Recently, a New York City theater manager pulled the movie trailer for “United 93.” The film is about the plane that went down on September 11 in Pennsylvania. It tells the story of the passengers, crew and their families involved in the tragedy.
Ed Board thinks it’s too soon for any films about 9/11 to be shown in New York City and supports the theater manager’s decision. After the trailer ended, many people were emotionally upset by it. While we support freedom of expression, we can’t help but point out that only four years have passed since terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Not a good time to show this film.
Some of us on Ed Board have seen the trailer and didn’t think twice about how sensitive of an issue this is for so many people who either lost someone or knew someone who was deeply affected by 9/11. But, then again, we weren’t in New York City on the day of the attacks and are unable to empathize with those who were greatly affected by this tragedy. When we put ourselves in the shoes of those New Yorkers, we realize how hurtful seeing that trailer might be.
Sure, a lot of movies about sensitive topics like war, terrorism and tragedy have appeared on the big screen in recent years. But, this is different. For heaven’s sake, the World Trade Center site hasn’t even been completed yet! Not only that, but we are still involved in a war directly related to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
Think more recent. This would be similar to showing a movie about Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans before the levees had been built. Plain and simple, it’s just not a good idea and it’s a slap in the face to those who were directly involved.
People need time to heal from large-scale tragedies and Ed Board feels four years is not enough. The movie “Pearl Harbor” came out decades after the attacks.
Wise up Universal, and save our country some grief. Don’t you have enough money already? You’ll only be making a buck at the cost of other people’s anguish.
The trailer is showing at 3,000 screens across the United States, and the movie premiers on April 28. We don’t know if we’ll be able to pay for a ticket, but Ed Board suggests you bring a box of tissues if you can brave the theater.