9/11's Impact on American Cinema

9/11's impact is still going through theaters today. Here are my thoughts on how the events of 9/11 changed film. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost a friend, family member, or loved one.


       Throughout modern history, cinema has prevailed as one of the most popular art forms. During the early 20th century, many different events have impacted the world of cinema. Several films that impacted cinema forever: Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Each one changed either the course of it’s own genre, or the entire way of storytelling. While these are important to consider, it’s also important to look at events that impacted the direction of film. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 have had the greatest impact on American cinema.
       After the events of September 11, 2001, there was immediate impacts seen in many aspects of life. Film, especially, shifted focus after these incredible events. For instance, after 9/11 there was great sensitivity even to humor. Though the country hadn’t lost its sense of humor, it was not clearly evident as it had been before the attacks.The film “Zoolander” was removed from theaters seeing as it was “too much too soon” (Pavia 1).
       After 9/11 patriotism was on the rise. This became prevalent in films near the beginning of 2002. Sam Raimi’s film, “Spider-Man” shows the biggest immediate impact. While there aren’t any explicit vendettas cast by the hero against terror, the shot of “Spider Man fastened to a gigantic American flag in the very last scene of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man” shows the immense amount of patriotism audiences felt after seeing, the first post-9/11 big budget blockbuster (Fahim 1).
       Another cultural reflection from Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” shows is it’s trailer. In the trailer, a group of criminals hold up a bank within the World Trade Center. They leave the building, escape in their helicopter, and seem to have made it off scott free. A
few seconds later, their helicopter is pulled back, by some invisible force. It’s later revealed the helicopter is stuck in a web between the Twin Towers. The trailer goes on to show some action sequences, but as one can imagine, the image of the Twin Towers illicits recollection of the gruesome images during September 11. After the attacks on the World Trade Center, the trailer was pulled from all films, television, and can now only be found on the internet. This shows one of the first instances of clear, self imposed, industry wide sensitivity to this event in the 21st century (Crum 1). Anything depicting the World Trade Center was taken from the airwaves. An episode of the popular children’s show, Jay Jay the Jet Plane was pulled from the series due to a “plane crash” it showed in the episode (Crum 1). The immediate impacts of 9/11 were visible, but the lasting impacts made it the event that defined the new direction of American films.
       9/11 changed the relationship we have with characters in film. During most films, whether the filmmaker intends it or not, the main character is someone the audience connects to. Usually we know exactly what the character’s goal is, or what the character is up against. But what happens when a character doesn’t know what he’s up against? Or there is no clear enemy in sight? Or, the enemy is there, but the hero has no idea what motivates him, or if he even has motives? This changes the formula for Hollywood blockbusters considerably. Examine Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek: Into Darkness.
       (Spoilers ahead) In Christopher Nolan’s gritty, realistic take on Batman,The Dark Knight, Christian Bale plays Batman again, after 2005’s Batman Begins (Thompson 33). This time Batman is going up against the Joker, a villain that we, as normal human beings, can’t comprehend. He has no motives, no goal, and no end in sight. He’s not
superhuman by any means, as one character describes it “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” (Nolan & Nolan 57). The audience, or at least that part of the audience paying attention, can draw the similarities between 9/11 and the aftermath of 9/11 and Batman’s mission. He has to go after a villain that the general public does not understand, one that has no motives, and causes destruction relentlessly. Later in the film, Batman deploys a sonar device that hacks into every cellular device in Gotham city, the place where Batman lives. This gives him a clear view of everything going on in Gotham, but also shows the hero going to incredible and new lengths to stop a villain - one’s who’s likes have never before been seen. The parallels here are, Joker: Al Qaeda, Batman: The Government, Attacks on Gotham: 9/11 attacks. Even though it may not have been Nolan’s intention to make a film reflecting the Bush administration’s decisions “it brought that image to mind for viewers because of the time and place in which it was made and released” (Donarum 3). Without 9/11, this film might not have been made. It would not have had relevant impact on viewersWhen Batman, or any hero in general, doesn’t know how to take down the villain, the audience sympathizes with him. Blockbuster films usually try to take the fears of the audience, and, somehow, alleviate them. They try to give them an out. With 9/11, this is becoming increasingly difficult.
       Another prime example of the lasting effects of 9/11 is J.J. Abrams’ recent film Star Trek Into Darkness (Huge Spoilers ahead). Not only are 9/11 parallels seen in this
movie, but conspiracy theories are clear within the film: Chris Pine plays Captain Jim T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise. He is up against a terrorist named John Harrison, who was responsible for the bombing of a weapons bay outside of London. Harrison then launches an attack on Starfleet HQ, and escapes to a (seemingly) barren planet. Admiral Marcus, a high ranking officer in Starfleet (the group of space explorers sworn to explore and protect the galaxy) commands Captain Kirk to go after Harrison, using special missiles developed by the government, without starting a war with the indigenous population. It is later revealed in the film that Admiral Marcus was behind the attack the entire time. He was the one ordering John Harrison to bomb Starfleet, just to give Captain Kirk a reason to kill John Harrison. The parallels here are John Harrison: Al Qaeda, Admiral Marcus: The Bush Administration, Captain Kirk & the crew of the Enterprise: The Military. Later on in the film, there’s a shot of a spaceship flying into buildings on the coast of San Francisco. For many audiences, that hit too close to home. Star Trek Into Darkness shows the political undertones that are sometimes placed before an audience, many of which go undetected.
       Films that directly deal with the attacks of 9/11 are often harshly criticized. In the film “World Trade Center” starring Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña, “Oliver Stone tried to make a patriotic film.” (LaSalle 1). He tries to make a film that “celebrated the heroism of those called to action as a result of tragedy.” (Terry 2). Many saw it as a film that
focused too much on the human aspect of surviving, and not honoring to those who were killed during the 9/11 attacks. While it takes courage to directly deal with these attacks, many people viewed it as too much human interest too soon.
9/11 changed American cinema more than any event before it. We no longer see movies themed as in most of the twentieth century. We no longer see the United States fighting armies from within or outside our borders. Rather, we are left to sit in a darkened theater in heightened awareness and movie-induced fear of an enemy we can’t immediately identify. We watch in terror for terror. 

