Airing Wednesday, Sept. 16, on ABC, the two-hour documentary Notre-Dame: Our Lady of Paris goes minute-by-minute with the devasting fire at the medieval cathedral on April 15, 2019 — the day after Palm Sunday that year — and along the way, captures the humanity of the firefighters and the enduring soul of the City of Lights.
The producers and directors are the French-born brother team of Jules and Gédéon Naudet, who grew up from teenagers in New York City and are U.S. citizens.
Previously, the Naudets Documented the 9/11 Attacks in New York City
By chance, both happened to be filming a documentary about a probationary NYFD firefighter in Lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001. Their staggering you-are-there film of the terrorist attacks and their aftermath — Jules captured the only known footage of the first hijacked airliner hitting the World Trade Center — became a two-hour CBS special called 9/11, which aired in March 2002.
Also, in December 2007, CBS aired In God’s Name, featuring the Naudet brothers’ interviews with world religious leaders, including Pope Benedict XVI.
Returning to Paris to Document Notre-Dame
Now the brothers have returned to their French roots with Notre-Dame: Our Lady of Paris, a two-hour film that features interviews with the firefighters, government officials, the rector of the cathedral, architects and historians. It’s knitted together from the interview footage, news reports, cameraphone footage and beautiful animations that open up the inner structure of the cathedral, the cornerstone for which was laid in 1160 A.D.
The Naudets give room for everyone to breathe, as bits of the firefighters’ personalities come out — especially a female rookie for whom this was her first real fire — along with the pain and befuddlement of the rector, Monsignor Patrick Chauvet, who seemed in danger of collapse himself.
The most heart-pounding moments are when firefighters seem trapped in a staircase, with a stuck door in front of them, and fire behind them; the mad rush to prevent the giant bells from falling and taking the facade with them; and the Keystone Kops initial efforts to retrieve the Crown of Thorns and other treasures.
Everyone speaks in French, so the film has added voiceover translation, and I can’t help but feel that takes away from the emotion and nuance of what is being said.
I watched the screener on Saturday, Sept. 12. I had planned to watch it on Friday, Sept 11, but there was a technical delay. That meant that I had plenty of time to see 9/11 memories, think again about that day — and watch coverage of the fires scorching the entire West Coast — before watching Notre-Dame: Our Lady of Paris.
The Fire Next Time
And just a couple of weeks ago, I watched Ron Howard’s Rebuilding Paradise, about the wildfire that leveled the California town of Paradise the November before Notre -Dame burned.
Watching the Naudets’ film, it was like Sept. 11, 2001, November 2018, April 2019, and pretty much all of 2020 — virus and death and cities rocked by upheaval and arson — blurred together into a single hellscape.
Suddenly, on my TV, there again were the licking, roaring, relentless flames, billowing black and orange plumes, smoke-filled skies (like the ones above me in Los Angeles right now), burning towers — the two towers of Notre-Dame are referred to as the North and South Towers, just like the WTC — bold firefighters and stunned populace.
And, I got a strange frisson as an interviewee talked about “the forest” being on fire — a reference to the nickname for the ancient timberframe of the cathedral’s roof — since forests are burning as I type, from Washington State to Southern California.
Then there was a lovely moment of grace, when the people of Paris lifted their voices in sacred song, the hymns rising up to mingle with the smoke and reach the ears of the firefighters.
Here’s footage of that:
The Naudet brothers do a masterful job of evoking all the emotions around the fire without ever wallowing in them. They and their interview subjects are respectful of the spiritual significance of Notre-Dame, while also acknowledging that it is close to the heart of many Parisians of other faiths or no faith.
Why Air This Film Now?
So, why air this now and not on the next anniversary? Part of it may be that the TV networks are starved for original content after COVID-19 shuttered most production. But I’m hoping that there is either human sensitivity, divine providence, or both, at work in scheduling this look at what feels now like the opening shot of long battle against long-simmering forces of evil, both mortal and supernatural.
As recently as April of this year, the exact cause of the Notre-Dame fire hasn’t been defined, with theories ranging from sparks to an errant cigarette.
In the end, whatever the cause for this fire or any of the madness in the world before or since, looking at the power and beauty of Notre-Dame, even in her ruined state, we all know there is only one solution.
Here’s a sneak peek at Notre-Dame: Our Lady of Paris, airing Wednesday, Sept. 16, a 9 p.m ET., on ABC. The documentary can now be screened in its entirety on Hulu. Click here for that.
Image: Adobe Stock
Don’t miss a thing: Subscribe to all that I write at Authory.com/KateOHare
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In