37/11
I had the privilege of seeing this excellent film at the AFI Film Festival
Synopsis
During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American television crew finds themselves confronted with the capture of Israeli athletes. The film is set in the ABC control room in Munich at the 1972 Olympics.
The film also shows exactly how technology that was considered cutting-edge at the time seems amusing and primitive today (eg
It realistically depicts the routine aspects of running the control room during the event and, of course, the tragic event of Black September against the Israeli athletes. The control room is inhabited by ABC Sports President Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), budding producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), Vice President of Olympic News Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), and German interpreter Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), all of whom are excellent in their roles.
giant VTR equipment, competition for satellite space, manual graphics input, etc)
But the key aspect of any thriller is Tim Fehlbaum’s script and direction, which keeps you on edge throughout the film. The realism is enhanced by Jim McKay’s use of archival footage to tell the story of the tragedy.
However, this criticism certainly doesn’t stop me from highly recommending this excellent film – you have to see it!
My only minor gripe is the casting of Benjamin Walker as Peter Jennings – he doesn’t seem quite right for the handsome, elegant anchorman I remember (I would probably cut his character and rely solely on Jennings’s narration from the Olympic Village tape).