For raw source footage of "Ground Zero" during the first 24 hours following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, WTC: The First 24 Hours is a primary place to turn: viewers will see superstructures reduced to rubble, streets full of ash and debris, and firefighters and EMS personnel searching for survivors into the evening. Still, given the fact that more than nine months have passed since the tragedy, one would have expected a new title on 9/11 (especially one from Docurama, one of the true leaders in releasing independent documentaries on home video) to offer something more. Originally an 11-minute short expanded into a 29-minute "documentary" (and the term can only be very loosely applied here since this is a 100% non-narrative compilation of repetitious images "intentionally devoid of commentary and music"), the original is actually more of a powerful visual testament than the needlessly padded-out half-hour version. In either case, however, this remains a very sterile viewing experience, and while the somewhat sensationalistic treatments released heretofore (America 911: We Will Never Forget [VL-1/02] and Remember September 11, 2001 [VL-5/02]) told the story in a breathless manner, WTC: The First 24 Hours tells no story at all (and for future generations will become all but meaningless). A strong, optional purchase for, as I said, the source footage, but I think most people are ready to move beyond the rushed-to-market commemorations and assemblages of images to works that offer a more measured, insightful look into the events surrounding 9/11. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)
WTC: The First 24 Hours
(2002) 41 min. VHS: $19.95, DVD: $24.95. Docurama (avail. from most distributors). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 0-7670-4780-X (vhs), 0-7670-4781-8 (dvd). Volume 17, Issue 4
WTC: The First 24 Hours
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