Product Details

• Actors: David McCullough, David Ogden Stiers, Joe Morton, Linda Hunt, Will Lyman
• Writers: Rocky Collins, Henry Hampton
• Producers: Katy Mostoller, Michael Rossi, Rocky Collins, Tracy Heather Strain
• Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: PBS Paramount
• DVD Release Date: February 28, 2006
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000CCCZYK
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,086 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "American Experience: Hijacked" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

From the back cover

For more than 30 years it would be known as "the blackest day in aviation history." On September 6, 1970, members of the militant Palestinian group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (P.L.F.P.), hijacked four commercial airplanes. They commandeered a fifth aircraft three days later. Wanting to attract attention to the Palestinian cause and secure the release of several of their comrades, the P.L.F.P. spectacularly blew up four of the planes.

Today the commanders who planned and carried out the attack resist comparison to the terrorists who masterminded the events of September 11, 2001: members of the P.L.F.P. were not religious extremists, but secular Marxist Leninists. And of the almost 600 passengers taken hostage, none were killed. And yet more than three decades later, it is clear that a connection exists between the two seminal events, that September 6, 1970 gave birth to a new era of terrorism. In telling this dramatic and complicated story, award-winning producer Ilan Ziv interviews leaders of the P.L.F.P., militants who carried out the attack, journalists who covered the hijackings, crew members and passengers. More than just recounting the events of those tense September days, this American Experience production examines how and when Middle East militants began to see civilians as legitimate pawns in their struggles for self-determination.

Product Description

For more than 30 years it would be known as "the blackest day in aviation history." In September 1970, members of the militant Palestinian group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), hijacked five commercial airplanes. To attract attention to the Palestinian cause and secure the release of several of their comrades, the PFLP spectacularly blew up four of the planes. Hijacked! examines how and when Middle East militants began to see civilians as legitimate pawns in the struggle for self-determination.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The blackest day in aviation history" (until September 11, 2001 maybe), August 31, 2007

By	Kyle Tolle (Phoenix, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

On September 6, 1970, three teams of terrorists belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) hijacked five different commercial aircraft. Although labeled at the time as the `blackest day in aviation history', it would also end up with the infamous distinction of being America's first serious introduction to global terrorism.

In a riveting timeline that covers the several days of this situation, this documentary explores the entire affair as comprehensively as possible and does it well in my opinion. Interviews with former hijackers, journalists, politicians, and passengers and crew members provide compelling and emotional insights into the unique roles some of them played and descriptions of events many of them witnessed. Beginning with the commandeering of the aircraft and the reasons for doing so, this leads into a historical look at a politically turbulent Middle East climate at that time.

Inevitably, the United States and Europe would become key players in the events and with Israel's adamant refusals to cooperate in any way with terrorists, this would end up further complicating the frightening set of circumstances.

Even though most of the Palestinian demands were never met and remarkably no hostages were killed, a message was still sent to the world when the hijackers destroyed four of the five aircraft in massive explosions.

Over thirty years later and in a continuing volatile and oftentimes unpredictable climate in the Middle East and other parts of the world, some eerie and sinister comparisons can be made between that fateful day in 1970 and the horrific attacks in New York in September of 2001.

4.0 out of 5 stars Reasonable Historical Perspective, February 22, 2009

By	S. Grynkewich "kingbaby811" (Metro Manila, Philippines) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a historical review of what was one of the more dramatic events of the 20th century, this movie is well done. It presents the evidence fairly, interviews both captives and hijackers, and gives them fair representation. It is typical of the quality of PBS.
Only negative comment is that it links this hijacking to later terrorist acts, which takes it out of context.