11'09''01 - September 11 (2002)

An uplifting gem
I found this disc to be thought-provoking, uplifting and (typical of Moyers) varied in its approach to the problem of 9/11 and global terrorism. It is NOT for those who want sensational news clips or sound-bite style presentation. There are no gimmicks, merely insightful commentary on the subject at hand from the different perspectives of the individuals interviewed. A pleasant surprise and relief from "THE FACTS"...

seeking answers in the aftershocks
I think this is an important video. The whole nation was reeling after 9/11, trying to make sense of the horror. This is a snapshot of our thoughts as we grappled with our confusion and fear. I've overdosed on the gratuitous, sensationalist replays of collapsing towers and shots of the aftermath--every time a network rebroadcasts the scene, I feel they are cheapening this very personal and loaded experience of 9/11. I want to move past the horrificness and move on to understanding how human beings are capable of such monstrosities. In a world so volatile, in a country run by trigger-happy leaders, the discussions sparked by the different people interviewed, the various thinkers (a dancer, academic, the Afghan citizen whose email went round the world), their ideas and shared struggle to understand WHY and HOW 9/11 happened is every bit as important as the individual stories of heroism, which get a lot more space in the media. You don't watch these interviews for sentimental value. You watch them because you see the world around you teetering on chaos, and you desperately want to understand the hate and malice in hopes that it will keep us from falling into the abyss.

Are we sure this is really Bill Moyers?
I was pretty sorely disappointed in this disc. I expected to see news footage or even accounts from people who spoke above a monotone. Instead, it consisted of a collection of very boring individuals "experts" and such, sharing their thoughts, some of it pertinent, some of it just rambling.

I am giving it a one star rating based on the fact that I liked the cover art on the disc. That's about all I liked, though.

Bill Moyers is normally a great journalist. Why he would choose to attach his name to this disc is beyond me. Perhaps he could have collected different guests, people who are speaking from real life and not from text book theories, and then it would be worth the purchase price.

I would save my money on this....nnless you have chronic insomnia, which this disc is SURE to cure as it put me right to sleep both times I tried to watch it in it's entirety.