I have faint memories of learning about this event in Journalism class (yes, I was on the high school newspaper), but I admit I couldn’t have told you the whole story without this in my immediate rear view. It’s 1972 and Germany is hosting the Summer Olympics. A sports broadcasting team is on the scene when a group of terrorists take Israeli athletes hostage. The story comes in hard and fast, leaving little time to get to know any of the characters on a level other than their role in the room.
The dialogue moves the story forward with well orchestrated chaotic banter as everyone initially falls on the mercy of decision makers. A rogue collaborative effort emerges as the crisis situation becomes more apparent. The characters (that we don’t really know) are forced into a moral conflict of responsibility vs. responsibility, (yes I said what I said) and ultimately realizing they can’t control what happens next. It’s unnerving and tense and moves very fast.
Here’s a nod to the editing. Marrying old and new footage is a feat and the visuals felt uninterrupted. I just wish I would have felt a little more humanity from both sides of the camera.
One thing this film does effectively is remind us of the consideration that goes on literally behind the scenes. The ethics. The righteousness. The ratings. The clicks. We all have this broadcasting ability within the palm of our hands today. When something is happening in front of us, we have a choice. For some it’s instinctive to pull out your phone – “Oh, do that again, let me get it on video!” “This is going on YouTube!” and “Did you catch that?” For others it’s defensive when emotions are high: “Oh, you’re videotaping me?” “Can we show this live if someone dies?” and “I am recording for my own personal safety… I am recording for my own personal safety…”
Thought provoking. Here we are again looking back on our history. It feels as though this was a climactic event changing journalism forever.