Saturday, September 9, 2006
I ordered...
...United 93 from our movie rental company. We received it Thursday while we were having Mom's blood drawn. My mother was curious about my excitement. I was thorough in explaining the subject of the movie, realizing that she has no memory of September 11, 2001. I was also careful to mention that the event of the United 93 disaster was devastating, would no doubt include a lot of violence, and didn't have "a happy ending". The movie, though, I said, has been hailed as a scrupulous fictionalized account of what probably happened on that flight, thus, it would probably be realistic. Mom said she wanted to watch it "anyway". We made plans to watch it immediately after breakfast and after I finished "morning" chores.
Mom found the first part of the movie confusing. There is a lot of overlap conversation which isn't eased by subtitling and lots of quick switching between locations. As well, since the first part of the movie is a sort of docu-style recording of people boarding a plane and the activity in a flight control tower and NORAD, the obvious clues that many shocking things are about to happen and the simultaneously ominous and reverential music completely flew by Mom's attention. About half an hour into the movie Mom announced, "Well, this doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I think I'll take a nap."
I decided to contiue watching the movie it while she napped. I was riveted. What I'd heard and understood, of which I'd not been disavowed until watching the movie, was that the passengers revolted in order to make sure that the plane didn't reach its intended destination, despite the fact that they knew this would mean simply moving the intended fatal crash to a less politically devastating site. In fact, it seems, up to the moment of the crash, the passengers had every intention of righting the flight, landing it safely and continuing their lives. The Final Problem was that the terrorists in the cockpit became aware of the passenger revolt before the cockpit was invaded and the terrorist pilot decided his only alternative was to crash the plane before reaching his target, thus having sent the plane into a steep downward trajectory to which (my mother, last night, pointed out, when she decided she wanted to watch the "active" part of the movie, the last 50 minutes or so) the plane was probably too far committed to be corrected by the passengers by the time they entered the cockpit.
The movie ended just as Mom arose from her nap. I had just queued the "Bonus Features". After my mother was bathroomed and had her lunch in front of her, I asked her if she would mind watching these features with me. She agreed. The last feature I queued were the "Memorial Pages", all of which can be accessed through the movie site above, with a little manuevering. This is the feature I, and, surprisingly, my mother, found the most interesting. One by one, I began to read aloud the life tributes (written by loved ones) to each of the people on board the flight, minus the four terrorists. From the information given in the tributes, we discussed the lives and the tributes of each person as I read them. We got through all but eight on Thursday before dinner. We viewed and discussed the final eight last night. Our discussion involved such things as:
She agreed.
I expected that she might still find the movie hard to follow, her attention might wander and we'd decide to stop the movie before it was finished. This didn't happen. She was also riveted, right to the end. Interestingly, at the end when the ground came up to meet the viewer and the screen went black, she said, "Is that it? They don't show you what happened!"
So, I explained, once again, what happened and why the screen went black.
"Oh, now I understand," she said. "Very clever."
It was a little discombobulating for me to hear this comment. So, I asked her, "Mom, do you understand what happened?"
"Well, yes," she said. "The plane crashed and everyone died."
"Yes. Do you realize that this really happened?"
"I imagine it happens all the time when planes crash."
"Well, yeah, sort of. Do you realize why this crash was an unusual tragedy?"
"All plane crashes are tragedies."
"Well, yes. Do you understand why those who died on this flight are considered heroes?"
"Well, no, not really."
At this point I decided not to explain the whole thing again. "Did you enjoy the movie, Mom," I asked.
"Well, yes, but I wouldn't want to watch it again."
"No problem. I'll send it back tomorrow."
I am, though, considering getting a copy of it, just for me. I noticed, as I watched the last half of the film a second time, I was beginning to connect the biographies of the passengers and crew with their depictions in the movie. I also noticed that every member of the passenger and crew had some screen time. Because, I suppose, I was honing in on people by name and tribute, it also seemed to me that each person was, figuratively and literally, highlighted when shown. One of the attendants, for instance, whose tribute noted, lovingly, her tendency to be late, was, before the flight began, portrayed as being late for the flight.
As well, my mother and I both noticed and briefly mentioned the juxtaposition of several passengers reciting The Lord's Prayer with the praying of the terrorists. At one point my mother said, "I wish they'd translate those prayers on the screen like they are the other bits of conversation."
I have to agree with her.
Five minutes before awakening time.
Oh, wanted to mention, for yesterday and the next three days, my Daily entries will be filled with what may seem like unusual and trivial detail. I will be printing up these pages as the documentation I mentioned with which I intend to present Mom's doctor at her Tuesday appointment.
Time's up.
Later.
Mom found the first part of the movie confusing. There is a lot of overlap conversation which isn't eased by subtitling and lots of quick switching between locations. As well, since the first part of the movie is a sort of docu-style recording of people boarding a plane and the activity in a flight control tower and NORAD, the obvious clues that many shocking things are about to happen and the simultaneously ominous and reverential music completely flew by Mom's attention. About half an hour into the movie Mom announced, "Well, this doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I think I'll take a nap."
