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Read the entire commentary by Pim's Ghost. Excerpt:
"...[W]hen the passengers struck back, and when they attacked their first victim amongst the hijackers, audience members started CLAPPING and CHEERING!..."
posted by Always On Watch @ 5/07/2006 10:15:00 AM
36 comments
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36 Comments:
My comment below, posted to another thread, belongs here; so I've copied-and-pasted it:
I saw United 93 at the first showing here. Until I saw the news later that weekend, I had thought that just the audience of was a part had been so affected by what we saw on the screen. We sat in silence inside the theater for a few minutes, then sat in our cars before we were able to drive away.
One member of the audience, however, yawned and laughed throughout the movie. He was a young Middle Eastern man, at least so appeared, and didn't sit silently in his seat when the movie ended. Rather, he immediately left the theater as if what he saw on the screen didn't matter. All eyes glared at him as he made his exit (He had to walk at least the last half of the theater's aisle, as he sat near the front, almost directly in front of me). No vigilantes present in the movie house.
Outside the theater after the movie was over, a total stranger and I talked about what we'd seen and about how we had felt on 9/11. When I told her that I had visited Shanksville a few years ago, she asked me for directions.
the man who made the movie said he wasn t sure what really happened on that flight then why speculate he did it for the green
NYC Taxi Shots,
Artistic license is often employed in film-making. While the director couldn't have known exactly what transpired, he sent a powerful message based on the facts at hand.
The flight-recorder box provides some of the same information, but that information is not identical to the movie.
I think that both the movie and the actual flight-tape make it clear that the hijackers were on a mission which derived from Islam. Westerners find that derivation very disturbing because of the Western mindset "All religions are good."
Just an observation...The Danish cartoons resulted in Muslims rioting. I haven't heard of any riots as a result of the movie Flight 93.
Thanks for stopping by to comment.
AOW,
Me too - I commented there too, and there's nothing much I can add, so I copied my comment to put here too.
I brought over NYC Taxi Shot's comment too, since 1) it resembles the one he made here, and 2) for the sake of clarification of my comment in response to him/her.
I have to say, the last time I saw an audience response like this was in the early sixties, when my husband and I saw the original black and white "Manchurian Candidate," with Frank Sinatra and Angela Landsbury. The audience just sat there, stunned, and then filed out quietly.
Any way, here's what I said earlier, with a little more thrown in:
NYC Taxi Shots said...
the movie sucked should never had been made he came right out and said it was all speculation hey but he made a lot of money i guess thats all that matters right
Cubed said...
Pim's Ghost,
Thank you for your excellent review.
The movie illustrates so well the incredible importance of art as a means of communicating values - AOW, you said it when you said "...what those passengers did was a victory for America and for Western ideals."
The importance of art as a means of values communication is equally demonstrated by the strength of the hostile responses of those who do not share these values - I present "nyc taxi shots" as a case in point.
This is why totalitarian governments keep such a tight hold on art, or even, like Islam in its purest form, forbid the use of any conscious life-form at all, even of animals.
Have you all noticed that little by little, some TV shows are actually beginning to portray Islam as the bad guy, and that the level of PC has eroded a bit?
Maybe we're making some progress, eh?
Now, for more movies! Maybe this one has broken the PC ice! Who knows, maybe an accurate movie about the life and times of Mohammed, etc. will eventually be on the Big Screen - we'll probably have to await the aftermath of the next attack, though.
BTW, the last I heard, and it was only a couple of weeks ago, the new monument [to be erected] at the site of the crash is virtually identical to the original one - a crescent with the open part facing Mecca, planted with red maples. They have the gall to call it "The Embrace of the Crescent."
The guy who designed it denies that there was any political influence on the design, that it was just coincidental that it looks like a Muslim symbol.
As a landscape architect who criticized it pointed out, the JOB of the landscape architect and architect is to suffuse the design with meaning, to interpret the concept in concrete, stone, and plants. He could not possibly have just "coincidentally" designed a red crescent facing Mecca and called "The Embrace of the Crescent" by accident.
Hey - anyone for chain saws and jack hammers?
P.S. Stogie, I will be at your site soon. Thank you so much for creating your own memorial to these heroic people.
NYC Taxi shot's criticism resembles the criticisms of those who complained about Galileo's famous "leaning tower of Pisa" experiment, where he dropped two balls of different sizes from the top.
The prevailing thought of the day was that the heavier ball would fall much faster, and thus land much sooner, than the lighter ball.
Galileo maintained that they would land at the same time.
The heavier ball, as it turned out, landed a few seconds and a couple of inches ahead of the smaller ball (Galileo hadn't taken into account the effect of friction by the air).
"AHA!" his critics shouted, "That proves Galileo to be wrong!"
