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United 93

The recently released film United 93, which tells the story of the hijacked plane that didn't reach its target on 9/11, is being hyped as a "gripping, provocative drama" and an account of how Americans found courage on that day. But filmmaker Paul Greengrass can't seem to decide whether he wants the tale of "the flight that fought back" to be a blockbuster epic or a grittier, documentary-style work of historical fiction. And ultimately, he fails to deliver either.

Watching the trailer for United 93—which suggests an action-packed blockbuster—is a completely different experience from watching the movie itself. In the actual film, September 11, 2001 is portrayed as an ordinary day that unravels into confusion and panic. Neither the passengers of Flight 93 nor the hijackers are mythologized. During the confusion, the humanity of everyone involved is revealed: the stewardesses, the passengers, the military personnel, the hijackers. But as long as the passengers aren't portrayed as heroes, their struggle feels almost futile—embodied in their final, chaotic rush on the cockpit. In a moment, the violence is over and the plane crashes into the Pennsylvania countryside.

The simultaneous scenes of confusion in the film—in the FAA, in the military, in the flight itself—don't live up to standard-issue action films. Everything is presented chronologically, but not with enough clarity to answer the question, "Who knew what when?" A history-minded viewer is left to ask, “Is this real? Did this really happen in response to that and at that point in the sequence of events?” And then there's the scene of white Christians praying in the back of the plane and fanatical brown Muslims praying in the front of the plane—an image hard not to read as intending to portray "the clash of civilizations."

While Greengrass paints a picture of some of the people involved with the day’s horrific events, viewers seeking entertainment will likely be disappointed and viewers seeking an informative, inspiring, historical narrative will likely be unsettled. Even the host at our screening seemed pressed to find the right words to introduce the movie, “Enjoy the—,” she said, catching herself. “I don’t know if enjoy is the right word.”

Posted by on 04/28/06 at 10:44 AM | E-mail | Print | Digg this | de.licio.us

Comments

No disrepect is intended towards him here, but Mr Beckel's sentiments regarding the recently released "Flight 93" appear to give credence to the notion the the film has any credibility or legitimacy to offer & that it isn't a blatant, lying piece of propaganda.

The evidence that contradicts the now commonly held beliefs as to what happened on that terrible Day, for those who choose to take the time to look past the mind control & spin spewed forth by the corporate mainstream media, is utterly compelling in scope and content; what follows is but a small sample ...

Universal's Flight 93 'Hijacked' By Truth Seekers
—Forum moderators deleting entire threads in real time

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2006/290406truthseekers.htm
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2006/200406issueretraction.htm

Forum Excerpt:
x_factur

Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Sat Apr 29, 2006 7:51 am Post subject: Reply with quote

First off, I'm a conservative libertarian, not a liberal and Bush didn't execute 9/11, though he most likely did receieve a wink and a nod that something was going to happen and to play along.

People have such a sophmoric understanding about how "their" government operates, mostly due to decades of propaganda and social conditioning. Bush is a prostitute. He's nothing more than a figurehead that signs off on an agenda, he's a spokesperson for the military industrial complex. If they didn't want him around, he wouldn't be there. He's a goldmine for them. People just look at his Forrest Gump posturing, and they think "naturally.. it was incompetence"

Conspiracy ("Theory") never enters into their minds. I live in Northeast Ohio, about 1/2 hr east of Cleveland and I can tell you that everyone around here heard about Flight 93 landing in Cleveland Hopkins airport, though that fact was later retracted.

http://911search.bravehost.com/ClevelandAirportMystery.html

This was confirmed by Cleveland Mayor Micheal White and was reported by the Associated Press.

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1600/michaelwhite5cz.jpg

Former Cleveland Mayor Michael White ...

I had the chance to run into Mike White in a shopping mall (Great Lakes in Mentor) about 2 years ago. Since I had serious doubts about the official version of events for a number of reasons, I asked the former mayor what exactly happened, "Did flight 93 really land in Cleveland on 9/11" I asked him. He had a look of befuddlement on his face, as if he was surprised that I recognized him or taken aback by the fact that I would ask him such a question. He was with his wife and she looked a bit irritated. He didn't say anything to me, just kind of smiled with a confused look. I asked him "did it?"

As he was walking away, he said something to the effect of: "Man, you know I can't answer that".

Posted by: Eddie Aumakua on 05/01/06 at 6:24 AM

That some Flight 93 passengers "fought like warrior poets" is encouraging for our future. For surely we the people are able (but are we willing?) to retake the bridge of the ship of state, and seize the helm from warmongering hijackers. We propose our own version of storming the cockpit via a left-center-right coalition. See our online article at: www.tell-usa.org/flight93

Posted by: RS on 05/26/06 at 3:05 AM