аЯрЁБс > ўџ 6 8 ўџџџ 5 џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС q` №П ( bjbjqPqP 42 : : џџ џџ џџ Є О О О О О О О в v v v v в Ћ Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ * , , , , , , $ h P О Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ P О О Њ Њ e Њ в О Њ О Њ * Њ * О О Њ XЕ§&Ц v | * { 0 Ћ Ћ Ћ Ћ О Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ Њ P P Њ Њ Њ Ћ Њ Њ Њ Њ в в в Є v в в в v в в в О О О О О О џџџџ OLIVER STONE s SEPTEMBER 11TH Two policemen lay trapped under the rubble of the Twin Towers. Exclusive access to the set of a movie that will shock America. The set is located in Playa Vista, a suburb of Los Angeles. Outside the huge hangars where aviator Howard Hughes created his Spruce Goose, we find the reconstructed debris of what was left after the Twin Towers collapse on 9/11. In the near distance, damaged fire trucks and police vehicles lay covered with a thick layer of fake ash made from ultra lightweight paper. Entering the hangar that was converted into a huge sound stage, we can admire the perfect copy of the lobby of Tower 2, the first one to fall, 102 minutes after the attack. Inside, special effects technicians are working on making a pillar bend and implode under the imaginary weight of millions of tons of steel and cement. The noise is deafening. The images carry a strong symbolic value, evoking a recent tragedy, and the start of a new era. LEspresso visited the set of World Trade Center, the movie dedicated to September 11th, which Oliver Stone has been shooting in the past weeks. The Oscar-nominated 59-year old director has already dealt with history: we all remember Platoon, JFK and Nixon. This time Stone will focus on two policemen from New Yorks Port Authority, Sergeant John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and Will Jimeno (Michael Pena). As soon as they learned of the attack, the two men rushed to the burning Twin Towers to help evacuate the people trapped inside. But they ended up trapped themselves, still inside the building when it came down. The Paramount production, whose work started last October and is due out in August (exterior shots in New York and inside shots at Playa Vista), will follow the distressing waiting game endured by the agents families (their wives are played by Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhall), as well as the efforts of the rescuers who found the men in the rubble and saved their lives (only 20 people survived the towers destruction, which claimed nearly 2,800 victims). Stones movie, written by Andrea Berloff, is based on a very detailed reconstruction of the events as well as on McLoughlin and Jimenos testimony; it will end with the two agents, John and Will, thanking their colleagues, doctors and ordinary people during a ceremony that took place in New York six months after the towers devastation. Despite Stones previous movies flop (Alexander), Paramount decided to entrust the director with a comparable budget (around 80 million dollars) to make this movie. We met Stone on the L.A. set, during a break from his work. Mr. Stone, what was your spirit in dealing with the events of September 11th? I kind of developed a Buddhist attitude: the movie is first of all a spiritual meditation on death, on lifes frailty, on the miracle of breathing and on the idea that a man can be at his best during the most dramatic events. I tried to deal with the story with the utmost honesty: the film revolves around two good men and their struggle for survival and I deal with them with the greatest respect. My movie is realistic and concise: two skyscrapers, two men; two souls buried under the appalling debris. Two people convinced they would stay there forever. I tell the story of the relationship developing between two men who hardly know each other, a relationship that will keep them alive. A metaphor? Maybe. Human relationships as essential for survival. Does the movie also underline a mans heroism and his spirit of sacrifice? Certainly, but it hints at this subject without rhetoric. More than once these men went beyond the boundary of death. They would have died but for their courage. I mean before and after the collapse. Does the film arouse any controversy? This was not my intention. This movie is a sort of celluloid monument to those who died and those who came to help. But what I was really eager to tell is the story of what happened to these two men in their darkest hour, inside that black hole. Its like descending to hell and coming back to life. Its like the story of Atlas, who had to hold the sky on his shoulders: a gigantic weight. But then, luckily, Ades darkness was cut by a ray of light. Berloffs script does not speak about politics or terrorism. Its only concerned with the human vicissitudes. Did you agree with her? Yes, I liked the script just the way it was. For months the producers hedged a little before giving it to me, for they feared I would turn it into a political Towering Inferno, although not all of my movies have been political. I also did a film on football (Any Given Sunday), and a film on Wall Street. I did romance, epic stories and biographies. And a trash- thriller entitled U-Turn. Nevertheless you always give something more to your movies a sort of provocation This is true, but you cant say that theres a political subtext in this movie. These two men, my protagonists, are not at all concerned with politics. They did not even know about the terrorist attack. So, theres no politics at all? A political view may emerge when I highlight the virtues of the American working class as represented by the two policemen. Only these people really help each other; solidarity in America only exists among the working class. Where were you on September 11th 2001? In Los Angeles, where I live, although I was born and raised in New York. I immediately felt a sense of nausea and numbness as I realized that nothing would ever again be like it used to be. I felt the same when I heard about JFKs assassination. World Trade Center is a movie mostly set inside a black hole. Was it claustrophobic for you? Very. I hate the feeling of crawling underground. That was the most difficult thing about the movie. To have to shoot in a very limited space, in a real hole. Nicolas Cage owns five huge mansions. I told him This is your new home, youll be staying in this place for two months. From a technical point of view, how were you able to shoot in a hole? We are using a new type of lens called Melene, enabling us to focus on one single element among many on the same level. I think its going to work well. John and Will go through three different phases: the comprehension of being buried alive; the moment when they are about to give up living; and final salvation. Its a little like shooting a movie in a submarine: its necessary for the audience to feel the same claustrophobia suffered by the two leading actors. You also shot in New York It was the beginning of the Fall season, the city was full of beautiful colours, but the authorities denied us the permission to shoot too close to Ground Zero. The extras were even told not to look up in the sky and express sorrow. Very strange rules, almost surreal, created not to offend the people of downtown Manhattan who were there that day. This means that after all these years, the memory of those who fell from the Towers is still very traumatic. But Id like to make clear that all these things are not in my movie. Will you use archive footage of September 11th? Yes, but not for entertainment purposes. In order to show a family agonizingly waiting for any news about loved ones involved in the disaster, we had to show TV footage; not doing it would have been very artificial. Other movies about September 11th are being planned and will be produced and distributed in the future; do you think the American people are ready to relive or at least remember that day? When I think about this I always ask myself: who the hell are we to say how America should remember this or that? The problem is that America is dominated by the thought police. The media tell us what we should think of Russia, of China, of the whole world. Too much television, too much information filtered through the small screen and normalized is turning people to a shapeless mass. But going back to your question, I say: not only America, but the entire world must remember. Forty percent of the victims at the World Trade Center were foreigners. It was an international tragedy and mine is an international movie. Ё L Q ] Љ В Г Е Ч Ы б о р Њ П Т б Њ § Ы ь Я і ё P k Б ! Ѕ! З# ч# Т$ d% e% ~% ( ѓыпыгыгыЧОЧОЧОЧОЧыЧОЧыЧыЧыЧыЧыЧыЧыЧыЧыВОВы hUј h]\ 5mHsHh]\ 5mHsHh