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Remembering 9/11 through the Lens of Hollywood: A Detailed Analysis

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From the PATRIOT Act of 2001 that was signed into law by the former President George W. Bush, to the flags that fluttered in the front yard of every American’s house, the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 brought the whole nation together for a single goal of fighting back terrorism and getting through the test that America was put to. Everybody’s loyalty towards the United States has been tested since then, and one cannot put aside Hollywood in this collective effort of this nation (Markert 58). The film industry’s reaction through the movies contributed the nation by bringing different ethnic, racial, social, and economical groups together and exposing them to loyalty and patriotism to one’s nation. Hollywood movies in the post 9/11 …show more content…

11 tragedy” (1) for the movie being uniquely wrapped around the theme of 9/11. "Seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another, and feeling with the heart of another." Someone who did get inspired from Alfred Adler’s above quote happens to be Paul Greengrass, the writer and director of the movie United 93. The point of view camera shots, staggering and making its way through, led the audience on board of the airliner, creating subtle lively feeling of presence on the plane for the audience. The United 93’s opening scenes do make the audience an iota suspicious about the Al Qaeda terrorists, in a civilian get up, reading Quran in Arabic, and plotting the course of their plan. In contrast, the passengers, from a senior citizen to teenager girls, from a Russian tourist to a business person, and from the pilots to hostesses, who will be soon boarding the plane, are shown limited to these facts of having a terrorist among their fellows by Greengrass. Everyday life of Americans can be distinguished by the camera shots that are cut between the clumsiness of the terrorists sitting among Americans, and all the rest of the characters engrossed in their usual work. This particular scene in the waiting room recognizes how the terrorists are “not” Americans, and it gives the audience a hint of exclusion and anger, which are secondary reactions of patriotism. One thing that Greengrass is cautious

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