Oliver Stone on WTC
is on a flying visit to Ireland today as part of the junket for his new film , which goes on general release this weekend.
I got an interview with Oliver Stone this afternoon, which we'll broadcast on Sunday morning at 9.00 am. You might expect a triple-Oscar winner to be slightly aloof; the Stone I talked to is extremely easy-going, articulate, engaging and thoroughly good company. Which, alas, is perhaps more than one could say of his new film.
Is this his most un-political film for quite some time? Stone doesn't think his 9/11 rescue drama is "un-political" at all -- he thinks those making that claim are missing what is right in front of their eyes. The film stops far short of a criticism of the Bush administration's post-9/11 foreign policy; but that's because the film is entirely about the attempt to rescue two Port Authority police officers -- a true story -- and the action begins and ends on that single day.
It is a staggering and tragic fact that only twenty people were recovered alive from the rubble of the World Trade Center; and Stone's film certainly memorialises the extraordinary bravery of those who risked their lives in that rescue operation. But those looking for a film which asks political or moral questions in the context of the 9/11 attacks should probably look elsewhere -- for example, Paul Greengrass's superb film, .
Comments
Personally, a film about the WTC shoudl have waited at least 50 years after the ocurrence. Many times, films dealing with current history tend to reopen old wounds.
I thought UNITED 93 was incredible. Just brilliant. Haven't seen the new one by Oliver Stone. I'll check it out.
Oliver Stones new movie The World Trade Center has created a moral dilemma for the movie going public, to see or not to see, why should the living victims, survivors and relatives of those that died on that day and those who were distressed by watching this evil attack unfold on are T.V. screens be reminded that 2,749 died, do we need to be reminded of the evil that visited New York City on 9/11, the public who watch this film will be brained washed once again, believing films to be 100% fact and don’t perceive that there are factual inaccuracies whither innocently or deliberately depicted, the movie business has always prospered in fictionalising the truth and it is heart breaking that in the case of The World Trade Center there are such factual errors. I believe that to watch this film is in bad taste and disrespectful to the victims and survivors of 9/11 to make money at their sad loss and suffering. In the words Port Authority police officer Dominick Pezzulo widow, she said: 'my thing is: this man died for you. How do you do this to this family?' Her sentiments were echoed by Jamie Amoroso from Staten Island, whose husband also died in the rescue operation. She said: 'I do not need a movie to tell me what a hero my husband was.'
Will's right about the film. Dull dull dull.