Rating: 
Summary: From Rise to Fall
Review: Although I was only a few miles away from the WTC on that dreadful day, I was spared watching the disaster unfold. Like many New Yorkers, it took me a couple of years to even begin to look at the videos surrounding the event. The first thing I watched was Ric Burns' final episode to his NEW YORK documentary. Because I had seen the previous seven parts, and had loved them, I knew this subject would be in good hands, and it was. What makes this documentary unique is the amount of time it spends on the political, economic, and architectural wrangling that went on before the towers went up. The story of its construction is an amazing tale all its own. Burns uses aerialist Philippe Petit's stunt back in the 70s as a kind of humanizing effect to the buildings' superhuman size. Of course, this makes the inevitable outcome even more devestating. Mr. Burns has adroitly used an extraordinary amount of photos and footage, and the interviews bridging them are all expertly selected. Some of them were astonishingly moving. I never before thought that former Mayor Koch could be so feeling. In any event, this is a documentary that will probably make all other documentaries superfluous, with the exception of WORLD TRADE CENTER-ANATOMY OF A COLLAPSE which handles the more technical details. This is a terrific and befitting conclusion to Ric Burns' astounding documentary.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful images create a fitting tribute
Review: Having felt, like many, that I had seen every take on the story of the World Trade Center and Sept. 11 I wasn't exactly looking for this film. In fact, I only found this film when I paused my surfing of the news channels to see what was on Maryland Public Television. But within a few minutes I found myself drawn deeply into the story. Burns has done a masterful job of weaving the history of the WTC buildings and the broader history of New York as the financial "Center of the World." Poetic, moving and beautifully told, this wonderful film is his best work yet. Since I missed the first half hour when I caught it on TV, I immediately bought the DVD and am glad I did. I have watched the film through several times and remain completely engaged with every viewing and have even watched the bonus material (something I rarely bother with). I am already thinking of who to share this with as a gift. One last quick note, I read one review here that complained about strange cropping of the images and interviewees names being cut off. I can only imagine that that reviewer's player must have been incorrectly set to widescreen instead of letter-boxed and they were viewing on a standard 4x3 television so they lost the left and right sides of the image due to the improper settings. I experienced none of this (the film appears as letterboxed on my standard 4x3 television) and remain impressed with this beautiful and moving film.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful images create a fitting tribute
Review: Having felt, like many, that I had seen every take on the story of the World Trade Center and Sept. 11 I wasn't exactly looking for this film. In fact, I only found this film when I paused my surfing of the news channels to see what was on Maryland Public Television. But within a few minutes I found myself drawn deeply into the story. Burns has done a masterful job of weaving the history of the WTC buildings and the broader history of New York as the financial "Center of the World." Poetic, moving and beautifully told, this wonderful film is his best work yet. Since I missed the first half hour when I caught it on TV, I immediately bought the DVD and am glad I did. I have watched the film through several times and remain completely engaged with every viewing and have even watched the bonus material (something I rarely bother with). I am already thinking of who to share this with as a gift. One last quick note, I read one review here that complained about strange cropping of the images and interviewees names being cut off. I can only imagine that that reviewer's player must have been incorrectly set to widescreen instead of letter-boxed and they were viewing on a standard 4x3 television so they lost the left and right sides of the image due to the improper settings. I experienced none of this (the film appears as letterboxed on my standard 4x3 television) and remain impressed with this beautiful and moving film.
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary film
Review: I was there. Half a mile away. Saw the whole damn thing. I was on the street within 2 or 3 minutes of the first plane hitting. I saw the second plane hit tower 2. No matter what you saw on TV, you can't imagine. It was a day of extraordinary power and emotion, fear, sorrow and loss, surreal - the knowledge that you'd seen something as profound as the JFK assination, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Epic in scale, gobal in impact, yet inherently intimate. Your own personal disaster movie. Even still, This Ric Burns film is an amazing thing. It's just great. I've watched it a dozen times and I don't get tired of it - the writing, the music, the history, the wisdom - the personal feelings of a diverse and meaningful group of New Yorkers. It's historic, epic, emotional - up to the task of documenting the impact of 9/11 on New York. It represents all the things that make New York great: ambition, literacy, reflection, humanity, wonder, perspective. The use of Philippe Petit - the French high wire man - as a linking device...was inspired. A stunning thing.
Rating:
Summary: An extraordinary film
Review: I was there. Half a mile away. Saw the whole damn thing. I was on the street within 2 or 3 minutes of the first plane hitting. I saw the second plane hit tower 2. No matter what you saw on TV, you can't imagine. It was a day of extraordinary power and emotion, fear, sorrow and loss, surreal - the knowledge that you'd seen something as profound as the JFK assination, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Epic in scale, gobal in impact, yet inherently intimate. Your own personal disaster movie. Even still, This Ric Burns film is an amazing thing. It's just great. I've watched it a dozen times and I don't get tired of it - the writing, the music, the history, the wisdom - the personal feelings of a diverse and meaningful group of New Yorkers. It's historic, epic, emotional - up to the task of documenting the impact of 9/11 on New York. It represents all the things that make New York great: ambition, literacy, reflection, humanity, wonder, perspective. The use of Philippe Petit - the French high wire man - as a linking device...was inspired. A stunning thing.
