan. So we all looked up and..."
  
  Thats when it all comes back. You go back. But now you're seeing everything, everything, from the street. From the fire engine. From the WTC lobby. From inside the rubble. From under the dust. And your heart goes right back to where it was on that day, in the exact same state of confusion and overwhelming emotions of all kinds.
  
  It's all shown here exactly how we each lived it, where ever we were, but through the life of the firehouse that day. First-hand. Life as usual, mundane, monotonous, trivial. And then we were thrown into this insane situation, and struggling each second to figure out what the **** was going on and what we should do. By the way, there is a bit of "foul" language heard in the film.....because people just watched a plane fly into a building! If you're offended by four-letter words, then you probably shouldn't watch this film since it shows many much, much more offensive things....such as hi-jacked planes flying into the World Trade Center. (Something is seriously wrong with you if you can watch this in it's entirity and somehow still be more worked up over a firefighter saying the F word, than of the attacks and losses themselves)
  
  This IS reality. This is OUR reality. And this DVD alone will show the future not just what happened, but how we each felt that morning.
  
  
• EXCELLENT
  By A8LTW2KNGFGS8 on 2006-09-03
  This DVD is EXCELLENT for telling the story as it happened. After watching it you feel as if you've relived the day of 9/11 all over again. You are exhausted and in mental pain just as if you were there - AGAIN!
  
  
• A must see historical item
  By A37WYI1VCWIZWV on 2004-10-21
  This is a must see documentary of the events on 9/11 as seen by a filmmaker working with NYFD prior to 9/11. Watch as the first plane hits the tower. Go into the tower and watch the command post in action. See the concern on the face of the NYFD Chaplin as he says silent prayers for the people there. Then watch as he is carried out of the building after becoming the first official casualty.
  
  A moving tribute at the end of the show with the singing of Danny Boy as the pictures of all the firefighters killed at the WTC.
  
  
• Incredible
  By A2OTX4X3895YXT on 2004-10-13
  I watched this again last night on DVD after first seeing it on CBS a few years ago. I had forgotten how captivating it was. Unbelievable footage inside the lobby of Tower 1 as people are evacuating. Incredible segment where one of the filmmakers and firefighters race up stalled elevators as the other tower falls and then become shrouded in pitch black dust. Horrifying shots of people fleeing as the first tower collapses, a huge cloud of dust advancing quickly behind them. I sat on the floor in front of my television, glued once the disaster begins to unfold.
  
  Like another reviewer here, I found myself pausing and slow-searching through some shots that were too unbelievable in real time. This really is an amazing document of a horrible day.
  
  
• Chilling/Evocative 9/11 Documentary
  By on 2002-11-20
  This is truly one of the most amazing films I have ever seen. I would not immediately recommend it to anyone who lost a good friend or loved one in the towers, as the details you learn in the video are very difficult to process. I didn't have a direct connection to anyone in the towers, but I felt a profound sense of grief when I watched this documentary. I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for the people who experienced it firsthand.

  Having said that, I would also call this documentary a must-see. It doesn't dramatize the situation in any way. It's just very honest and truthful. You grieve with the firefighters and police officers, but you also swell with tremendous pride for their efforts. You wish with all your heart that you could tell them what was going to happen. Of all the 9/11 documentaries, this is the one that I would want my children to watch when they are old enough to understand and handle the issues. It gives the best presentation of what that day was like in American history.
  
  

• Heroic & Horrific Beyond Words
  By A9AA6DFHYP7Q3 on 2002-09-16
  There is not much I can add to express feelings about this day which connected people worldwide, in shock and disbelief, at this incomprehendably monstrous act of mass murder by a bunch of deluded would-be martyrs. As far as this video record goes, leave it to a couple of relatively obscure French brothers to produce quite possibly the most important American film made in our lifetime. I saw other reviewers bitching about who made money off it, or how not enough carnage was shown. But the true triumph of this extraordinary and moving documentary is that, in the years to come, people around the world will realize beyond doubt that the true heroes of this day were not a bunch of self-riteous fanatics sacrificing their lives to destroy thousands of others and humiliate a nation, but a handful of firefighters (among other crusaders) who sought to rescue whoever they could and preserve that nation's dignity.

  Like many others have stated, watching this DVD brought me back to that day, made me remember everything I did and felt that whole terrible week, just one year ago. If you weren't in NYC dealing with it, the concensus seemed to be, this could happen anywhere. As one fireman puts it in the video: "I never realized how EVIL evil could be." As we know, in the minds of the losers who plotted this attack, something like that would be considered a triumph. They knew what they were doing. The firefighters portrayed here, on the other hand, had not so much a notion of what was going on as they were the only chance what few survivors of that ordeal had.

  Needless to say, the filmmakers themselves had less of an idea of what they were in for when they began their project in June of 2001, which is what pushes this story beyond just a "what happened that day" depiction. It starts as an almost mundane (yet involving in its own way) chronicle of an idealistic NYFD "probie" anxious to move beyond polishing handrails and take on his first fire. "Be careful what you wish for," advises one chief. In another memorable, chillingly foreshadowing moment, our rookie is reminded to keep his head together by any means - as the WTC looms dead center in the background.

