“September 5” is a historical drama which provides a look into how the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre was covered. The film dives into media ethics along with how a team of ABC Sports producers dealt with covering such an immense tragedy.
The Storyline
Unlike other depictions of the Munich massacre the main focus of “September 5” was the challenges of broadcast journalism during that time. The story details events through the eyes of journalists covering the day in real time as they had to deal with a variety of difficult situations while having to keep the broadcast going during an ongoing crisis.
Ethical Challenges of Live Coverage
During the attack the journalists would need to balance reporting the facts with ethical considerations about broadcasting details. What to include and what not became prominent and how their reports may have an effect in what was happening outside the studio was something they had to take into consideration. The decisions and ethical implications were in real time and there was little time for error.
Characters and Performances
Key characters including Geoffrey Mason the young producer along with Roone Arledge the president of ABC Sports. These characters alongside with Marvin Bader a veteran producer created a cast of those from varying backgrounds which elevated all the challenges that were portrayed.
Portrayals
Peter Sarsgaard plays Roone Arledge with a unique style as being a soft spoken risk taker while Ben Chaplin offers a character that has his eye on journalistic ethics. While dealing with his inner turmoil Geoffery played by John Magaro must consider both points of view to move through that unique environment. Leonie Benesch ’s character is that of the German translator which played an essential part in that production environment.
The Blending of Real Footage
The film incorporates a unique approach of both new recreations alongside actual archival footage to create a documentary like experience to blend both worlds of fictional characters and very real scenarios. Including real broadcasts and showing old studio tools emphasizes what those in production dealt with at the time.
Recreating a 1970s Media Setting
The movie production of September 5 recreated a time with limited equipment including vintage cameras and recording equipment in detail. This gave depth and detail to not just the settings but also how intense it was working in those specific conditions.
Exploration of Core Issues
"September 5" does not give easy answers to all challenges, instead it focuses on complex ethical problems surrounding crisis reporting. The themes touch upon conflicts of interest along with having bias and also an awareness of outside impacts by sharing this to such a large viewership.
Time Constraints and Pressure to Deliver
The characters in the show had very little time for decision making which added tension and high stakes situations. They were balancing time, public appeal and moral responsibilities all at once during the limited broadcasts making it difficult to fully consider the importance of decisions they would make while making the show. This creates many opportunities for new problems and also errors due to time.
Focus on Ethical Quandaries
“September 5” questions ethics by focusing on what type of reporting should be delivered. With considerations about exploitation and if their reporting may help the terrorists while keeping their ratings high all were put into consideration during the real events depicted on the film. All which were not easily answered as the broadcast was occurring.
Streaming and Availability
Paramount has rights to stream September 5 which was released to select theaters Dec 13th and expanding nation wide by January 17th, with a later date expected to be on streaming platforms. An anticipated date is sometime around the beginning of March but will vary pending release. It is anticipated that it will become available before the Academy Awards.
Impact and Relevance
The movie addresses complex issues in today's media culture as well as what was presented at that time. It also explores an interesting and different approach at an historical event by looking through the lens of the media workers as opposed to only the actual incident. The challenges of balancing facts with sensationalism highlights an issue still impacting many media forms today.
Modern Connections and Interpretations
While specific to a historical context the show may give understanding of journalistic choices made and their impacts as it becomes both timeless and relatable. By giving an inside look on decisions made as journalists we are able to make similar conclusions for choices presented now.
Key Takeaways
- "September 5" shows how the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre was covered by ABC Sports while dealing with an unknown landscape in live broadcasting.
- The story explores complex questions of journalism and what is expected from them while reporting during tragedy.
- The cast portrays realistic emotions and reactions to chaos with intense challenges.
- The film's production design has added archival footage and unique settings to elevate the story while blending old media into the current time frame.
- September 5 aims to make audiences think about ethics in live broadcast. The complex decisions they made that impact present and past story telling.