Rating:
Summary: Superb history of the WTC
Review: It's hard to say if this is the best segment of Ric Burns' documentary on New York City, it's so good that it stands apart as a separate work. From the initial planning to the destruction and aftermath, it covers the history of the WTC splendidly. The portion on Philippe Petit and his highwire walk between the towers is especially noteworthy.
Rating:
Summary: EXCERPT of a DVD Review by Paul Russell from DVD Angle
Review: Review by PAUL RUSSELL excerpted from DVD ANGLE web site "There are many ways this documentary could have been handled. Without question, Ric Burns and his crew achieved something to be proud of. New York: The Center of the World - Episode 8 recounts the actions of the men who saw the revitalization of lower Manhattan from the post-war days in 1946 to the destruction of the Twin Towers some forty-five years later. It should be noted that this episode does contain material that may not be suitable for all ages. Some of the footage from 9/11 is undaunting and may be quite disturbing, and parents should view the program before deciding if their children should see it." "In regards to the DVD itself, PBS has done another fine job. This title certainly deserves being added to their prestigious series, just as much as it deserves to be owned by DVD-enthusiasts everywhere. The inclusion of the interview with Ric Burns and the extended interview segments push this disc into the realm of a "must see" DVD. The content is the focus here and, although the picture and sound quality are less than perfect, there's no arguing that this is a great DVD."
Rating: 
Summary: A logical end to the Series
Review: Ric Burns gives us the final chapter in his masterpiece series New York: A Documentary Film. Indeed, it is more the history of the World Trade Center, leading up to the tragic events of September 11. In this way, it is more like a stand alone documentary about the W.T.C., than it is the end of the history of New York series. It chronicles the construction of the towers. Somehow, to me this feels much less compelling than the masterful section of disc 5 of the Series, which chronicles the competition between the construction of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State. However, even though anyone who can operate a DVD player knows the inevitable conclusion, it is incredibly troubling (even painful) to watch, and as another reviewer says, it is almost impossible to turn away form the screen. As another reviewer has correctly said, it is still painful to watch. I did give this only four stars, though, because while this was indeed a epoch - switching event, there was an AWFUL lot of New York history in between the late sixties and 2001 which I think
was given the short end of the stick in Vol. 8. The decline of the City after its pre-WWII preeminence, the turbulence of the decade of the sixties and the anti-war movement, the racial awareness and concomitant strife, the ravages of drug proliferation, welfare reliance and then somehow the resurgence of New York economically in the '90's were too briefly touched upon in Vol. 7 and I think could have explored here in greater detail. I think that few would assert that until 9-11, the W.T.C. would not have merited such attention. But given the context of this single cataclysmic event which it did chronicle, perhaps I judge too harshly... There are fewer characters presented than in the rest of the series, including former Governor Cuomo, Former Mayor Koch (staggeringly poignant in his description an encounter with the family of a 9-11 victim) and still-journalist Pete Hamill (it seems to me that he has aged a ton since the earlier episodes). We are still way too close to the event to be able to determine the long term effect on New York, America or the world. Nonetheless, this is a fitting end to the Series.
Rating:
Summary: A logical end to the Series
Review: Ric Burns gives us the final chapter in his masterpiece series New York: A Documentary Film. Indeed, it is more the history of the World Trade Center, leading up to the tragic events of September 11. In this way, it is more like a stand alone documentary about the W.T.C., than it is the end of the history of New York series. It chronicles the construction of the towers. Somehow, to me this feels much less compelling than the masterful section of disc 5 of the Series, which chronicles the competition between the construction of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State. However, even though anyone who can operate a DVD player knows the inevitable conclusion, it is incredibly troubling (even painful) to watch, and as another reviewer says, it is almost impossible to turn away form the screen. As another reviewer has correctly said, it is still painful to watch. I did give this only four stars, though, because while this was indeed a epoch - switching event, there was an AWFUL lot of New York history in between the late sixties and 2001 which I think
was given the short end of the stick in Vol. 8. The decline of the City after its pre-WWII preeminence, the turbulence of the decade of the sixties and the anti-war movement, the racial awareness and concomitant strife, the ravages of drug proliferation, welfare reliance and then somehow the resurgence of New York economically in the '90's were too briefly touched upon in Vol. 7 and I think could have explored here in greater detail. I think that few would assert that until 9-11, the W.T.C. would not have merited such attention. But given the context of this single cataclysmic event which it did chronicle, perhaps I judge too harshly... There are fewer characters presented than in the rest of the series, including former Governor Cuomo, Former Mayor Koch (staggeringly poignant in his description an encounter with the family of a 9-11 victim) and still-journalist Pete Hamill (it seems to me that he has aged a ton since the earlier episodes). We are still way too close to the event to be able to determine the long term effect on New York, America or the world. Nonetheless, this is a fitting end to the Series.
Rating:
Summary: Poignant history of the beleaguered towers.
Review: Ric Burns' history of the World Trade Center acts as a wonderful eulogy to a pair of buidings that were equally loved and loathed by the denizens of New York City. By sharing the hubris, the ego and the backdoor business dealing that allowed the towers to rise from Lower Manhattan in the first place, it presents a much needed context to their unfortunate destruction. What is even more spectacular is the humanistic elements Mr. Burns infuses to what could otherwise be a harsh and morbid subject matter. The chapter on Phillipe Petit alone expresses the importance of these skyscrapers in our undying attempt to rise to lofty heights of achievement.
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