ITALY: Venice audience gives thumbs up to Oliver Stone film "World Trade Center"

Oliver Stone's 'World Trade Center', which follows the story of two real life police officers who were trapped under the smoking rubble of the collapsed Twin Towers for 12 hours in the September 11 attacks, premiered to Venice Film Festival on Friday (September 1). The film received mostly positive reviews from the audience seeing it for the first time Around 3000 people lost their lives when terrorists crashed two jet airliners into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Stone believes it is important to hear the story of the two men - police officers Sergeant John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno both of whom (and their wives) accompanied him to the Venice Film Festival. With the fifth anniversary of the September 11 attacks only days away, Stone was asked whether he thought people were ready for a movie of such emotional charge. The director said he believed some would surprised be overall hopeful tone of the movie. "If anything it surprises people because it's a positive movie coming from me at a time when ...and I think that's how it's always been, I've been a bit of a contrarian, I think at a time when there's so much darkness, it's time to put out light," the said. The film stars Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage as McLoughlin and Michael Pena as Jimeno, the two Port Authority Police Department officers who were recovered alive from the rubble. The men were two of the 20 people rescued from underneath the remains of the two buildings. Cage was not in Venice but John and Donna McLoughlin spoke of how 9/11 has affected them: "As I was watching I was more worried as the day went on and just not hearing form John I could understand why I didn't hear from him but just being down there was so chaotic and trying to help people I knew that he would be doing that but I think when I saw my brother-in-law come I think that's when I knew that something was up that he was ready to tell me", said Donna. John added the effects of the September 11 attacks are never far from their lives. "The anniversary for us is no special day, we live with 9/11 every day, with my injuries and disabilities we have to , we have reminders every day of 9/11. the anniversary is just another day to us," he said. 'World Trade Center' opened to positive feedback at the festival, with some audience members visibly moved by the film. "The gist of it (that I like) and which goes for all disasters is that it's worth saving one person even if thousands have died," said one audience member, a police officer himself. "I am moved , the whole film moved me," said one woman, also a police officer, wiping away tears. The film opens across Europe on September 29. ENDS.

ITN Source | September 4, 2006

Tags:. .received. .ive. .form. .remains. .winner