WATCH: Oliver Stone on recreating Ground Zero.

Contrary to the conspiracy thriller that many expected, Oliver Stone's World Trade Center was a "sombre, personal...and respectful" account of the 9/11 attacks. Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena star as two cops battling for survival in the wreckage, but the earnest tone didn't sit well with everyone. Interestingly, filmgoers mostly stayed away in the US, which was also the case for United 93.

Building Up From Ground Zero

Nine deleted scenes hint at the constant battle Stone was facing to keep the film from getting bogged down in saccharine sentiment. One sequence finds John McLoughlin (Cage) looking at the ghost of himself while another hears from a paramedic as he tries to buoy John's spirits with recollections of his father. But it's the 'flashback to a barbecue' that really tips the scale. "It's kind of stupid," admits Stone as we watch a soft-focus image of Cage flipping burgers in a garish, stripy apron with Mrs McLoughlin (Maria Bellow) gazing at him wistfully...

In his commentary for the main feature, Stone talks about the politics that threatened to scupper the New York shoot. Apparently, Mayor Blumberg didn't want the "controversy" that might arise with Stone recreating the dust clouds and falling debris in lower Manhattan so soon after the real event. Stone also gives a broader insight into his working methods and admits that, "Directing is hard for me because I love to be alone." Those who doubt the film's veracity can tune into an alternative track with the real-life survivors and rescuers. The staging of events is obviously uncomfortably accurate (McLoughlin does not participate) although Will Jimeno insists, "It was actually worse down there."

The 'Making Of' documentary reveals why Stone gave Cage and Pena more room in the rubble as opposed to the reality of the situation. Quite simply, the cameras needed room for manoeuvre and Stone was afraid to make the film too claustrophobic. Of course, the lighting (or lack of it) was also a problem. In the featurette Building Ground Zero, we see how the production team went about creating a jigsaw puzzle set that could be deconstructed and reconstructed according to the needs of a scene. It's a testament to the crew's meticulous attention to detail that Jimeno and McLoughlin are overcome by the spectacle. "It's a little unnerving," says McLoughlin (although he can barely speak). Another featurette on visual effects shows how Ground Zero was recreated to exact specifications using stock footage, photographs and computer technology.

Pride Of New York

"It's definitely apolitical," says the director in a brief Q+A session, but later adds that this is not due to "a lack of ambition". He insists that politics would have interfered with the basic story of human endurance, but also adds that World Trade Center is "the basis" for another film he wants to make about the ramifications of 9/11. In the featurette Oliver Stone's New York, the director revisits places in the city that echo from his childhood. He remarks more than once that "It wasn't a warm city" - the implication being that 9/11 encouraged Manhattanites to be more sensitive to each other's feelings.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly, a short documentary allows Jimeno and McLoughlin (along with colleagues and family members) to recount the horrific events of September 11th without interruption. This film mightn't be Oliver Stone's finest hour, but for those who survived that ordeal and certainly for those who didn't, this Commemorative DVD is worthy of note.

EXTRA FEATURES

WATCH: Oliver Stone on recreating Ground Zero.

World Trade Center: Commemorative Edition DVD is released on Monday 29th January 2007.