There is a dark history that revolves around the Munich Olympics in 1972. A Palestinian group called ‘Black September’ hijacked the Olympics by taking eleven Israelis hostage and broadcasted the event on live television which shocked the world. For the first time, 900 million viewers witnessed a global breakdown due to satellite technology. The events of September 5 in the book cover the attempts made by the ABC Sports crew as they attempted to film the live act that is incomprehensible even to this day. With an artistic direction full of high tension, suspense and professionalism, the film runs for 90 scholarly minutes. September 5 is an exhilarating suspense film with a potential for being named the film of the year.
Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), who works as an overnight producer for ABC Sports, sits in a rented car taking a smoke break before going to work for the night. He walks into the control room, where tired technicians are busy prepping for the next day. He replaces Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), ABC Vice President of Olympics Coverage, who is in the back office and advised not to be disturbed. Mason bids farewell to Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) who is the President of ABC Sports and leaves the premises. Arledge gives a similar directive to everyone: not to disturb him till the next morning. He has not seen or spoken to his wife and kids for quite some time now.
When gunshots ring out, Mason heads outside, spotting the muzzle flashes from the buildings of the athletes’ dorms about a hundred yards away. The radio bursts with German voices, clearly frightened. In her bewilderment, Mason turns to the German translator, Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), appointed to make subtitles on some footage and asks her to interpret. The police are approaching the building. A number of Israelis have reportedly been assassinated. This prompts Mason to act promptly, seeking Bader from his sleep and advising Arledge, who gives the instruction for everyone to prepare. They are about to broadcast the event and investigate the situation.
Fires on all cylinders and into the action beginning from the opening credits. A quickly established Mason is the main character who goes through the ordeal as a trial by fire. He looks over the control room. It’s actually the middle of the night. Events which have presumably never happened are unfolding right in front of their eyes. And that was just Arledge’s call, as he was the one who decided to keep the coverage from being channeled to ABC back in the USA. They’re there, they’re live, and they can report as it’s happening. Arguably before that, however, he has to ensure that ABC Sports does not lose the satellite slot crucial for the broadcast. That’s all he has to do.
Obviously a guy who hasn’t proven himself says Mason who looks forward to showing up everyone else and taking control of all additional aspects. He needs cameras in place, Gebhardt on the radio reporting how the Germans reacted, and most challenging of all, a reporter on the ground to anchor the activity. Of course, in the aftermath, Jennings to Peter (Benjamin Walker) will be the name of someone who was and will be for decades a famous and trusted news reporter.
In the present day, a single click on the mobile phone can record, capture and share an event that is significant and crucial. In contrast, 1972 seems like an era shrouded in darkness. September 5 is an astounding day not only because of how many people were involved in the seamless live broadcast but also because of the extent and the technical expertise that Mason and his colleagues went into achieve such seamlessness. This posed the danger of the press being respectful of their journalistic duties. It was crucial to rush the verification process status. It is amazing how the anchors portrayed the images of slaughtered human beings by exercising their judgment and figuring out who they were. The victims could not be just abstract people locked up in some indefinite location. This added dramatic weight and established an immediate bond with the mesmerized viewers.
The director and co-writer of the film Tim Fehlbaum admits that it is impossible to understand events such as the Munich Olympicss without appreciation of their historical background or personal consequences. Even if Germany was the defeated and genocidal nation nearly thirty years after the Second World War it did not prevent it from hosting the Olympic Games in Munich. This is the weight of history, of something so horrendous that it slept somewhere until it unleashed itself: Anne Benesch, who has undoubtedly excelled in Aktor Gabriel Gebhardt, is able to capture this hideousness within the German Public. But this doesn’t come close to the outrage, the rage, the absolute despair that her Jewish working partners feel. Regardless of the nation’s perspective, a large majority had undergone unimaginable pain and grief under the shadow of the Nazi regime. Terror: this word was the only one that brought words together to any immigrant who was asked who these creatures were that manifested such horror.
Praises must equally go to renowned German editor Hansjörg Weißbrich, who had an impact in this film’s reception. Fehlbaum and co broke the boredom of overwhelmingly pressure in the control room with moving sequences outside the action. Everything is always in motion. The cast switches back and forth between emergencies to follow a rapidly changing scene. Most of the time, not even a second before the cameras roll on, chaos and disorder reign. All of this pressure – is built during post production. September 5 might have turned out to be a mini Soviet submarine while enraged individuals kicked pillars shouting at the top of their lungs ‘Torpedo this!’
September 5 is one of the movies I must say can be clearly said does not take the audience’s attention away even for a second. The superb cast and an equally good crew bring life to the screen. Before awards season, the audience must make a reservation in order to be able to attend the ceremony. I hope September 5 will not be seen solely as an extreme piece of media, but rather as something more artistic. History remembers such places for being notorious, no matter where one hails from or what one believes.
September 5 is a work of BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion, Projected Picture Works, and Constantin Film among others.
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