“September 5” recreates the 1972 Munich Olympics tragedy

In "September 5" Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum recreates the historical trauma of the 1972 Munich Olympics when eight members of the Black September Palestinian group scaled a fence, shot two men, and then took eleven Israeli athletes and coaches hostage. No one anticipated such an event, nor had anything like this ever happened previously.

Shocked by gunshots, desperately trying to grasp what had just occurred, workers in the ABC Sports control room scrambled to follow events. But first, as the crisis came into focus, Roone Arledge, president and executive producer of ABC Sports, had to insist that ABC news would not take over the coverage, an act of courage in and of itself. One-time St. Louisan and Washington University graduate Peter Sarsgaard plays Arledge in a superb balancing act of excitement, confusion, and insistence on truthful, factual reporting. He's soon working with young producer Geoff, German translator Marianne, and French-Algerian engineer Jacques, all coordinating with Peter Jennings, the reporter on hand.   

At a December Zoom event, music composer Lorenz Dangel explained that the score needed to remain in the background, not exaggerating the tension but serving its purpose, that is, to support the emotional arc. To that end, switching emphasis among on-air comments, control room dialogue, numerous machine noises, and musical elements keeps any security at bay. The on-screen sound density does its job, adding to the tense environment. 

Production designer Julian R. Wagner enhanced authenticity with every detail of the control room exactly as it was—the crowded space, bulky equipment, playback monitors up and working, and archival broadcast footage of anchor Jim McKay playing on set so actors could react in time. Shooting on location at the Olympic village, now a heritage site, enhanced the atmosphere. In addition, editor Hansjörg Weißrich let scenes play out, involving viewers more realistically in the space. The compelling performances add electrifying interaction—Sarsgaard as Arledge, John Magaro as Geoffrey Mason, Leonie Benesch as Marianne Gebhardt, Ben Chaplin as Marvin Bader, and all the supporting actors. 

Everyone involved emphasized the respectful, ethical responsibility that guided decisions. At this year's Telluride Film Festival where I first saw "September 5," director Fehlbaum and Sarsgaard stressed the relevance and contrast to today's news. In 1972 accuracy and verification were paramount. In addition, as Sarsgaard noted, there's another critical lesson there. Jim McKay was not interested in Jim McKay as an on-air star but in the facts. Over fifty years later, the painful shock and intense horror of this first live terrorist broadcast has not diminished. "September 5" is available now.