The now famous phrase, This is the story of the fourth,\ is all over the media. It has been just under five years since Sept. 11, and the release of ""United 93"" is sure to re-open the emotional wounds suffered by the victims of the attacks. The film depicts the events onboard United Flight 93, the fourth hijacked plane, before it crashed near Shanksville, Penn.
It is not fair that victims are already being forced to relive a day that has haunted them for almost five years. If Hollywood forces them to grieve again so soon, precautionary steps should have been taken to avoid the mistakes of the past.
Recent public concerns about the release of the first box office film depicting events of 9/11 have emphasized that it is too soon for Hollywood to be translating one of America's most traumatic events into film. Emphasis should not be placed on the time lapse following catastrophes. Instead it should be placed on the content of the films.
UW-Madison journalism professor Doug McLeod, who specializes in public concerns, said, ""I think that the issue is not so much of ‘how long do you have to wait?', but ‘what is the nature of the content of the movie?'"" If the plot lines are exploitative and if they degrade the impact of the event, then the public has a legitimate concern.
The overly-dramatic love stories in films such as ""Pearl Harbor"" and ""Titanic"" dominated the plot lines and took focus away from the catastrophe itself. There is no need for dramatic plot lines when the reality of the event is dramatic enough. If films depicting any American catastrophe contain plot lines that divert attention from the event itself, the producers should feel ashamed.
But, as journalism professor James Baughman, a specialist in history of journalism, stated, ""Hollywood... it will do what it wants to do."" Hollywood has left the public with little control concerning which events get translated to film and how soon.
But the American public has more control over the content of the films than it may realize. Exploitative plot lines or films meant to capitalize on the grief of victims will remain unsuccessful if the public stays away from the theaters; and in cases such as these, the public should stay away.
Few Hollywood films, regardless of where the story originated, conclude without some form of a happy ending. Professor Baughman stated, ""Americans don't like to dwell on tragedies, on defeats. We tend to be optimistic, to prefer to dwell on triumphs.""
But in the case of American catastrophes, triumph seldom exists. The films should not create a happy ending that does not exist through love stories or, in some cases, by focusing solely on the story of the victims lucky enough to survive.
In the case of ""United 93,"" no hidden plot lines are apparent and the actors closely studied biographies of the victims they represented. Paul Greengrass directed a well-written story that should in no way be associated with the past depictions of American catastrophes.
Utmost respect and sympathy should go out to those who were directly affected by the events of 9/11. Hopefully, the release of ""United 93"" carries with it a positive impact.
Exploiting stories of American tragedies in the media is shameful and I do not care to see it anymore. Victims and their families deserve to remember the catastrophes as they happened, without dramatic plot lines or fictional triumphs of any kind.
Kaitlyn Farrell is a sophomore majoring in journalism. Please send responses to
opinion@dailycardinal.com.
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