NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2006

'WTC' Opens, Viewers React

Moviegoers Respond To Oliver Stone's Film About 9/11 Attacks

    • The marquee over New York's Ziegfeld Theater advertises Oliver Stone's

      The marquee over New York's Ziegfeld Theater advertises Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" on Aug. 9, 2006, the film's opening day  (CBS/Milosh Marinovich)

    • Nicolas Cage in Oliver Stone's

      Nicolas Cage in Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center"  (PARAMOUNT PICTURES)

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  • Photo Essay 'WTC' In NYC

    Oliver Stone's 9/11 film is unveiled in New York, with stars and survivors in attendance.

(CBS)  Questions of whether it is too soon for a film like this, Phil says, are "nonsense."

"This movie should have been made three or four years ago," he said. "This is a story that needs to be told."

Stone, the man behind such controversial films such as "JFK" and "Born on the Fourth of July," also thought the story needed to be told. Viewers who saw "World Trade Center" on Wednesday morning did not find a political agenda within the film, unlike many of his previous efforts.


"I think Oliver Stone did an unusually restrained job for him," Roberta Hill said.

"There's not one hint of what his politics might be," Phil agreed. "If I didn't know Oliver Stone made this film, I wouldn't have given it a second thought."

However, Brian thought the lack of message was detrimental to the film.

"This movie won't stir up any controversy," he said. "It's weird coming from a guy who probably made the most controversial movies in the United States. You can say he 'sold out,' perhaps."

All four moviegoers that The ShowBuzz spoke to believed the movie would resonate with both New Yorkers and the rest of the country. They also did not think it was too soon for the film's release.

"Even if you're not from New York, people all across the country knew people who were down [at Ground Zero] … I assume we all felt the same way," Dawn Cojak said. "[The film] did a good job on what normal Americans went through on that day.

"Some people will never be ready for this movie, and others were ready four years ago," she continued. "But it's a movie that people need to see. I might even see it again."


By Jessica Derschowitz
©MMVI CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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