Works Cited

Crum, Steve. "Nightmares for the American Dream Factory." Rotton Tomatoes. N.p., 19 Oct. 2004. Web. 30 May 2013.

Donarum, Nathan. "The Dark Knight Trilogy and 9/11." The Racked Focus. N.p., 18 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 May 2013.

Fahim, Joseph. “A decade in film.” Al Jazeera (Qatar) 05 Jan. 2010: Newspaper Source. Web. 30 May 2013.

 Mick, LaSalle. “How patriotic films change with times.” San Francisco Chronicle (CA) n.d.: Newspaper Source. Web. 30 May 2013. 

Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan. The Dark Knight. Revised Final Script. July 2008. Nolan Fans.  30 May. 2013.

Pavia, Frank. "10 Years After: 9/11's Impact on Film." MSN. N.p., 2011. Web. 30 May 2013.

Prince, Stephen. Firestorm: American Film in the Age of Terrorism. Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press, 2009. Print.

Terry, Joshua. "The impact of 9/11 on popular media." Deseret News 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 May 2013.

Thompson, David. The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. Print.

Fall Movie Preview

With the fall comes the rise of Oscar worthy films. Much like the summer of 2015, the movie theater is where I’ll be spending most of my free time these coming months. Here are just a few of the films I’m looking forward to.

Captain Phillips: This seemingly built-for-film true story is one of survival, desperation, and sacrifice. While the Oscars are no stranger to films “lost at sea” (see Life of Pi or Titanic), this tale of one man’s journey to keep him and his crew free from the harm of pirates is one that won’t be overlooked when it comes to the awards time. Also, having Tom Hanks in the film certainly doesn’t hurt it’s chances.