I decided to contiue watching the movie it while she napped. I was riveted. What I'd heard and understood, of which I'd not been disavowed until watching the movie, was that the passengers revolted in order to make sure that the plane didn't reach its intended destination, despite the fact that they knew this would mean simply moving the intended fatal crash to a less politically devastating site. In fact, it seems, up to the moment of the crash, the passengers had every intention of righting the flight, landing it safely and continuing their lives. The Final Problem was that the terrorists in the cockpit became aware of the passenger revolt before the cockpit was invaded and the terrorist pilot decided his only alternative was to crash the plane before reaching his target, thus having sent the plane into a steep downward trajectory to which (my mother, last night, pointed out, when she decided she wanted to watch the "active" part of the movie, the last 50 minutes or so) the plane was probably too far committed to be corrected by the passengers by the time they entered the cockpit.
The movie ended just as Mom arose from her nap. I had just queued the "Bonus Features". After my mother was bathroomed and had her lunch in front of her, I asked her if she would mind watching these features with me. She agreed. The last feature I queued were the "Memorial Pages", all of which can be accessed through the movie site above, with a little manuevering. This is the feature I, and, surprisingly, my mother, found the most interesting. One by one, I began to read aloud the life tributes (written by loved ones) to each of the people on board the flight, minus the four terrorists. From the information given in the tributes, we discussed the lives and the tributes of each person as I read them. We got through all but eight on Thursday before dinner. We viewed and discussed the final eight last night. Our discussion involved such things as:
- Why each person was tributed the way they were and what this might say about their relationships with their loved ones;
- Exclamations about eccentric passages about almost every single one of the people;
- Noticing that, except for one exception which, as it turned out, was our favorite tribute (the one about Jane Folger), the younger the person was, thus, the more life they lost, the longer the tribute was and the more determined the tribute seemed to be to speak on behalf of the innate value of the person's life;
- At one point I said, "You know, Mom, you'd think that on such a diverse flight, there'd be at least one asshole, but these tributes make it sound as though every person was the cream of the crop."
She responded, "Well, when someone dies like that, I think the manner of their death probably exempts them from...hmmmm...what you said (she is not one who likes to use the word "asshole") status." - As we continued with the tributes, I began to express disappointment that "tributes" weren't also included on the terrorists.
My mother responded, "Well, it's obvious why they weren't."
"Yeah, I know," I said, "but, you have to remember, the terrorists considered all the people they intended to kill infidels and believed that they were committing a divinely inspired act. I would love to know what drove them to this belief, this act, and how their loved ones viewed them and their act after the fact."
"Don't you think that's obvious?" she asked.
"No more obvious than the tributes to the lives of the passengers and crew," I said. "And, besides," I continued, "Consider this act and its movement from the point of view of the Christian Crusades and the Holocaust. Our species seems to do this on a regular basis. During the Crusades, everyone who wasn't a particular type of Christian was the infidel. Now, Christians and those who lead and believe in a specific type of Western Life Style are the infidels. We "infidels" stand to learn a lot from "tributes" (I drew quotes in the air, on this one and the previous quoted word) to the present dead Crusaders. It might even help us figure out a way to change this horrific, continual urge our species seems to have to annihilate each other in the name of divine prescription. And besides, the terrorists probably got more screen time in the movie than anyone else. For me, at least, that makes me all the more curious about them."
"You might be right," she said, very carefully, "but it also might trigger more annihilation."
She agreed.
I expected that she might still find the movie hard to follow, her attention might wander and we'd decide to stop the movie before it was finished. This didn't happen. She was also riveted, right to the end. Interestingly, at the end when the ground came up to meet the viewer and the screen went black, she said, "Is that it? They don't show you what happened!"
So, I explained, once again, what happened and why the screen went black.
"Oh, now I understand," she said. "Very clever."
It was a little discombobulating for me to hear this comment. So, I asked her, "Mom, do you understand what happened?"
"Well, yes," she said. "The plane crashed and everyone died."
"Yes. Do you realize that this really happened?"
"I imagine it happens all the time when planes crash."
"Well, yeah, sort of. Do you realize why this crash was an unusual tragedy?"
"All plane crashes are tragedies."
"Well, yes. Do you understand why those who died on this flight are considered heroes?"
"Well, no, not really."
At this point I decided not to explain the whole thing again. "Did you enjoy the movie, Mom," I asked.
"Well, yes, but I wouldn't want to watch it again."
"No problem. I'll send it back tomorrow."
I am, though, considering getting a copy of it, just for me. I noticed, as I watched the last half of the film a second time, I was beginning to connect the biographies of the passengers and crew with their depictions in the movie. I also noticed that every member of the passenger and crew had some screen time. Because, I suppose, I was honing in on people by name and tribute, it also seemed to me that each person was, figuratively and literally, highlighted when shown. One of the attendants, for instance, whose tribute noted, lovingly, her tendency to be late, was, before the flight began, portrayed as being late for the flight.
As well, my mother and I both noticed and briefly mentioned the juxtaposition of several passengers reciting The Lord's Prayer with the praying of the terrorists. At one point my mother said, "I wish they'd translate those prayers on the screen like they are the other bits of conversation."
I have to agree with her.
Five minutes before awakening time.
Oh, wanted to mention, for yesterday and the next three days, my Daily entries will be filled with what may seem like unusual and trivial detail. I will be printing up these pages as the documentation I mentioned with which I intend to present Mom's doctor at her Tuesday appointment.
Time's up.
Later.
