On the Screen

The article explores the general theme of historization in regard to the visual representation of 9/11 in U.S. popular culture. The main thesis is that Hollywood and U.S. television were the foremost cultural apparatuses for coping with 9/11-an event that had effectively shattered the symbolic coordinates of prevailing American reality. After some initial probing in 2002 (25th Hour, The Guys), a direct exploration of 9/11 finally emerged in 2005-6, when two major feature films (United 93 and World Trade Center) and a string of TV dramas addressed its background and aftermath. In the years since, the focus has shifted further-to the war in Iraq, the progress of the global war on terror, and the role of the United States in international affairs. Yet 9/11 remains a reference, mainly on the emotional level (The Great New Wonderful, Reign over Me, Remember Me, and Dear John

Art history · Hollywood · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Reign · Sociology · Terrorism · War on terror · World trade center · Comics and Graphic Narratives · Computer Science · Gothic Literature and Media Analysis · History · Law · Rhetoric and Communication Studies