9/11 (2002)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Interviews-Cast
Rating
Year Of Production	2002
Running Time	128:33
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (98:18)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Gedeon Naudet Jules Naudet James Hanlon
Studio Distributor	Paramount Home Entertainment	Starring	None Given
Case	?
RPI	$29.95	Music	Richard Fiocca

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	?
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    There are moments etched into our collective history when we will always remember exactly where we were and what we were doing at the precise moment something really dramatic happened. For the older generation events such as man landing on the moon, or the assassination of JFK, will be fairly high up that list. In recent times there is really only one event that can be described as such - September 11 2001. An event so tragic that it doesn't even have a name, it is merely referred to as a date. It's sort of funny to think that for most of us in this country, September 11 2001 was a pretty normal day, since given the time difference most of the tragic events in the United States unfolded late in the night and for those on the eastern seaboard it was actually September 12. I can remember exactly what I was doing the second I saw the news flash up that a plane had hit the World Trade Centre. I was finishing up a review for this site!  I had just finished watching Almost Famous, and was just starting to write up the review. I was in quite a good mood as I had enjoyed the film immensely and was eager to write good things about it. I flicked the telly back on and saw images that will stay with me forever. My wife and I couldn't believe what we were watching. It was just after 10pm and the second tower had just been hit. We sat absolutely glued to the TV for the next four hours basically not believing what we were watching.

    One year later, during the recent anniversary of the tragic day, we saw the mass media in this country inundate us with commemorative, and I use the term loosely, 'souvenir' editions of newspapers, and a whole swag of memorial programming on television. To tell the truth, I found the blanket coverage a little tasteless, and less to do with remembrance and more to do with ratings and increased circulation. Amongst all the television specials, such as Why the Twin Towers Fell, there was only one program I did take the time to watch, this one: 9/11. Made by brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet, it was actually a documentary that they had started many months before. It had started out all so innocently. They were to make a documentary about a rookie fire-fighter named Tony Benastato. They had followed him through the training school and his early weeks once he was stationed at the fire house. The filmed him doing all the rookie-style jobs in the station, followed him to his first fire, and met all the other fire-fighters who would be showing him the ropes. They all lamented that there were hardly any fires to deal with, and Tony had yet to be really tested. Of course, all this changed dramatically on the morning of September 11, when the guys were responding to a call for a gas leak a few blocks from the World Trade Centre. Jules captured the only footage of the first plane hitting Tower 1, and from that moment on, the documentary took on a whole new dimension and has become possibly the definitive account of that tragic day. It is a personal account, showing the impact on not only the brothers, but the rookie and the rest of his work mates. It contains some truly amazing footage from the inside of Tower 1 after the first plane had hit and the fire crews were preparing to start the rescue. It is a truly stunning and breathtaking account of that day.

Video

    The quality of the video transfer seems to be the least important aspect of this package, but I'll give a quick summary anyway.

    The source material was obviously filmed with hand-held video cameras, and the transfer reflects that. The aspect ratio is widescreen 1.78:1, but it is not 16x9 enhanced. It is sometimes reasonable sharp, other times quite blurry. All can be attributed to the source. The cameraman was under some pressure on occasions, it must be remembered. There is some minor low-level noise.

    Colours are without any real problems.

    There are no apparent MPEG artefacts. Some minor video artefacts, such as tape noise, appear, though mostly you don't notice it.

    English for the Hearing Impaired subtitles are available. They are quite accurate and add a whole extra sense of disbelief when you can read along with what is being said.

    This is a dual layered disc with RSDL formatting. The layer change occurs at 98:18. Perfectly placed, as it signals the transition between the tragedy of September 11 and the cleanup that began on September 12.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Again, the audio quality seems unimportant.

    There is only one audio soundtrack on this disc. It is a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround soundtrack and is more than adequate for the task required. There are no audio sync problems.

    There is a musical score, which was a little surprising. It is restrained, but is also haunting and thoughtful.

    There is no dedicated surround channel or subwoofer use.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Interviews - Cast

    There are four additional sets of interviews with the fire-fighters of Engine 7, Ladder 1, that contain footage not used in the documentary. Running for 12:21, 13:58, 16:07, and 9:34 minutes respectively, they do repeat some material from the documentary. English subtitles are also available here.

    They are presented in the same aspect as the main documentary, 1.78:1 without 16x9 enhancement. Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.

    The Region 4 and Region 1 discs are identical.

    This is a moving, thought-provoking, and at times difficult, documentary to watch again. It contains images that will last in our collective consciousness for all eternity and is itself an important record of that tragic day.

    The video and audio do the job. That's all they need to do.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall