With the 9/11 anniversary around the corner, US news network CNN has commenced airing a special ‘America Remembers’ under its programme band 'CNN Perspectives'.

The programme starts with anchor Larry King comparing 9/11 to the day JFK was shot. The action then shifts to the CNN Centre where the day began as a normal one turning into a chaotic time as reports started coming through about the first plane crash, with people trying to get information on the radio and elsewhere.

The background score makes for a reflective and pensive mood with times when the documentary plays like a thriller. The scenes where the White House staff are frantically trying to get President Bush to safety in Air Force One and those of people running from the Pentagon crash site are particularly well handled.

The images, some of which have not been seen before, are incredible. The scenes involving a snow cloud of debris enveloping buildings surround the WTC give the documentary a grainy feel. In addition, correspondents like Kate Snow, Christiane Amanpour, Paula Zahn and Aaron Brown succeed in conveying to the viewer the initial reactions of the people hit for the first time with such a major catastrophe.

On the flip side, a sense of perspective is conspicuous by its absence. A person interviewed on the show is quoted as saying that it was difficult trying to make sense of the attacks - the documentary does not help in that direction either. It remains at the simplistic and vague root of chasing evil a la ‘Spiderman’, but considering that a whole year has passed, it could have gone further by touching upon issues such as why the US did not act months earlier when the authorities had information about Bin Laden and his outfit. More disappointingly, there is just a brief shot of Pakistan president General Pervez Musharraf expressing sympathy, without the documentary delving into the country's close ties with the militants.

The documentary shifts focus to Afghanistan and shows footage of US strikes and people celebrating the fall of the Taliban. It is uplifting to see their situation improved but it would have been better to have an insight into the motivations behind the events, which are connected to the US’ foreign policy, particularly with reference to the Israel-Palestine situation. What New York mayor Rudolf Guiliani and President Bush had to say has been documented repeatedly in news items in the past and so for the most part, the documentary treads familiar ground.

The film is most effective when it conveys the sense of paranoia and uncertainty gripping the city like the bomb scare, which saw the Senate

building being evacuated. It also adeptly portrays the resilience and calm with which New Yorkers dealt with the situation in the days after the attacks despite the death and missing person tolls rising. It also brings out the fact that the US sought solidarity and a coalition from other countries only after it was attacked.

The programme goes on to show a few cases of anthrax attacks in US postal departments and media outlets and also airs parts of two tapes aired on Al Jazeera where Bin Laden is featured. The second one sees him being congratulated for having the nerve to kill so many Americans. In a twist of irony, exclusive footage introduces us to John Walker Lindh, an American believed to have been working in the Taliban.

The film concludes with a witness saying that the country would be on alert indefinitely and that it would be difficult to protect all important areas like nuclear plants and chemical factories all the time. Certainly a programme worth checking out for those who wish to have their memories jogged by the most significant event of last year.