September 5
This is a "little” movie, a far cry from a Captain Marvel spectacular or a sweeping historical drama. It is also a “short” movie- 95 minutes in length. The good news is that it tells a compelling story and makes a “big” impact on the viewer. The film chronicles ABC Television's pressure packed coverage of the 1972 Black September terrorist attack on the Israeli compound at the Munich Summer Olympic Games. Over 50 years have passed since this tragic event, but anyone alive then was glued to their TV set watching a brutal, violent and politically motivated drama in real time. It was relatively new experience for television. The broadcast captivated a global audience and generated the highest ratings of any TV program to date, even exceeding the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing and the JFK funeral in 1963. I enthusiastically recommend the movie. It has received some awards season traction with nominations and recognition at Sundance and the Golden Globes, but the media buzz has been muted. Hopefully, word of month support will result in a solid audience. Many people strolling around today did not experience the event and the story deserves to be told- history matters!
Munich, West Germany was the proud host of the 1972 Olympics. It was a major moment for the nation, basically a “coming out” party for the “new” democratic and western country that rose from the ashes of the Nazi catastrophe of WWII. The world had gradually learned the full extent of the Holocaust and the Olympics were an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that Germany had changed- it was now peace loving and progressive. Until the morning of September 5, everything had gone smoothly. Everyone acknowledged the superb organisational effort, Mark Spitz made history with 7 gold medals, TV ratings grew as the Games progressed and the Olympic Village was a dynamic and happy community for the athletes. The IOC was ecstatic and the German government was even happier. What could go wrong?
On September 5, 1972, Palestinian guerrillas from the Black September wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation infiltrated the lightly guarded Olympic Village and took 9 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage. They murdered one of the Israelis in the original assault. They demanded the release of of 200 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. They threatened to kill one hostage per hour if their demands were not met. After an exhausting and tense day of negotiations with German security and government officials, an agreement was reached involving providing safe passage for the terrorists with their hostages on a flight to Cairo, Egypt. Two helicopters would transport the terrorists and hostages to a regional airport where a commercial airliner would be waiting to take the group to Cairo. The plan was ruse as the Germans planned to ambush the Palestinians at the airport and free the hostages by force. The plan was poorly executed and a catastrophic series of events occurred in short order. German snipers opened fire and ultimately killed 5 of the terrorists. The surviving Black September members then proceeded to kill all 9 Israeli hostages- 5 by throwing a hand grenade in helicopter one and four assassinated by gunfire in helicopter two. Three Palestinians survived and were taken alive by German security. The entire affair at the airport took one hour. A fiasco, a disaster and a tragedy!
The aftermath was not pretty for the Germans. Commissions concluded the operation was poorly planned, poorly coordinated and poorly executed. There were an insufficient number of snipers (5), the lighting was awful, the snipers could not communicate with each other or their supervisors and backup support lost their way in transit to the airport. The Germans rejected Israeli offers of mission support on multiple occasions. To compound the negative fallout and publicity, Black September hijacked a Lufthansa airliner only 6 weeks later and demanded the release of the three terrorists in German custody. The Germans agreed and the terrorists were freed over the intense objections of the Israeli government and the murdered hostages families. The Israelis, in response, initiated “Operation Wrath of God” which targeted the Palestinian leadership that had organised and authorised the Munich attack. The Israelis successfully killed 15-20 Palestinian elders over the next 5 years and the details of that mission was the subject of Steven Spielberg’s movie Munich. I recommend a re-viewing of that movie as well- a bookend to September 5.
Finally- now you know the history- What about the movie? First, let’s confirm what it is NOT about. It is not about the underlying politics- the long time and bitter enmity between the Israelis and Palestinians over control of their tiny slice of the Mideast. You don’t see the interaction between the terrorists and the hostages. You don’t get speeches on “just causes” or barbarism. No over-arching political message. It is not a deep dive into the German’s thinking process during the crisis. It isn’t a “shoot em up” thriller- you only see the firefight and explosions at the airport from a distance. Instead, it is movie about journalism, specifically broadcast journalism in the early 70’s. The narrative is exclusively focused on ABC and its “on the fly” response to shocking events occurring right outside their studio. We learn the means and methods they employed to tell the story and the ethical and moral issues that arose as they struggled with rapidly unfolding circumstances. The producers and the reporters are the stars of the movie and we see them vividly- strengths, character, flaws and frailties. I would compare its depiction of the realities of journalism to All the President’s Men, Spotlight and The Post. The movie, at its heart, is a media case study. It refuses to engage in distracting or gratuitous subplots- no family crises- no staff romances. Ultimately, it succeeds as a dramatic examination of what happens when the world goes crazy and anxious, untested, uncertain but well intentioned news organisations provide the imperfect lens and filter for a global audience.
The film is gripping and intense. It feels like a docu-drama and expertly examines human fallibility in chaotic and emotionally charged environments. Other adjectives that come to mind are tight, crisp, taut, rapid fire, riveting and unflinching. The staging and cinematography are first rate. We see the primitive technology of the time- walkie talkies, rotary phones and cumbersome cameras. The TV studio is claustrophobic. Space is at a premium. Scenes and images are framed through period appropriate TV monitors- black and white and grainy. Edits and captions are done manually with the most basic tools. The Director expertly integrates the the footage of the real Jim McKay as he anchored ABC’s coverage for 16 straight hours. McKay was terrific then and the movie gives him his due. His concluding remarks after the disastrous airport confrontation “THEY’RE ALL GONE” hold a special place in the pantheon of broadcast journalism. He showed grace under pressure. He was humble and dignified- not a rabble rousing, ratings driven advocate. I doubt he could get a job in TV media today.
The ensemble cast, led by Peter Sarsgaard (as Roone Arledge- the head of ABS Sports), Ben Chaplin and John Magaro (as the line producers) are excellent. They acknowledge their personal horror, but remain detached enough to fulfill their journalistic obligations. We see the competition between the news and sports divisions and the distrust between rival networks. The narrative’s strength is the messy reality of “breaking news.” There are information gaps, the pressure to break stories first, commercial factors impacting editorial decisions, egos and internal power struggles. The ABC coverage received editorial plaudits and won broadcast awards which is somewhat ironic because “they were wrong on the story before they were right.” They originally reported the hostages were safe and free. We also learned that the coverage itself can impact the behaviour of the people at the heart of the story. The terrorists were actually watching the live ABC shots of police preparing to assault the building. NOT GOOD!
Overall, it is a tense thriller. The pace accelerates as the storyline evolves and the atmosphere in the studio becomes frenetic as editorial choices overwhelm the producers. The movie works! I wonder how the media sphere and structure in place today would manage a similar situation. I am not particularly optimistic on that score. Our tech is better, but has our judgement kept up?
