Movies about 9/11

Although this blog is not intended for discussing movies, I recently saw a news segment on the nightly evening news that was just crying out for a comment. Since it had international dimensions, I felt that this was a good place to discuss it.

The news segment was about the upcoming release of several movies about the tragic events of 9/11. This news segment posed the obvious question if making movies on this event was appropriate at all or whether more time needed to elapse before such an emotionally-laden movie should be shown. The news segment stated that while some families who lost family members in the Trade Center bombings thought that more time should have elapsed before making a movie others supported showing movies about this event. This segment continued by showing trailers from one of the upcoming movies on 9/11, UNITED 93. The news report said that one New York theater had already pulled the movie trailer due to complaints. It was only a matter of time until movies on this subject were produced and it won't be long until films about the current situation in Iraq are being made.

It seems to me the most important question is how a movie treats this subject. If, in Hollywood fashion, the movie sensationalizes the event by reproducing the old disaster films Airport (1970) and Towering Inferno (1974) then movie studios are shamelessly creating a tearjerker just for increased film revenues. If the movies take a more critical and analytical approach examining how the country responded to the event, then the movies could serve a useful purpose. Let's hope that future films on 9/11 and subsequent events treat them in a thoughtful manner and not in a way that relieves Americans of tears and their pocketbooks.