Product Details

• Actors: Various
• Directors: Siskel, Jacobs Productions
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: A&E Television Networks
• DVD Release Date: October 28, 2008
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001F5274G
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,303 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "102 Minutes That Changed America" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visceral and haunting, September 22, 2008

By 

A. Castro "AC" (la mesa, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 102 Minutes That Changed America (DVD)

The History Channel aired this program several times in the wake of the anniversary of 9-11. I was able to catch two viewings of this show.

I live in San Diego, Ca. and like most people, I witnessed 9-11 through the lens of the collective (and individual) camera eyes. To say this is the "best" 9-11 documentary is, perhaps, inappropriate to say, but this particular program stands high above any of previous 9-11 shows I have seen as far as capturing what must have been a horrific event to witness first hand.
What makes this program stand out is it's lack of a produced narrative. No Dan Rather telling me what I already know. No trite musings that have littered most of these types of programs. Instead the producers have allowed the viewer to see and hear the events as they happened. It is, for the most part, straight footage with no production elements added.If any narration IS heard it is from any given individual who happenes to be speaking within the video footage itself. As a viewer we are drawn into this presentation as we watch others watching the horror, and then watch it ourselves. There is a minimal amount of ambient soundtrack included but it is highly underscored and very consistant with much of the raw footage that fills this doucumentary.
As for the footage included, it is safe to say it has to be some of the most compelling news-type footage I have ever seen, in regards to anything. Much of this footage was done by amateurs but it does not detract form the experience one bit.
One particularly haunting shot that sticks out to me is a shot taken by an individual somewhere near the base of the WTC towers after both have been hit. THe camera is busy collecting visuals of a courtyard barren of any people...just papers and ashes drifting lazely with ominous whimzey. The sounds of distant panic accompanied by an outdoor speaker system playing a muzak version of Billy Joel's "she's always a woman to me". Truely erie.
I could not recommend this program enough. I would say order it direct from the History Channel, but Amazon has it for less, but no matter where or how you get, do get it. It's not easy to watch, but it's very difficult not to as well.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Documentary, October 12, 2008

By 

Westley (Stuck in my head) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: 102 Minutes That Changed America (DVD)

The aftermath of the attacks on the Twin Towers was likely the most videotaped event in human history. New Yorkers, New Jerseyites, other locals, and tourists started filming shortly after the first tower was hit and continued throughout the day, sometimes at their own peril. "102 Minutes That Changed America" documents what they saw and what they filmed. The film relies very little on video from reporters or the major networks, although at times you can hear the television or radio playing in the background as people film. Instead, the filmmakers of this documentary from the History Channel have woven together skillfully dozens of amateur videos that more accurately capture how people reacted on this historic day. The average person videotaping from her living room in a high rise apartment just blocks away the Twin Towers, and the average tourist recording reactions of people in Time Square. In addition, the filmmakers wisely opted to forgo including narration, and rely on only minimal title cards to inform the audience where the video was being filmed, the time, and so forth.

Some of these amateur videographers provide running commentary for us, expressing their disbelief at what is unfolding. Some of them talk to loved ones who are nearby or record people around them, including strangers. Still others record in abject silence. The videos at the beginning of the documentary reflect the initial confusion as people saw the first tower ablaze. People speculate that it was just a small plane that got lost. Eventually, the videographers and people in the streets realize that it was a terrorist act. We hear the screams and panic as the second plane hits - these moments are among the most gut-wrenching and dramatic. One group of people near the Twin Towers decide hastily to evacuate their apartment, and we witness as they frantically put on their shoes and pile into an elevator.

There is no filter here. No Katie Couric to reassuringly tell us that the President is acting to neutralize the threat. No CNN to analyze who may be responsible. No buffer from the anguish and pain, including the horrifying realization people have when they finally understand that what they thought was debris falling from the towers is actually people jumping from the buildings. The footage is raw and most people will find watching "102 Minutes" to be a draining experience. However, it is important to recall what we all experienced that day. This documentary from the History Chanel is a first-rate effort to preserve these events forever.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the History Channels Greatest Documentaries Yet, September 19, 2008

By 

B. Henry (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 102 Minutes That Changed America (DVD)

This is by far the best documentary of September 11th that I have ever seen. It does not use news footage, which really doesn't show how the event affected New York City. It shows the footage of the people who were there and in real time. It shows the mood of the city at the time, and how confusion was widespread among people who had no clue as to what was happening.
This documentary also shows how rumors were rampant in the city at the time and the disinformation spread from person to person (such as the two women who said that someone else told them that the second plane was a British Airways). This account of 911 is shocking, horrifying, disturbing, and heart wrenching. It overall gives you more information about 911 than you get from the news, and it shows you only footage and sound from the people in New York City on the streets who just happened to have their cameras at the time. This is a very compelling and dark account of one of the worst days in American History. I would fully 100% recommend this to anyone interested in 911. It is great, informative, and will keep you glued to your t.v. screen.