America 911: We Will Never Forget

Here's the blurb: "Within minutes of the first explosion, CameraPlanet's video journalists hit the streets and began shooting videos of the tragedy as seen through the eyes of the people who were literally at 'ground zero.' America 911 is intended as a tribute and a memorial to the fallen and a permanent reminder so that we never forget." Here's the reality: Despite the Holocaust-lifted phraseology, America 911 is not much of a tribute (excepting the inclusion of a music video of Live's moving but typically cryptic "Overcome"--a pre-9/11 song dedicated to emergency rescue personnel) or a permanent reminder, but rather a questionable testament to the wide proliferation of camcorders and the ready willingness of people to be interviewed. Comprised largely of footage that CNN, CBS, NBC and ABC would have passed on (for good reason), the program combines leaden narration with shots (generally from poor angles) of some of the tragic events that played out between 8:45-10:30 a.m. around New York's World Trade Center, before segueing into a series of random sequences (two separate scenes of men throwing up) and man and woman on the street interviews that tell us what we already knew: in the aftermath of the terrorist strike, Manhattan was in utter chaos. Some of the most poignant shots/interviews take place near impromptu help centers (in fact, the images of people hammering together plywood stretchers in anticipation of the hundreds and thousands of wounded that never materialized says more than most of the interview clips here). Unfortunately, the program editors have no sense of what's worth incorporating, and what's not--the guiding principle here seems to be that any and all footage belongs in the program, which is perhaps why in a coda following the credits, viewers see a pointlessly prolonged sequence involving a Columbia University student spearheading a relief station effort that seems little more than an excuse to follow a cute coed around. Ultimately, America 911 comes across as a raw and often repetitious compilation of footage/interviews shot by amateur camcorder enthusiasts (some of whom were clearly in the way of security and rescue efforts). Libraries wanting to mount an exhaustive collection of source materials will want to consider; others should wait for the professionally produced programs yet to come. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)