Customer Reviews

New York - The Center of the World (Part 8)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Having felt, like many, that I had seen every take on the story of the World Trade Center and Sept. 11 I wasn't exactly looking for this film. In fact, I only found this film when I paused my surfing of the news channels to see what was on Maryland Public Television. But within a few minutes I found myself drawn deeply into the story. Burns has done a masterful job of weaving the history of the WTC buildings and the broader history of New York as the financial "Center of the World." Poetic, moving and beautifully told, this wonderful film is his best work yet.

Since I missed the first half hour when I caught it on TV, I immediately bought the DVD and am glad I did. I have watched the film through several times and remain completely engaged with every viewing and have even watched the bonus material (something I rarely bother with). I am already thinking of who to share this with as a gift.

One last quick note, I read one review here that complained about strange cropping of the images and interviewees names being cut off. I can only imagine that that reviewer's player must have been incorrectly set to widescreen instead of letter-boxed and they were viewing on a standard 4x3 television so they lost the left and right sides of the image due to the improper settings. I experienced none of this (the film appears as letterboxed on my standard 4x3 television) and remain impressed with this beautiful and moving film.

I was there. Half a mile away. Saw the whole damn thing.

I was on the street within 2 or 3 minutes of the first plane hitting. I saw the second plane hit tower 2.

No matter what you saw on TV, you can't imagine.

It was a day of extraordinary power and emotion, fear, sorrow and loss, surreal - the knowledge that you'd seen something as profound as the JFK assination, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Epic in scale, gobal in impact, yet inherently intimate. Your own personal disaster movie.

Even still,

This Ric Burns film is an amazing thing. It's just great. I've watched it a dozen times and I don't get tired of it - the writing, the music, the history, the wisdom - the personal feelings of a diverse and meaningful group of New Yorkers. It's historic, epic, emotional - up to the task of documenting the impact of 9/11 on New York.

It represents all the things that make New York great: ambition, literacy, reflection, humanity, wonder, perspective. The use of Philippe Petit - the French high wire man - as a linking device...was inspired.

A stunning thing.

This 8th installment of the Ric Burns' documentary series, "New York", is a fascinatingly-absorbing tale of the rise and fall of the iconic World Trade Center.

Spanning a full three hours in length, "New York Episode Eight: The Center Of The World", provides the viewer an intense, in-depth look into the planning, development, construction, and sad demise of the famous Twin Towers in Manhattan, complete with breathtaking aerial views of the behemoths during construction and after completion.

The story of the complex and almost Herculean task of creating the massive World Trade Center is skillfully and entertainingly weaved on this program utilizing new interview footage, intercut with archival video footage of the day.

I like the fact that Director Ric Burns doesn't rush to tell the story at a mile-a-minute pace. The saga of these great buildings evolves at a more leisurely, relaxed pace during the program.

The sheer scope of what we lost in just a few short seconds as the Towers crumbled into dust on September 11, 2001, might not be fully realized until viewing a program like this one, which provides many of the statistics and specifications for the Trade Center's combined 220 stories.

Also included on the program is a detailed account of the fascinating tale of high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who, on August 7, 1974, walked from the top of one tower to the other, 1,360 feet above the streets of New York. In all, Petit spent 45 minutes walking (and dancing) from one tower to the other, making a total of eight passes between the immense structures. This program shows many spectacular pictures of Petit carrying out his death-defying and one-of-a-kind performance. A performance which, for many people, "humanized" the bulky steel Towers.

The final 52 minutes of the documentary focuses on the destruction of the Trade Center on 9/11/2001. During the majority of those final fifty-plus minutes of the program, you might very well find yourself with one hand clasped over your open mouth, still in near-disbelief that this awful tragedy could have possibly taken place on that sunny Tuesday morning.

No matter how many times you've seen those planes hit those two beautiful pieces of architecture, and no matter how many replays you've seen of the Towers pancaking down into the street, the events of 9/11, even years later, are still powerful enough to produce the inevitable "Oh My God...How Could This Happen?!" type of emotion within us all when we see it again, such as in this PBS documentary film. It's a tragic event of such proportions that it seemingly will never grow old, and will never cease to resonate in our minds.

A more complete, detailed, and heartfelt examination of the fallen status symbols known as the Twin Towers you're not likely to find anywhere. This DVD program is a keepsake and a timeless reminder of not only the sadness of what America lost in September 2001, but also serves as an uplifting reminder of what the Trade Center stood for in its nearly 30 years of existence. The pride and sense of accomplishment in rejuvenating a decaying New York City that was felt by the many, many people who were involved, in any small way, in helping those Towers rise to become (at the time) the tallest buildings in the world, is something that no terrorist actions can ever destroy. And that sense of pride can be felt in this documentary program. This is a DVD that you'll be proud to own, and is one to be treasured for many, many years to come.

