34/10
In terms of storytelling, it’s a peer
At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, the American sports team must adapt to a live broadcast of Israeli athletes being held captive by a terrorist group. Movie Title: September 5th Director: Tim Felbaum Screenplay: Moritz Binder Tim Felbaum Alex David Production Companies: BerghausWöbke Filmproduktion, Projected Image Works, Constantin Film, Edgar Reitz Filmstifung Release Date (US, Wide): December 13, 2024 Capone Rating: 4⭐ out of 5⭐ This is a hard one to write because I’m sure that’s one of the reasons (among many) that the film was difficult to write and produce. I can’t get over the connection between this film and Spielberg’s Munich (2005). In Spielberg’s film, we get a brief recap of the parody of September 5th, 1972, and then we get the full and lasting aftermath of the search for the culprits. In Fehlbaum, we are surrounded by the news of the day—literally, as the film tells the story of the hostage crisis from the perspective of the ABC film crew trying to cover it effectively.
The film deserves its own treatment and respect
So, knowing so much about how films are related, I’ll put aside the 2005 film and focus on a new film with a fresh perspective on this terrible event. Let’s start with everything, the film has great potential. The 9/11-like film 12 Angry Men (1957) was almost a one-room affair. The entire film takes place in an ABC studio, looking out at the world from behind a television camera or from the patio outside the door (for particularly brief moments). Once we get going, at no point does the narrative lens shift to a long shot of the studio building, the overpasses over the city, or offer any perspective other than that which can be gained from the daytime crew manning the station.
At the Munich Olympics ’72
It’s all in a few rooms: the control center, the film lab, the signing room, the film playback and editing room, and maybe one other place in the building. 80% of it probably happens in that control room. (Even 12 Angry Men has its own courtroom scenes.) The effect of this choice alone is to put the audience in a familiar and familiar perspective right where the production team is sitting. It heightens the tension—but not as a plot—as an emotionally effective representation of the reality of these circumstances. Combine that with the handheld camera work and the fact that we can’t hear the other end of calls that aren’t being broadcast into the room, as well as other directing and editing options, and we’re left with very limited information about what we, the audience, can understand about the world outside of these television studios.
Next: Two complaints
These choices have had a powerful and clear impact on this viewer. The performances all around in this film were excellent. I appreciate the scoring, most but not all of the handheld and Stedicam options, and the placement of the camera in relation to the actors and the action. These elements of direction and acting gave an undeniable strength to the script, which in itself came off as a strong and thought-provoking (not just thought-provoking) story. kind of.
"Missed opportunities" call them
One. There is a bit of a clearly researched lens here and its real collective emotional impact on a country and its people who failed to protect their Jewish guests at a time when international friendship is a time and opportunity to "do good" (although replacing the Holocaust, as any German or Jew will tell you, is impossible) in the interaction between a former oppressor and a visiting refugee. Things move very quickly in the film, and there is not enough time to delve into the impossible questions surrounding this issue.
https://meschaninow.chmnu.edu.ua/oil-petroleum-oil-swap-to-doge-dogecoin/