Anthologies about niche historical moments and national catastrophes pose the same question when published to DVD or Blu-ray: who is the target audience? For niche historical moments, like the recent Royal Wedding, only a limited population in the world truly cares enough to tune in on television, and after that, how many of them will want to have the chance to relive it via a collection of news segments so badly that they’d buy a DVD?
Or in the case of September 11, 2001, even the families and individuals that lost loved ones on that horrible day, how many want a video reminder of that event (not of the people they lost, but of the event that took them) on their shelves?
If they’re really so nostalgic about the event, they have the chance to engage it on the anniversary when every TV channel in America airs its own memorial feature to those who gave their lives. Not to be insensitive, but with that in mind, when it comes to History’s September 11th: Memorial Edition – why? Far be it from me to accuse History of attempting to capitalize on a tragedy with a special edition collection of 9/11 features, but with its intended audience up in the air, it’s hard for this set to seem anything more than exploitative. What differentiates this from a “commemorative” plate sold off the Home Shopping Network?
The four features in the two-disc collection come to a total of about four hours and thirty minutes of content ranging from survivor testimonials to the stories of oft overlooked topics like the Marriott Hotel that sat in the shadow of both towers and was filled with occupants on the day of the attack. Discussing the attacks is an emotional point for many of the first responders, survivors, and their loved ones, but the presentation here is closer to academically ominous more than anything else. Most of the featurettes take you from the days or moments before the attacks to the fallout, and so again, the purpose of the collection is called into question.
This isn’t a set dedicated to great American perseverance in the face of aggression, instead it almost feels like it’s targeting people who might not know anything about what happened that day. Was the set conceived of as a sterile approach to examining the attacks? If so, it’s never really that informative, and when it’s a piece about the folks trapped in stairway B, the effect the presentation will have on a viewer can vary wildly – and again it makes you wonder why anyone would choose to watch it. Those who lost someone will feel it cutting far too close to home and it might be downright painful to relive, and for those who don’t it’s just another clinical look at the event with talking heads whose testimonies are anything but.
The features in the set include 102 Minutes That Changed America (easily the best and most powerful piece of the collection), Hotel Ground Zero, The Miracle of Stairway, and The Day the Towers Fell.
DVD Bonus Features
The only extra is a short companion film for 102 Minutes That Changed America, and if you find 102 Minutes to be rewarding, it’s worth checking out. However, if it leaves you feeling cold then the companion piece doesn’t help.
"September 11th: Memorial Edition" is on sale August 16, 2011 and is not rated. Documentary, Television.
