September 7, 2005

Film expert talks about historical 9/11 and movie making

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Hollywood has been generous in the amount of time it has waited to produce movies about 9/11 compared to other historical events, says a Purdue University film expert.

"Just like a spouse mourning a death, there is a proper time to wait before one starts dating," says William J. Palmer, an English professor, who is working on a book about the history of film in the 1990s. "The same is true for Hollywood. With past events, such as the Vietnam War and Watergate, there was a two-year gap before films were produced. The trend is different for 9/11."

In July, Paramount Pictures announced that an Oliver Stone-directed movie is in pre-production. The film, based on a true story, will focus on police officers trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center towers, which fell when two planes hit the buildings during a terrorist attack. The movie, which is the first big-screen production in the works about 9/11, does not have a release date.

However, a handful of documentaries and news shows have been produced about 9/11.

"America is a country where people feel secure, and Sept. 11 was a traumatic event that ended this feeling for many," Palmer says. "I think the producers in Hollywood realized Americans' security was shattered, and that people weren't immediately ready to see the story as a big-budget production."

Palmer, who is the author of "The Films of the Seventies: A Social History" and "The Films of the Eighties: A Social History," says the longer waiting period could also be the result of how media provided around-the-clock news coverage of the event.

"It's not possible to talk about the effect of these movies until we are able to watch them, but these films will certainly contribute to our historical discussion," says Palmer, who also is studying Stone's filmmaking.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: William J. Palmer, (765) 494-3729, wjpalmer@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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