9/11: The Falling Man

2006
7.2| 1h11m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 16 March 2006 Released
Producted By: Roadshow Productions
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

An examination of an image - a falling man from the North Tower, frozen in mid air - circulated by the press immediately after the September 11 attacks, the public's reaction, and why it was later deemed un-newsworthy.

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luvdownunder I couldn't stop crying. It brought back that day like I was seeing it all again. Yes it is hard to see, but important to remember the people whose lives were lost and the horrible decisions they were forced with that day.
Jackson Booth-Millard To be honest, I did not see the entire Twin Towers incident, so this documentary was pretty much a chance to see what I probably should have seen. This documentary focused on how New York was changed by this horrific day of occurrences, with the hijacked planes crashing into the North and South towers, people helpless in the building, the rescue attempts, and the mass destruction leading to hundreds dead. But one image that summed up another way this day was so horrible was the captured image of a man falling to his death, an example of many people jumping to their deaths. This image was very controversial for the newspaper that printed it, but they knew people needed to know how horrible this incident was, and what it could lead people to do when there is no chance. There is also the search for the identity of this single man, and his relatives or friends who would recognise him. A truly moving documentary that you cannot ignore, and really gives you an insight into how this single terrible day caught the attention of people all over the world. It was nominated the BAFTA Flaherty Documentary Award. Very good!
kitsilanoca-1 That horrific day I was staying at a B&B in my hometown while visiting my parents. I had just gotten up and dressed, walked into the kitchen where my hosts were with thoughts on my mind of local politics, when I saw the image of the burning towers on their TV set. It was hard to take in at first, it was so like something out of a disaster movie. When it finally did hit me I was immediately in tears and wanted to get on the phone to my brother-in-law in San Francisco. With the reporters talking about other airliners missing and that they were headed for other possible targets, I immediately thought of the Trans-America building in San Fransisco, a familiar part of that city's sky-line, which Dave's office building is right next door too. Thank God he was all right and San Francisco wasn't under any immediate danger. The rest of that day was like walking in a dream - a nightmare - and I suddenly realised how people like my parents (my mum was pregnant with me at the time) had felt when the Cuban Missile Crisis took place in 1962. I mentioned that to some other younger people who had never even heard of that event which nearly lead to a nuclear war. I wonder if their grandchildren will hear of this one? This documentary made me take a very hard look at the people who were there and had to make a choice that many of us hope we never have to - jumping to our deaths to save ourselves from a more horrible one. Everyone should take a look at this program because these people deserve to be remembered for their heroism as much as the firefighters, police and ambulance workers who lost their lives that day. It will truly make a person look deep inside themselves and ask what they would have done.
bob the moo When two planes hit the World Trade Centre on 11/9/01 thousands lost their lives in a variety of ways. The media was full of images fed live on television and also in the newspapers; one set of images more than any other caused controversy and universal condemnation – those of people falling or jumping. Over the next few days these images were removed and replaced with more images of the heroic response, of the American spirit in evidence – fire fighters, policemen and such. This documentary looks at the fate of those trapped by the flames who were faced with a horrible decision and the identity of the famous and terrible image of the falling man as taken by Richard Drew.Even years later it is hard to view images of 11th September without welling up. It is true that the civilian victims of that day are no less worthy of our remembrance than the civilians killed by the coalition in Iraq, but personally I have never seen mass slaughter unfold before my eyes in the same way that it did on this day. We can debate about whether or not our world should continue to be shaped by it years later (Afghanistan, Iraq, erosion's of civil rights etc) but this was not what was going though my head as I watched this film. Instead what I was thinking about was the people, their fate, their choices and their lack of options.I remember the pictures the next day in the UK and recall reports of people jumping or falling to their deaths and I do recall their noticeable absence in the days after the event. So I was intrigued by this documentary because it is not something that the media-savvy US Government want us to think about, even though it is as real as the firemen who gave up their lives trying to save others. In my own opinion those who think that the "jumpers" were not heroic in their own way simply has not thought about the situation they were in or what they themselves would do in that situation. This film spends the first half getting to grips with the attack itself and then the second half dealing with the investigation into who the man in Drew's photo was. The first half is naturally emotionally impacting and as disturbing as I've always found the footage and of 11th September. It is moving to hear the relatives talk and was tastefully done. The second half steps away from the day well and it is interesting and a worthy investigation.The film maybe doesn't deliver it that well but it is still engaging and does pull out a deeper meaning to its existence rather than just seeking out tabloid headlines. The focus on real people makes it work and is a good look at a subject that nobody else in the media seemed to want to address. I suppose in this regard the film is well worth a look simply because everyone else dropped the subject and focused on the images that make for a better feeling (the heroes and the heroic deaths) rather than those that died in a way that was much more difficult to deal with.Overall this was a good documentary that deserves a look because of its subject and also because of the sensitive manner in which it deals with it. It isn't fun of course but it deserves to be seen for what it does well.