  There are many powerful and almost surreal images that will stick with the viewer in this vision of a world turned inside out one "normal morning" in September (a chunk of plane engine that lands next to a "Don't Litter" sign, the crashing of falling bodies, the more ear-shattering sound of the South Tower falling followed by pitch black chaos, the surviving firemen returning to Ladder 1 hugging, vomiting, weeping), and I can't imagine anyone viewing it without feeling involved, plunged into the middle of it all. As painful and disturbing as it may be to revisit, this is something many of us need to see, and know that it isn't "just a movie".

  We need to appreciate and acknowledge what precious life we are given, and know there is a reason we survive.
  
  

• The most important and respectful account of 9/11...
  By A1W6YRU1O8581V on 2002-09-15
  When this documentary was first broadcast in March, I refused to watch it. I had images of the carnage and horror that was 9/11 being shoved in my face..and not wanting to experience this nightmare through the misfortune of others, I refrained from seeing it. I also found a documentary on these events to be distasteful and rather exploitive. When a co-worker gushed the following day about the film, I barely paid attention. I didn't want to hear it.

  Cut to one year later..the anniversary of this horrible day. I knew the film would be rebroadcast and didn't plan on seeing it..but I didn't move fast enough off my couch to turn the channel or hit the remote..and that is what snagged me. I sat there and watch this film from beginning to end, never taking my eyes off it. After it was over, I cursed myself for not having watched it back in March; and more still for not having the foresight to tape it. Once I heard it was released on video, I vowed to get a copy of it.

  Why? Simply because it documents one of the most horrific events in history and does so in an extremely respectful and no-nonsense way. We don't need to see the blood and gore that we already know was a result of these terrorist attacks; we have the common sense to know that witnessing *live* the collapse of the Trade Centers will result in nothing less then maimed and battered bodies. We also don't need to see people falling to their deaths. We have the audio to prove it. :( This part of the film is one of the most unnerving things to "witness". I will never forget it.

  One of the things I liked best about this film is that it does not seek to exploit the tragedy that is 9/11. It was made for the sole purpose of documenting a probie firefighters' first few months on the job. That one of their runs happened to be the World Trade Center attack is eerily ironic..and who's to say that had this attrocity never occured that the filmakers would not have released this film on tv or video, *anyway*? That it happened to capture such a tragic event in history is a "blessing" in disguise because they caught scenes that were captured nowhere else of an event that will go down in history. It also added drama to an otherwise non-eventful film..hence, the irony.. But more importantly, it showed the *humane* side of two filmakers, who could have taken it upon themselves to exploit a very painful and tragic situation, and *didn't*. This is the thing that stands out the most for me and why, above all other films out there about this tragedy, I want *this* one. This film is about *hereos*..and the making of heroes..and an extraordinary day in the life of heroes..as much as it is about the World Trade Center attacks. It is respectful..it is honest..it is real..and it doesn't pretend to be anything but a film about the making of a firefighter..who just happened to come face to face with the horror that is 9/11..and it is also about two French filmaking brothers whose only goal was to set out to capture a fireman in the making..and wound up capturing history, instead.
  
  

• 9/11
  By on 2002-09-10
  I could not leave the TV screen...the raw emotion caught by these brothers is awesome...they day unfolds in front of you thru the camera...film footage seen absolutely nowhere else...some of those scenes and sounds are branded in my mind...I've told many people, this is a must see and purchase.
  
  
• Glad to Finally see this documentary released to the Public
  By A1GXKX7I0NF5D6 on 2002-08-14
  When I first saw commercials advertising this documentary about 9/11 on CBS, I was skeptical about it. I was concerned that it would be a documentary put together by a news agency that would over dramatize an already traumatic event. Instead it was a documentary created by two French filmmakers that were brothers who got caught up right in the middle of the events of 9/11. They were originally making a documentary about a probationary firefighter finding his place in the fire company he was assigned. While creating this documentary the events of 9/11 occurred and were captured in their documentary. This is the best account of the events that occurred on that tragic day, and if you have not seen it yet, I strongly encourage you to see it.
  
  
• The best of them all
  By on 2002-08-22
  By far the most "real" documentary made about the WTC attacks. Certainly no small part of this films ability to show the events of that day in such absolutely gripping detail is for the fact the subject matter was already a real-life, "you are there" type of documentary pertaining to the NYFD probie they were following. Since viewing this film on TV I've occasionally searched to see if it would be released. Very glad to see that it is, seeing as how I was so gripped by watching it the first time I forgot all about taping it.
  
  

• 102 Minutes That Changed America
• National Geographic - Inside 9/11 (Commemorative Edition)
• In Memoriam - New York City, 9/11/01
• 7 Days in September: A Powerful Story About 9/11
• 9/11 Commemorative Set 2008 - 8 DVD Set