If so.. what did you think? I thought it was very well done.. Brought a tear to me eye

The moment that got me the most was when that fire fighter said as they were digging through the rubble, that they were digging through 200+ stories of an office building - and there were no chairs, no desks, no telephones. The most recognizable thing he found was a quarter of a telephone keypad. So how as he to find a living person?

Still, I give kudos to CBS for showing this.

I watched most of it ... some of it was just too gruesome for me to watch.

The thuds really got to me ... the firefighters were saying that every few seconds you would hear somebody fall.

well I was talking to someone this morning who saw most of it from another building, and she was saying that people's clothes were litterally burned off of them.

Then men and women would hold hands and jump.

I missed it

My wife and I accidentally strolled onto the channel. It was very well done, it sent chills down our spines watching the tragedy unfold.

I thought it was fantastically done. They could have very easy turned it into something exploitative.

I taped it to keep.

-Brian

NO

I would rather (and did) watch the new Def Leppard documentary on VH-1 and then Weakest Link with WWF stars.

No. Network television repackaging a six-month old tragedy so they can use that explosion footage yet again.

Nope. I chose to watch HBO's Sunday lineup instead.

I actually thought it was very well done. At first I wanted to change the channel, because I am pretty sick of the american band-wagon, but it was very real. I was very impressed with the fact that they did not edit the language or the sounds of people jumping.

You're completely mischaracterizing the documentary, but what else to expect from somebody who is criticizing something they haven't even seen. There was a lot of previously unseen footage of the firefighters inside ground zero.

It was amazing stuff, very bone-chilling. I couldn't sleep last night just thinking about it.

I fell asleep after the brothers were reunited (filming brothers). It was pretty good though.

-daveninja.com

I forgot it was on but was watching 6 Feet Under anyway.

We switched over to it midstream but we had trouble getting
into it since we didn't know the context of what we were watching.

You're completely off base here, Groucho. Out of the 120 minute documentary, only 117 minutes were previously unseen. If you call 99% "a lot" ... oh wait ... nevermind ... you're right on target. This was incredible television, and to be blunt, anyone who claims it was sensationalism or exploitation just doesn't know what the screw they're talking about.

Kudos to everyone involved, from CBS for not making it cheesy to Nextel for not running a single "ad" during the whole thing. I kept expecting some Dennis Franz commercial to remove me from the drama periodically, but their "breaks" in the documentary were brief (a simple "sponsored by Nextel" message) and focussed on relief funds.

das

does anyone know if they are going to re-air it? or does anyone have it on tape that would be willing to B&P it to me? my frickin TIVO didn't record it last night, even though I specifically told it to do so... insolant bastard......

My expectations were much higher for this documentary. Most of the lobby footage was shots of bewildered firemen wondering what to do next? He got no footage of firemen going up the stairwell or coming down. Nor interviews of the survivors streaming out. He didn't even follow the rookie out to ground zero. I think it captured some moments of a historic event but the definitive documentary of the events of 9/11 has not been made yet.

As a sidebar- These were all brave men. Put in the same situation, I would've been cowering in a corner crying for my mommy.

I was infuriated by the comment earlier by someone who said they didn't watch it because it was an excuse for a network to package and exploit the footage we've all seen, then I saw a few of you responded and summed up my thoughts exactly.

This was one of the best, well-produced documentaries I have seen on *any* subject. I thought it did a stellar job capturing the stories of the firefighters on that day, their confusion and lack of information, concern for one another, and courage. The story of the French brothers was also amazing, and I was moved to tears at seeing the brothers embrace back at the firehouse and the one brother breaking down and sobbing. I thought the first 25 minutes of setting up some of the principals involved, the work the brothers were doing, etc. was also well done.

I didn't find it gruesome at all. The sound of the bodies hitting was disturbing, but I think it was a necessary reminder of the human tragedy and brutality of the situation going on all around these guys. Keeping the language intact was also very appropriate, and I commend CBS for having the courage to keep from censoring it out.

This is definitely a program I will save for my son. No other newspaper or videotape I have about 9/11 conveyed the human side of what was going on in NYC that day better than this program.

I watched, and my heart broke all over again. My SO thought I was morbid for wanting to see this, but I told him I needed it. And I did. It's easy for someone like me here in Atlanta, a world away from NY, to go on with life. I think about 9/11, but I still just went on. This helped me to remember the shock, awe, anger, & sadness that all followed that horrible day. I think that CBS & the producers did a wonderful job with the show.


They are gone, but not forgotten.... forever......

I would wager these guys were under the strictest of instructions not to dare go anywhere they weren't explicitly instructed to go. At that point they weren't making a documentary ... they were just two guys with cameras. Like he said, "to my right there were two people on fire, and I just couldn't bring myself to film it. No one should have to see that." Once he entered the lobby of that building, he became a civilian rescue worker. Do what you're told and stay the hell out of the way.

Frankly, I was impressed at the resolve these guys showed not to exploit the situation. Had he attempted to get into that stairwell or interview people trying to get out on that second floor, he would have endangered people's lives. At some point, the "story" isn't that important.

And the other guy didn't follow the rookie, because he was looking for surgical gloves to help out. Part of what I enjoyed about that presentation was the humanity of these two filmmakers. They weren't firefighters. They were filmmakers. And yet they still knew when to film and when to grab a bucket and help out.

das

All I have to say is: Thank god this wasn't a Michael Bay directed and Jerry Bruckheimer produced documentary.

I was moved when neither of the brothers knew if the other was dead or not, and they still persevered, and kept filming because being witness to history requires personal sacrifice.

The thuds of the bodies will be something that I will never forget. The sheer desperation of the act totally paints the picture for me.

To each his own I guess. I can't see how anyone could watch this and not be transfixed. What a well done documentary of the biggest story in our lives (so far). This was not exploitation at all.
It was a touching story about some very very brave men.

My sis was in building one (got out) so obviously I was a little more interested in watching this. I'm glad I did.

Even though I taped it and will probably burn it to DVD-R down the road, I hope they release it on DVD with the profits going to the Firefighters scholarship fund. I'd buy it because it's compelling history.

me too

The footage you're hoping for doesn't exist. This event wasn't staged for cameras. The fact that the footage that we have exists is a miracle for those who feel the need to see for themselves a little bit of what went on. There will be no more in depth documentary than this one. Maybe someone will splice in Tom Brokaw talking about it but for actual footage of the heroes at work, what you see in this film is the real deal and there isn't anything else (except for more footage the brothers have in the can)

I missed it. I wonder if they will reshow it any time.