Romeo and Juliet: While there may not be a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo, the cast assembled for this film brings an aura of excitement more than sorrow. Hailee Steinfeld, someone not foreign to classic dialects (see: True Grit) stars as Juliet, while Douglas Booth is Romeo. The film relies on the chemistry between these two and it’s tough to judge from the trailer. I’d put my money on Damian Lewis, Lord Capulet, giving the stand-out performance in this film. This one poses many challenges, (it's quite the period piece, there've been many adaptations already made, and Shakespeare doesn't exactly scream blockbuster) which makes it one of the most interesting films coming out this fall.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Having read the Hunger Games series, I can’t help but be extremely excited, yet cautious about this film. Easily the best one in the series, “Catching Fire” poses a large amount of hurdles to conquer. With that being said, the casting seems incredibly on point, Francis Lawrence (director) is used to conquering big hurdles (see: I Am Legend), and they’ve got the source material. Plus, Jennifer Lawrence is impossible not to like. You won’t see me at the midnight showing, but I’ll be sure to catch this one opening weekend.

Ender’s Game: Another big budget book adaptation, “Ender’s Game” could go one of two ways. It could be Summit Entertainment’s “Lone Ranger”, or it could end up being a smash hit at the box office. I haven’t read Ender’s Game, but I know enough about Asa Butterfield to say he’s the man for the job. Hugo was one of my favorite films of 2011, and a big portion of that was the faith put into a relatively unknown child actor, much like “True Grit” with Hailee Steinfeld, also in this film. He delivered, she delivered, and I’m sure they’ll deliver again. Plus, with an all-star group of actors like Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, and Abigail Breslin, this makes “Ender’s Game” one of the many films I’m looking forward to this Fall.

Frozen: While there’s not much to know about “Frozen”, it looks plenty like it could be Disney’s rebound from Planes. The trailer shows a rivalry that’s later to be revealed as a friendship between a snowman and a moose. I’m hopeful about this non-Pixar animated film, but relatively cautious. With enough focus on the storytelling, I think Disney could have a terrific Christmas film on their hands.

Saving Mr. Banks: Speaking of Disney, what would be better than a holiday film about Mr. Walt Disney himself? More specifically, the making of “Mary Poppins,” one of the most famous Disney films ever made. Emma Thompson stars as P.L. Travers, the author of the book, and the person Walt must convince to let Disney studios make her beloved book into the Hollywood hit it would become. This seems to be the season of Tom Hanks, and I’m certainly not complaining. If I had to choose one film to see this Christmas, it would be “Saving Mr. Banks”.

The Wolf of Wall Street: There have been three trailers that floored me for this fall. “Don Jon”, “Gravity”, and “The Wolf of Wall Street”. “The Wolf of Wall Street” trailer is harsh, loud, and visually satisfying, making it right up my alley. With the Oscar starved Leonardo DiCaprio starring as a stock-broker with more money than he can deal with, and Scorsese directing, you’d be hard pressed to find a more captivating duo. I can’t wait for this one.

Gravity: This year I, like many other lucky fanboys and girls, made the trek down to San Diego for Comic-Con 2013. One of the most surprising films to receive a raving response from the masses was Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity”. They showed about six minutes of footage from the film and I was absolutely floored by it. What I saw wasn’t a science-fiction/horror film with Sandra Bullock screaming and George Clooney mugging. No, I got an intimate, intense, and irresistibly gorgeous journey. With the already growing Oscar buzz surrounding it, I’m anxiously anticipating the release of this one. (Sidenote: There is no sound in the vacuum of space, and Alfonso Cuaron intends to keep it that way. That’s right, no sound effects.)

12 Years a Slave: A cast of incredible people can’t save a film, and it certainly doesn’t mean the film will be good. A cast of incredible people, however, does not hurt a film when it comes time for Oscar buzz. “12 Years a Slave” has just that. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Paul Giamatti (who seems to be the Pharrell Williams of film this year, in that he’s in every hit), this story about a man sold back into slavery is already getting incredible reviews. While there hasn’t been a shortage of films focusing on slavery in the past few years, this one is the most intriguing to me. Don’t be surprised if multiple actors in this film get nominated for Oscars.