26/34
The film is set in ABC’s control room in Munich for the 1972 Olympics
Line of Events
During the 1972 Olympics in Munich, an American television crew is confronted with a hostage situation involving Israeli athletes. I had the privilege of seeing this excellent film at the AFI Film Festival.
The film also accurately shows how technology that was considered cutting edge at the time seems fun and primitive today (eg
It realistically depicts both the routine aspects of running a control room during an event and, of course, the tragic occurrence of the Black September attacks on Israeli athletes. The control room is populated by ABC Sports President Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), rookie producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), VP of Olympic coverage Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), and German interpreter Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), all of whom are excellent in their roles.
giant VTR machines, competition for satellite space, manually inserting graphics, etc)
But the key to any thriller is Tim Fehlbaum’s writing and direction, which keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. The realism is enhanced by the use of archival footage of Jim McKay chronicling the tragedy.
But that quibble certainly doesn’t stop me from highly recommending this excellent film – it’s a must-see!
My only quibble is with the casting of Benjamin Walker as Peter Jennings – he doesn’t seem quite right for the role of the handsome, dapper presenter I remember (I probably would have cut his character and just relied on the tape of Jennings speaking from the Olympic Village).
https://oneeastcapital.co.uk/2024/11/07/bangkok-dog-2024-downloadmagnet/
