September 5 – REVIEW - Price Prediction

The ongoing conflicts between Israel and Palestine serve as an unfortunate echo of past events that have long plagued their relationship. The tragic incidents on September 5, specifically at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where the Palestinian group known as Black September infiltrated the Olympic village, murdering two Israeli athletes and taking nine hostages, are a somber reminder of this decades-long struggle. During that fateful day, the Black September group negotiated their exit by bus to a military airport; however, the situation took a devastating turn. For the first time, a live terrorist act was broadcasted worldwide via television cameras, as the ABC television sports crew were wrapping up for the night when they heard gunfire.

The ABC sports team, acting as the only broadcasters, broadcasted an incident that captivated 900 million viewers worldwide. Typically, such events would fall under their news division’s jurisdiction, but due to this unusual circumstance, it was the sports team who took charge of the coverage. This unexpected turn of events led them into a series of challenges, making the idea of tuning in to see sports commentators like Jimmy Hill, Gary Neville, and Andy Gray cover the event almost as unsettling as discovering Prince Andrew seeking a role as Barnardos’ patron.

Just like any other TV news outlet, ABC’s dominance was built upon the exclusivity of their scoops. However, this advantage came with its own set of challenges. These predicaments encompassed decisions such as labeling the perpetrators as terrorists or guerrillas, maintaining the satellite for live transmission, and reporting breaking news from dubious sources, which could lead to disastrous consequences. The most harrowing instance was when they realized that the events they were broadcasting live were also being watched by the very terrorists involved, who witnessed the German police’s almost unbelievable lack of preparedness and incompetence. Untrained officers handling weapons they had no experience with, turning down an offer for assistance from Israel’s special forces, it’s hard to believe such events unfolded, and it’s not surprising that the siege ended in tragedy.

September 5th presents a notably tense recreation of events, with key actors confined in the close quarters of a cramped TV studio under the watchful eye of Peter Sarsgaard as executive Roone Arledge and Ben Chaplin as senior producer Marvin Bader. However, it’s John Magaro’s character, Geoffrey Mason, the studio director, who is at the heart of this drama. He finds himself in a challenging position, having to make quick decisions about what to broadcast, some of which unfortunately turn out to be disastrous.

Joining the cast is French-Algerian actor Zinedine Soualem portraying engineer Jacques Lesgards, serving as a Arabic counterpart to the Jewish producer character played by Bader. Moreover, German actress Leonie Benesch is introduced as fictional Marianne Gebhardt, a character struggling with her nation’s past and acutely aware of the international incident involving Jewish hostages on German soil, causing her embarrassment.

Tim Fehlbaum, both co-writer and director, flawlessly merges real footage into the narrative, making the chilling image of a masked terrorist peeking out from a balcony just as haunting today as it was originally. The actors excel in portraying the frantic, life-or-death choices they must make in an instant, decisions that will be broadcast globally. The film’s aesthetic mirrors the quality of the images used during that era, enhancing the realism. The process of shooting on 16mm film and quickly developing it for transmission, coupled with handcrafted captions and logos, authentically reflects the newsrooms of the time.

Any individual who’s ever been part of a television newsroom would undoubtedly recognize the ethical dilemmas surrounding coverage of significant events, as these are the expectations that currently drive and sustain the operations of no less than 24 news networks.

One potential rephrasing could be: “The main criticism is that it lacks political context for the events. However, despite its short runtime of 90 minutes, ‘September 5’ is an engrossing film. It would pair excellently with Steven Spielberg’s ‘Munich’ and especially Kevin MacDonald’s award-winning documentary, ‘One Day in September’, as a compelling triple feature.

Here’s the September 5 trailer……

2025-02-05 03:24

Read More