Some things never seem to change. Some, like NYC Taxi Shot, still attempt to hide huge errors (NYC Taxi Shot's complaint that the movie is invalid because it couldn't possibly be 100% accurate) behind very small ones (like the need to link together the many known facts with some speculation about what is most likely to have happened).
Please, NYC Taxi Shot, this was not a documentary, it was a drama based as nearly as possible on available historical information.
Unfortunately, the only direct witnesses to the event were not available to consult.
Don't spoil the ending, I'm going to see this movie later today.
(Okay, bad joke... slaps own wrist)
I'll have a review up tonight or tomorrow...
Afternoon AOW! I just linked you to my site. Thanks again for linking to me. Have a great day!
Florian
Cubed,
The movie illustrates so well the incredible importance of art as a means of communicating values...
You are so correct about the importance of art! Traditional teaching addresses the left brain, and art addresses the right brain. Once the corpus collosum is crossed, the information is available to both short- and long-term memory, and unlearning or relearning becomes extremely difficult.
I'm speaking in simplistic terms, but I think you know what I'm talking about. If you care to elaborate, go right ahead.
About the Flight 93 Memorial...I think the design is well nigh the same, but I thought the name had been changed. One who keeps track of what's going on with the memorial is Error Theory. I'll try to contact the blogmaster there to find out the latest. In today's WaPo, I see that the memorial is again a go, but a short time back, a Senator from North Carolina was opposing it on the grounds of budget.
Cubed said:
"maybe an accurate movie about the life and times of Mohammed, etc. will eventually be on the Big Screen"
No it won't, not unless child-pornography is legalised.
Cubed said:
"The movie illustrates so well the incredible importance of art as a means of communicating values - AOW, you said it when you said "...what those passengers did was a victory for America and for Western ideals."
The importance of art as a means of values communication is equally demonstrated by the strength of the hostile responses of those who do not share these values - I present "nyc taxi shots" as a case in point.
This is why totalitarian governments keep such a tight hold on art, or even, like Islam in its purest form, forbid the use of any conscious life-form at all, even of animals."
..or statues of Buddha.
Cubed has revealed one of the weak points of Islam - it's aversion to, and inability to tolerate art.
There's an old joke...
Q: What's the difference between Dar-al-Islam and a pot of yoghurt?
A: A pot of yogurt has a living culture.
Seriously though, the Bombheads are shit-scared of 'Jahiliyyah' -an Islamic term which means anything which is beautiful and is of non-Islamic origin (ie virtually all art, literature, sculpture, poetry and music).
One of the less obvious ways of blocking the expansion of the Death Cult is to support Jahiliyyah in all its forms. Beauty is Truth, and Truth is Beauty. The Islamic fungus will wither in the sunlight of a vigorous, living artistic tradition.
AOW
The Duck will be here all concerned about the portrayal of Mooooslims. He is consistent on this and accused me of abusing the memory of gulag inmates by linking Communism to the fate of Gulag fatalities.
I must see this film.
Thanks for the link.
wow. I really need to see this movie.
Conservative Kat,
I'm linking to you. Forget the age difference!
Yes, see the movie. You should see it on the big screen. I plan to go again, with my husband, who hasn't yet had the opportunity to see the film. He doesn't want to wait for the DVD to come out.
Beak,
The movie doesn't in any way accuse all Muslims. But the opening scenes do make clear the religious ties with terrorism--the hijackers were on a mission for Allah.
The contrast between the hijackers' love for their death cult and the passengers' love for their families and their country was quite astounding.
I'll have to check CAIR's web site to see if CAIR has labeled the movie as "Islamophobic."
Florian,
I like your site and have you on my regular rounds.
Religion of Pieces,
Your last paragraph states something to be used in this war:
One of the less obvious ways of blocking the expansion of the Death Cult is to support Jahiliyyah in all its forms. Beauty is Truth, and Truth is Beauty. The Islamic fungus will wither in the sunlight of a vigorous, living artistic tradition.
Art not only reflects the culture of a society. Art shapes that culture.
Beamish,
I'll be by to read your comments about the movie.
Beak,
Sure enough! CAIR has posted on the movie. See this. Now, the report COULD be true, but some of the "attacks" posted by CAIR have been proven never to have occurred.
Excerpt from the above link (emphasis mine):
...Khan, 24, was one of the three young women who say they were shopping at the Desert Ridge Marketplace in Scottsdale on April 29 — all of them wearing burqas, or head scarves — when they were approached by a middle-aged couple who asked if they were Muslim.
Khan said she always welcomes inquiries about her faith and was happy to tell the couple yes. But what happened next was a shock, she said.
According to Khan, the couple said they'd seen the movie "United 93" and then told the women to take off their burqas, swore at them, and told them to get out of the country. The couple quickly left and the women did not file a police report....
Pardon my skepticism.
