Where would we be without Captain Ahab? Where would we be without fictive realities that remake the world, and in doing so, catharsizw it, a retelling makes the Trojan War less immediate yet as compelling.

Did we not need Apocalypse Now to understand the horrors of Vietnam?

Will our children not need retellings of the War on terror, whatever it's forms and events?

Would you rather they watch Fahrenheit 9/11?

BTW, Hiroshima was a good film about the Bomb, as was Rhapsody in August(Kurosawa) and most compellingly, Black Rain in 1995. Of course, Hollywood wouldn't make a Hiroshima film yet, unless you count Dr Strangelove.

Incidentally, by not noting these films made by the Japanese, you prove your own point by its' negation - the Japanese made the films about the atom bombs because they were most affected by them, and had they not, their children might not have visual memory of the event.

I will not see WTC. I have no need. I've seen the real thing.

That's my attitude about this, United 93 and other 9/11 related pieces of "entertainment." It's just too soon and unseemly for me. A big CGI disaster flick of Katrina would also not have any appeal.

And to your comments about the various bio-pics and other "inspired by actual events" type movies, I think it depends on the film, the timeframe and how events are portrayed. Walk the Line is as much a "he said, she said" type movie where it's almost impossible to hone into a singular truth. Everyone involved experienced events differently, and probably have their own ways of remembering those events years later.

The "copy" as you call these type movies is first and foremost, a work of entertainment, and viewed in that light, it can introduce new fans to Cash, and present those they represent in a more accessible way. I think it's up to the viewer to remember to distinguish reality from a stylized, altered "for dramatic purposes" account.

Truth is, fiction changed is still only a differently shaped fiction. Reality changed is a lie, even if well-lit and well-intentioned.

Temple, you are the master of the well-stated truth. I hadn't really verbalized why I felt so uneasy about these "rush to portray" films, but you've put your finger on it - I knew people who died (and people who survived) the WTC's collapse on 9/11. I have NO desire to see any of them "portrayed" by an extra in order to make money, fame or political points for Oliver Stone and the studio.

DrP, I thought you were dead. Or at least blog-dead. I have Paper Frigate blogrolled but hadn't checked back, I guess since June 18.

On this, DKb and DrP, it's not even that it's specifically 9-11, though I guess by proximity it serves the point best. I am / we are still living the direct repercussions. I wonder how this film will play in New York?

i did just think of Blackhawk Down. ... Hmmm?

Dr.P -- I usually try and "reward" those who make it to the end of one of my articles, with something that attempts to encapsulate all that went before it. Oh and I like words. Thanks.

Aaman, I'm sure there are other venues to learn about history then blockbusters. I'm not a film buff. To the best of my recollection there hadn't been any films about the bomb, though I was thinking of serious "replay-the-day, put-up-the-tent-for-the-event" takes, rather than Dr. Strangelove, serious in its own way. I also wondered about but wasn't going to research the history of film for foreign films on the subject.

I caved in and saw World Trade Center tonight. I was touched by it, but something just didn't seem to be right. It really did seem too close to the event and I give Oliver Stone credit for doing something different. It was a good film, but I can't pin down why I wasn't completely "blown away" by it.

I feel if the feature is well made, has some sincerity of purpose, possess an element of well-meaning intention, retains a respect towards the tragedy, it will be worth watching.

Sandra, glad to get the perspective of someone who saw it. Yesterday's terror threats will likely make people less welcoming of the artiface of the movie.

Mayank, All those things do make the film more likely to be good, but don't address why i have no desire to see the film and others like it.