Is it possible for a docu-drama to be tension-filled, if history already has recorded the ending? Absolutely! In a style reminiscent to that of the film Apollo 13, September 5, the gripping new film directed by Tim Fehlbaum, details the horror that transpired at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, when the Palestinian Black September terrorists kidnapped and massacred members of the Israeli Olympic team.
If you have any grasp on history, I haven't ruined it for you, because this film documents the news as it happened. The only difference is that in September 5 it's told from the perspective of ABC Sports, the team that was on the ground, broadcasting live. The majority of the action occurs in the control room, melding historical footage from the event with recreations of the activities and decisions made by the directors, producers, technical staff and sports reporters who covered it. The very constriction of the small space adds to the tension.
This was the first time that such a tragedy was broacast globally on live television. The crew had to make split second moralistic and journalistic decisions concerning not only what they could air but how they could obtain factual information from foreign agencies. This was literally hours upon hours of breaking news.
ABC News wanted to take over the story from a team who were used to reporting sports. Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), President of ABC Sports, refused to turn it over to News, knowing that time was of the essence, and ownership would be important. Sports and News operated independently. The sports center was literally 100 yards away from where events were unfolding and they were the only people who had the ability to get past security and inside the Olympic Village, which had already gone into lockdown after the first shots were fired.
These newspeople made the decision to tell stories about the athletes whose lives were at stake, humanizing the event for the entire world. These athletes had families back home, watching the horror; one American young man, playing for the Israeli team, was among those whose lives were in mortal peril. Black September gave the authorities a deadline. They demanded the release of hundreds of Palenstian prisoners held in Israeli jails. And for each hour that their demand was not met, one of the hostages would die. Athletes could literally be shot in the head, on air, by the masked men who held them hostage. By the time word reached the control room, people had already been killed by the terrorists.
Working in news, as I have for many years, it is policy is to never show someone being killed or even fatally injured on the news whenever possible, which is why there is a time delay built into the system. Also, it is policy to never show the hostage takers any police action, just in case the perps are monitoring the situation. So if the kidnappers decided to put a hostage in a window, hold a gun to their head, and pull the trigger, how should a responsible network cover it?
Geoff Mason (John Magaro), is the young producer who rises to the moment, becoming the heart and moral compass of a team facing these monumental decisions. Germany, desperately trying to deflect the world's opinion that their country was still a nazi-harboring nation, decided to arm none of the Village guards at the event, believing that men in uniform carrying weapons would not be a good look. German heads of state made the decision to send in negotiators to try to diffuse the situation.
The entire tragedy played out in 22 hours. Nearly a billion people were watching as a masked gunman stepped out onto the balcony of the Olympic Village. Exclusively for this film, the role of an interpreter named Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch) was created. She became a key player in the 
event. She translated and disseminated the information dispatched by German authorities to the rest of the team. Recreated for September 5 was this horrifying incident: local police showed up, waving their guns, in the control room, ordering the entire production be shut down because they feared giving away information to Black September about sharpshooters on the roof.
As a member of a news team, watching the technical aspects of the newsgathering was completely captivating. The reel-to-reel tape decks. MacGuyvering a telephone and walkie to pick up the conversations from the negotiators. Putting the letters on a board for the computer graphics, shooting them with a camera and laying that image on top of the live action. Developing eight millimeter film in the darkroom to use in the show. The legendary broadcaster Jim McKay, in the studio, putting a trusted face on the tragedy. The voice of Peter Jennings, narrating the events as he saw them from his perch, in real time. Following the kidnappers to the airport and revealing the end of the nightmare. Getting this all on the air, as it happened.
It falls to the young Gebhart to become the 'voice' of Germany and depict how this tragedy will affect how the world views her country. The look on the teams faces when the events reached their final tragic conclusion, as they listen in to the chaotic scene at the airport. A remarkable ensemble performance, keeping all the action as authentic as possible without exploiting the deaths of young men who came to compete but had their dreams forever stolen.
Lisa Blanck is the Associate Editor / Movie Reviewer for In Focus-Magazine.com and is a member of the Critics Association of Central Florida. Her background includes 30+ years of digital editing for NBC and CBS News affiliates. She also edits national promotional spots for Matter Of Fact, the #1 nationally syndicated news & information program. For 30+ years she has covered the Florida Film Festival & the World Peace Film Festival, and has additional award-winning experience in advertising, marketing, promotions and live special events with MTV Networks.
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