USA: Oliver Stone's film on 9/11, "World Trade Center", premieres in New York City

Record ID: 218650

  • Title: USA: Oliver Stone's film on 9/11, "World Trade Center", premieres in New York City
  • Date: 10th August 2006
  • Summary: (SHOWBIZ FLASH) NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 03, 2006) (REUTERS) DIRECTOR OF "WORLD TRADE CENTER", OLIVER STONE ON THE RED CARPET (SOUNDBITE) (English) OLIVER STONE, DIRECTOR OF "WORLD TRADE CENTER", SAYING: "It was not an issue for me. The script was the script. It was about five people. I loved the heart, the connection the strength of those people. Th
  • Embargoed: 25th August 2006 13:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVADWYHNK1KG2B3U23KPRM5SCB2W
  • Story Text: Filmmaker Oliver Stone's much awaited rendering of 9/11, the film, "World Trade Center", premiered in New York City on Thursday (August 3, 2006). In an unusual red carpet, the characters who inspired the film shared the limelight with the actors who portrayed them.
    The film is an account of two Port Authority cops who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center's twin towers on September 11 and were dug from the rubble 24 hours later. These roles are played by a movie star, Nicolas Cage, in one of his most meticulous performances, and Michael Pena -- the locksmith in "Crash" -- a charismatic star-in-the-making.
    On the red carpet, Cage gave interviews to a flock of media, accompanied by Sgt. John McLoughlin, a 21-year veteran of the Port Authority Police Department in New York, on whom Cage's character is based.
    Cage said that for him, one of the most important things to keep in mind while making the film, was the fact that they were portraying the heroes of 9/11/.
    "I know that I just wanted to do a good job by Lieutenant McLoughlin. I wanted to do my best because it was my way of saying thank you as well, for the tremendous sacrifice these men gave to save others, and I'm here in solidarity and respect for those men, and he's here with his family," said Cage.
    When asked how he felt about the huge debate and discussion over the portrayal of 9/11 in films, McLoughlin replied saying that he thought it was a good thing, especially with regard to this film.
    "This particular film, I think, what it does is revisit how New York City, the metropolitan area in the country, came together that day. People can remember how we all came together and can relive that. I think that's a good thing," McLoughlin said.
    Stone has been getting a lot of praise for the way he has dramatically moved away from his recent dazzling but often self-conscious filmmaking to direct "World Trade Center" in a sombre, focused and straightforward manner that serves the material extraordinarily well.
    There has also been a lot of reporting on how Stone steered away from portraying the politics of 9/11 to only focus on the actual events, through the prism of the story of two of the few who did survive the collapse.
    On the red carpet, Stone said that there was "no room" for the portrayal of politics of the event and it was not a deliberate "decision" to steer clear of it.
    "It was not an issue for me. The script was the script. It was about five people. I loved the heart, the connection the strength of those people. There was no room. They never talked about it anyway, so it wasn't a decision really," said Stone.
    He also said that a major question while making the film was how "really to make it real, and make it responsibly and with that attention to detail."
    Critics are saying that the attention to detail has worked and that the film has succeeded in its "terrific selectivity." The Reuters film reviewer pointed out that by focusing on two of the few who did survive the collapse, the film achieves emotional power and an uplifting ending.
    Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays Will Jimeno's (a Colombian immigrant who graduated from the police academy in January 2001, played by Pena) wife in the film, was all praises for Stone and said that "World Trade Center" was not about Stone's politics.
    "I loved Oliver. I think he's inspirational and exhilarating and really forced me to take risks, and I think the movie is so honest and compassionate and not about Oliver and his politics, or anyone's politics, but about honouring people who really deserve to be honoured," she said.
    While Pena said that he felt a "big sense of responsibility and duty" being part of a film on 9/11 that starred actors like Cage and Maria Bello.
    Others who were on the red carpet to toast Stone's rendering of 9/11 were film-maker Spike Lee and New York Governor George E. Eliot.
    "World Trade Center" opens on August 9.
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