You've just got to buy this DVD. It's about the World Trade Center, but it's really about so much more. It gives the history of the Towers from their inception in the 50s (I believe) to the aftermath of 9/11. David Ogden Stiers (Winchester of MASH) narrates it with power and grace. People connected with New York City give their perspectives on the buildings in the most poetic of ways. There are too many to mention here, but Pete Hamill (the writer), Guy Tozzoli (President of the WTC Association), and Mario Cuomo are among the standouts.

But best of all is Phillipe Petit, who did an electrifying tightwire show between the towers back in the 70s. His performance humanized these huge, cold buildings (to paraphrase Hamill from the film). Petit brings a love of life, New York City, and especially the World Trade Center to the proceedings that makes his segment the "Center of the Center of the World." The documentary "Man On Wire" covers the event in more detail.

So go order this episode right now. It's historic, informative, entertaining, moving, educational, witty, heartwrenching, and any other positive thing you can say about a 3 hour film. PBS gets a lot of flack for their programming, but they achieved perfection with this baby.

The first seven episodes of Ric Burns's spectacular documentary on the history of New York seemed to be complete-until September 11, 2001. The story of the World Trade Center, from its grandiose conception to its heartbreaking destruction, needed to be told and Ric Burns was the person to do it. Not only did he have a vast trove of footage of the buildings, at all stages of their development and in every kind of light and weather that he had accumulated during the making of the earlier New York episodes, he also had the unique perspective that only a great film-maker who has also immersed himself in the history of the city for ten years can attain. The visuals are stunning and almost poetically matched to the narrative. There is even foreshadowing and humor. But The Center of the World is not only about the buildings; it is mainly about human ambition, artistry, unbearable sadness, bravery, kindness and hope. It keeps you riveted for the full three hours and for about half an hour afterwards!

Ric Burns gives us the final chapter in his masterpiece series New York: A Documentary Film. Indeed, it is more the history of the World Trade Center, leading up to the tragic events of September 11. In this way, it is more like a stand alone documentary about the W.T.C., than it is the end of the history of New York series.

It chronicles the construction of the towers. Somehow, to me this feels much less compelling than the masterful section of disc 5 of the Series, which chronicles the competition between the construction of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State.

However, even though anyone who can operate a DVD player knows the inevitable conclusion, it is incredibly troubling (even painful) to watch, and as another reviewer says, it is almost impossible to turn away form the screen. As another reviewer has correctly said, it is still painful to watch.

I did give this only four stars, though, because while this was indeed a epoch - switching event, there was an AWFUL lot of New York history in between the late sixties and 2001 which I think
was given the short end of the stick in Vol. 8. The decline of the City after its pre-WWII preeminence, the turbulence of the decade of the sixties and the anti-war movement, the racial awareness and concomitant strife, the ravages of drug proliferation, welfare reliance and then somehow the resurgence of New York economically in the '90's were too briefly touched upon in Vol. 7 and I think could have explored here in greater detail. I think that few would assert that until 9-11, the W.T.C. would not have merited such attention. But given the context of this single cataclysmic event which it did chronicle, perhaps I judge too harshly...

There are fewer characters presented than in the rest of the series, including former Governor Cuomo, Former Mayor Koch (staggeringly poignant in his description an encounter with the family of a 9-11 victim) and still-journalist Pete Hamill (it seems to me that he has aged a ton since the earlier episodes).

We are still way too close to the event to be able to determine the long term effect on New York, America or the world. Nonetheless, this is a fitting end to the Series.

This eighth installment of "New York", the Ric Burns' PBS-TV "American Experience" documentary series, is a fascinatingly-absorbing tale of the rise and fall of the iconic World Trade Center.

At just a shade under three full hours in length, "New York Episode Eight: The Center Of The World" provides the viewer with an intense, in-depth look into the planning, development, construction, and sad demise of the famous Twin Towers in Manhattan, complete with breathtaking aerial views of the behemoths during construction and after completion.

This 2003 documentary relies on new interviews, plus a wealth of archival film and video footage from the 1960s and 1970s, to skillfully and entertainingly weave the complete story of the WTC and the enormous task of creating the massive Trade Center complex.

I like the fact that Director Ric Burns doesn't rush to tell the story at a mile-a-minute pace. The saga of these great buildings evolves in a more leisurely, relaxed manner during the program.

The sheer scope of what we lost in just a few short seconds as the Towers crumbled into dust on September 11, 2001, might not be fully realized until viewing a program like this one, which provides many of the statistics and specifications for the World Trade Center's combined 220 stories.