I though it was a wonderfuly tasteless joke beamish.
I think this movie and The Passion should be played back to back. Maybe we can help jolt people back into the reality that is life, love and America!
Yeah, we've really had to deal with all the mosque and embassy burnings, the beatings and murders are just awful. It's like the backlash after the "Passion" was shown! Just can't keep those Christians and American patriots from going up in flames over anything! "chirp...chirp", nothing here but the crickets!
Can't afford to go to see it, but will get it in Aug. Not happy about missing it on the big screen, but that's the way of life, don't get what we want.
Good morning and G*D bless!
tmw
I saw it the afternoon it opened in the theatres. It is excellent. My audience had a different reaction -- silence. Just complete silence during the movie, after the movie. Everyone just sat there in silence after it was over.
I experienced every emotion possible during the movie, must mostly I walked away with conviction to fight these evil people and pride in the passengers on that flight.
beamish - arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
We went Saturday. There was a strange feeling inside the theater before the movie started. It almost felt like church or a memorial service. The movie was well done without trying to overdramatize the events. There was plenty of drama already.
Eyes,
I'm really looking forward to your article on the link between insanity and inslam...
If Blogger cooperates, that article will go up on Friday, May 12. I've got it ready to go and a copy saved in Word too.
I went to your link too, and read the review. I also left a short comment.
I will see this movie, but probably not in the movie theater as 1. I don't like movie theaters, and 2. I have to drive 40 miles to get to one. But a dvd will be fine as I have a 52" screen and my living room's not really huge, so it's almost like a movie theater, only private.
Thanks for the link. I couldn't even read that review without crying. The movie will make a mess out of me. I'm extremely happy they did that film... so many people need to be reminded.
George Will's commentary on the movie.
Excerpt:
...Going to see `"United 93" is a civic duty because Samuel Johnson was right: People more often need to be reminded than informed....The hinge on which the movie turns are 13 words that a passenger speaks, without histrionics, as he and others prepare to rush the cockpit, shortly before the plane plunges into a Pennsylvania field. The words are: "No one is going to help us. We've got to do it ourselves." Those words not only summarize this nation's situation in today's war, but also express a citizen's general responsibilities in a free society.
Duck, forever trying to be the courageous dissenter... instead, he's the anoying advocate against all things conservative.
AOW, try saying some really bland statements like "Water is wet", "The Sky is Blue", Communist regimes killed millions of their own", and watch the sparks fly! as Ducky tries to again be the Avenger of the Left in a feeble attempt to recapture some of the social revolution they still hang on to as crowning accomplishments in the last 10 generations.
I cannot see how you can say that about "The Passion"? I'm not asking that you believe, but that sadomasochistic homoerotic slam is really unnecessary and gratuiously insulting. You can disagree without antagonizing people, you know. Everyone speaks of you having more class than the average troll, show it!
Thank you.
tmw
Hard to put words to your feelings after seeing this film..it should be a "MUST see" for all Americans.
Duck,
there is no evidence to make me believe that this film is worth 10 bucks.
When it comes to films, I rarely rely on "evidence" (What is that anyway when it comes to visual arts?). The best "evidence" is seeing the movie. Once one has seen a film, or any other visual art, then one can critique it.
TMW,
Duck often perceives homoerotic sadomasochism as his method of critique. It's part of his troll-style.
WHT,
Hard to put words to your feelings after seeing this film
I have been unable to write my own review. Yes, I've been busy with end-of-term matters, but reaction to the film is hard to verbalize. I usually don't have problems with verbalizing, so my "silence" may attest to the power of what I saw on the screen.
Kev,
Thank you for stopping by.
we will never see an accurate depiction of the life of mohammed because, when the ugliness is exposed, it would not be considered "fair" to the muslims
Anything but dhimmitude from infidels isn't considered fair by Muslims. Expecting otherwise is Pollyannish.
I think that Hollywood got this one right. But isn't the director from England?
Kev,
another adjustment of history = revisionist history
Thanks people! I'm glad to hear the reaction from people I've come to know. You reviews and comments suggest that this is a powerful movie that all Americans should see.
I might have made the film differently. I would have had a lead-up sequence showing the influence of their religious practice, training in Afghanistan, meetings with Saddam's people in Prague, etc. And I would have ended it with a scene where one of the friends of the passengers is reminiscing from the battle field of Iraq, Afghanistan, or Iran … but I’m getting ahead of the story.
It still sounds powerful. I must make time to see it this weekend.
This movie was amazing. What I found truly surprising was how many people played themselves. Of course, they are the ones who could get the right emotional tone of that moment better than anyone, but not sure I'd want to relive it. I guess it could be a kind of catharsis.
Taxi, you're being a bit simplistic and disingenous as to your reasons for not going. But..whatever.
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