September 5 (2024)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
A gripping, pulse-pounding account of the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics from the perspective of the news producers who broadcast it to the world.
Brilliantly edited and appropriately claustrophobic and isolating when it needs to be, director Tim Fehlbaum places us directly into the decision-making and stress in documenting history.
It is not inappropriate to acknowledge that current events between Israel and Hamas makes September 5 a timely story worth revisiting…
NO
The film though film is largely agnostic from a political standpoint. For those looking for a political commentary about the hostage situation and the tragic results of those incidents, this film is more concerned about journalistic ethos and influence.
Perhaps the movie moves too quickly. At times, the film could benefit from slowing down to mean more.
Some feel the film is impersonal and lacks emotion. I would argue the film’s quite intense and suspenseful in a different way, but this may not be the film some are anticipating.
OUR REVIEW
Taut, suspenseful and brilliantly edited, September 5 is a compelling look at how ABC Sports, a division of ABC News, captured the horrors of a terrorist attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics. Lasting slightly more than 90 minutes, director Tim Fehlbaum’s film hums at a quickening pace, leaving little time to do anything but watch a re-enactment of history play out before you.
The world was watching the Games of the XX Olympiad with uncertainty. Set in Munich, the German government saw the Olympics as an opportunity to continue to change perceptions of their country to those still remembering the horrors of Nazi supremacy and Hitler’s regime during World War II.
Like most Olympic Games, a myriad of stories emerged. American swimmer Mark Spitz won a then-record seventh gold medal. American wrestler Dan Gable went through the entire tournament and no one scored a single point against him. Olga Korbut, a Soviet gymnast, became an international star. But there were also controversies. Some athletes boycotted the Games. Protests happened on the medal stand. And a men’s basketball final between the United States and Soviet Union might still be the most controversial basketball game of all time.
The consensus however seemed to be that the Games’ had gone relatively smoothly. ABC News was celebrated for their round-the-clock coverage. And, as we settle in with the opening scenes of September 5, we see one crew wrapping up, another crew coming in, broadcaster Jim McKay manning the early morning anchor seat and everything seeming to be relatively quiet.
However, just after 4:00 a.m. on September 5, 1972, members of the ABC production crew heard gunshots from a distance. They pinpoint the shots coming from the Olympic Village, and soon discover that a militant Palestinian faction known as Black September has not only forced their way into the living quarters of the athletes, but they have successfully taken the Israeli Olympic team hostage.
September 5 is a movie that lives on the precipice of stressed people having to make major decisions. The ABC Sports production team is not a news organization per se, but they have a massive breaking news story happening right before their eyes. Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), a director stationed in ABC’s control room finds himself having to make risky, nearly impossible decisions, while coaching McKay on what information to share, switching cameras and running a live television production, while working with cocksure reporter Peter Jennings (Benjamin Walker), who becomes the eyes and ears on the ground to share breaking news.
Fehlbaum’s film places us in the throes of chaos and tension. When ABC Sports president Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) assesses the situation, he navigates the complexities of a situation he may or may not know how to handle. Heightening the intensity, a terrific balance of tight close-ups and roaming camera work by cinematographer Markus Förderer, who tries to position the viewer as a participant in the behind-the-scenes frenzy of information flying at Mason and his crew on a constant basis.
The script never gets too technical with its terminology and technical-speak. But the marriage between Fehlbaum and his editor, Hansjörg Weißbrich, might make September 5 the best edited film of the year. Weißbrich builds urgency and captures a feeling of panic and uncertainty the deeper into the conflict we go. There is also brilliant use of archive footage, blended in with actors feeding lines to McKay and McKay’s 1972 broadcast appearing as if he is reacting to the control room’s direction. The film becomes immersive, not only in technical proficiency but in the masterful way it recreates the sense of unease and uncertainty.
September 5 is far from the first film to tackle these events, which would later become known as the Munich Massacre. Steven Spielberg’s Munich recreated the attacks in the film’s opening minutes and Kevin Macdonald’s Oscar-winning documentary, One Day in September, offers a comprehensive, investigative look at how the events unfolded. And while it may feel impersonal to tell this story from the angle of television producers worried about getting the story right, September 5 simply offers a different look at how the ethics behind handling breaking news.
Fehlbaum asks some really insightful questions: Where is the line? When does covering the news begin to influence the news? What does it mean when you are essentially manipulating history in real time? These are timely questions as we debate the power and influence of 24-hour cable news cycles and networks which take a political stance in their reporting. Back in 1972, ABC wasn’t attempting to sway anyone’s opinion. On the contrary, by simply sharing breaking news of a real-life hostage situation at the world’s most watched event, did they influence the decisions made by Black September?
While September 5 doesn’t offer any easy answers to the ethical considerations it raises, there is no doubt that ABC was the voice of the moment. In 1972, there was no internet. No social media. No way of cross-checking multiple sources in mere seconds to gain a consensus of what may or may not be happening. For the Arledges and Masons of the world, all they had was instinct and integrity, along with the hope that they can navigate journalistic ethos when everything gets murky.
It is not a spoiler to share that misinformation finds its way into what would best be described as a naive and overwhelmed newsroom. The results of which prove tragic and deeply hard to process.
In the end, the powerful and engaging September 5 leaves us with one important question…
Who makes history - those who create it or those who record it?
CAST & CREW
Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, Benjamin Walker, Zinedine Soualem, Georgina Rich, Corey Johnson, Marcus Rutherford, Daniel Adeosun
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Written by: Tim Fehlbaum, Mortiz Bender, Alex David (co-writer)
Release Date: December 13, 2024
Paramount Pictures