This film also includes a detailed account of the fascinating tale of high-wire artist Philippe Petit, who walked from the top of one tower to the other (1,360 feet above the streets of New York) on August 7th, 1974. In all, Petit spent 45 minutes walking (and dancing) from one tower to the other, making a total of eight passes between the two immense structures. We get to see many spectacular pictures of Petit performing his death-defying high-wire act, which was a feat that sort of "humanized" the bulky steel Towers in the minds of many people.

The final 52 minutes of the documentary focuses on the destruction of the World Trade Center on September the eleventh, 2001. During the majority of those last fifty-plus minutes of the program, you might very well find yourself with one hand clasped over your mouth, still in near-disbelief that this awful tragedy could have possibly taken place on that sunny Tuesday morning.

No matter how many times you see those airplanes slam into those two skyscrapers, and no matter how many replays you watch of the Towers pancaking down into the street, the images of the events of 9/11, even years later, are still powerful enough to produce the inevitable "Oh My God!" type of shocked reaction. It's a tragic event of such incredible proportions that it seemingly will never grow old, and will never cease to resonate in the minds of most Americans.

You're not likely to find a more complete, detailed, and heartfelt examination of the fallen status symbols known as the "Twin Towers" than can be found within this PBS presentation. This DVD is a keepsake and a timeless reminder of not only the sadness of what America lost on September 11th, 2001, but this enriching film also serves as an uplifting reminder of what the World Trade Center stood for in its nearly 30 years of existence.

The pride and sense of accomplishment in helping to rejuvenate a decaying New York City that was felt by the many, many people who were involved in helping those Towers rise to become (at the time) the tallest buildings in the world in the early 1970s, is something that no terrorist actions can ever diminish or destroy. And that sense of pride can be felt in this magnificent documentary program.

This "PBS DVD Gold" disc features a Widescreen (1.78:1) version of the documentary, which is the way the film was framed for its original telecast on PBS. The DVD's audio comes from a crisp English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Stereo soundtrack.

There are also a few bonus items on the DVD:

1.) An interview with Ric Burns on the making of "The Center Of The World". (Run time of just under 8 minutes.)

2.) A Deleted Scene (Outtake) from Part 7 of Ric Burns' "New York" documentary film, involving the crash of a B-25 bomber into the Empire State Building in July 1945. (4 minutes.)

3.) Selected Interviews, featuring Ed Koch, Philippe Petit, Mario Cuomo, and others. When strung together, these various interviews last for a total of 19 minutes.

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A Final Thought:

"New York Episode Eight: The Center Of The World" is a DVD that I am very proud to own, and is one that I shall treasure for many years to come.

There is none other than Ric Burns to tell this tale. This documentary is devestating. The footage, combined with Mr. Burns' use of silence to let the pictures tell the tale, make for a staggering monument. Mr Burns also realized that as the towers came down that morning, a new story sprung up. It is not the story of death and destruction, but of people coming together to heal a scar on the face of Mother Nature, a scar in the heart of a city, a state, a country, and its people. As enormous the event of the Twin Towers collapsing is, the story of the clean-up is an even greater story.

I think that now, years after the event, and the nation "healing" by falling back in to the old ways of bitter bipartisanship and political bickering, we need this film to remember what happned on that terrible morning.

The forces of evil pricked a sleeping giant, but boy was that a miscalculation their part!

Although I was only a few miles away from the WTC on that dreadful day, I was spared watching the disaster unfold. Like many New Yorkers, it took me a couple of years to even begin to look at the videos surrounding the event. The first thing I watched was Ric Burns' final episode to his NEW YORK documentary. Because I had seen the previous seven parts, and had loved them, I knew this subject would be in good hands, and it was.

What makes this documentary unique is the amount of time it spends on the political, economic, and architectural wrangling that went on before the towers went up. The story of its construction is an amazing tale all its own. Burns uses aerialist Philippe Petit's stunt back in the 70s as a kind of humanizing effect to the buildings' superhuman size. Of course, this makes the inevitable outcome even more devestating.

Mr. Burns has adroitly used an extraordinary amount of photos and footage, and the interviews bridging them are all expertly selected. Some of them were astonishingly moving. I never before thought that former Mayor Koch could be so feeling. In any event, this is a documentary that will probably make all other documentaries superfluous, with the exception of WORLD TRADE CENTER-ANATOMY OF A COLLAPSE which handles the more technical details. This is a terrific and befitting conclusion to Ric Burns' astounding documentary.

It's hard to say if this is the best segment of Ric Burns' documentary on New York City, it's so good that it stands apart as a separate work. From the initial planning to the destruction and aftermath, it covers the history of the WTC splendidly. The portion on Philippe Petit and his highwire walk between the towers is especially noteworthy.