Posted on 12/26/2005 11:55:14 AM PST by holy joe
"Munich," Steven Spielberg's latest release, is a long way off from the high-minded certitude of "Schindler's List."
Spielberg has referred to the movie as his "prayer for peace."
But an apparent attempt at even-handedness causes the film to fall short of its potential due to a compromised moral perspective.
The film tells the story of the hostage crisis that occurred during the 1972 Olympics (known prior to the tragedy as "The Olympics of Peace and Joy") and a chain of nightmarish events that followed.
The world watched in real time as a Palestinian group (referring to itself as "Black September") kidnapped and murdered two Israeli athletes and subsequently held nine others hostage, all of whom were slaughtered during a botched rescue mission at a nearby airport.
It could be that the Munich tragedy was a fateful spark that ignited the terrorism of today.
Spielberg brought in to his "Munich" project first-time screenwriter Tony Kushner. However, Kushner's forte is challenging social mores ("Angels in America"), and the playwright may not have been the best pick to help craft the presentation of a factual story of such import and gravity.
The choice of source material, too, may not have been the wisest selection. The film was based chiefly on a book by George Jonas called "Vengeance," which has been severely criticized for containing factual inaccuracies.
In the cinematic rendering, a group of individuals is given a somber assignment: Conduct an "eye for an eye" campaign of revenge and assassinate 11 Palestinians thought to be responsible for the Munich disaster.
Avner (Eric Bana), the group's leader, is a hero's son who takes on the mantle but loses confidence in the mission over time.
In contrast to Avner, Steve (Daniel Craig), the most zealous member of the group, seems never to question his own sense of justice.
Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), Avner's contact with the Israeli government, is firm and unrelenting throughout.
The remaining participants are defined largely by their specialties. Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz) is a former toy designer-turned-imprecise-bomb maker. Hans (Hanns Zischler) is the document forger of the bunch. And Carl (Ciaran Hinds) is the cleanup man.
Avner's source of information in the movie is the shadowy Louis (Mathieu Amalric), who at times seems to act as the filmmaker's messenger, expressing disdain for all governments.
In another apparent effort to be fair, this time to both Israelis and Palestinians, Spielberg forces his characters to state all points of view. Consequently, some of the scenes contain artificial-sounding dialogue, with debates taking place on the finer points of the philosophical legitimacy of their missions.
In one scene, unaware of Avner's identity, a young Arab terrorist sets forth an argument for a Palestinian homeland and a justification for terror. The result is a message of moral ambiguity.
Although in the opening credits the words "inspired by real events" appear on the screen, some of the movie's content appears to be nothing of the kind.
Spielberg's film fails to show the actual response of Israel to the deadly incidents at Munich. Following the Olympic athletes' murders, Israel commenced a counter-terror project called "Operation Wrath of God," which sought to assassinate key individuals in part for reprisal, but also in part to prevent future terrorism.
The assignments were not conducted by a single group of recruits, and there was no list of preordained targets.
In reality, the Mossad and Israel's prime minister directed the entire operation, and professionals who were sporadically sent out on multiple missions carried out the assassinations.
"Munich" would have been a more laudable film had Spielberg put on a journalist hat and provided a factual accounting.
Instead he succumbs to moral confusion and engages in diplomacy, Hollywood-style.
Next, Spielberg will do a remake of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", showing the suffering of the whites as their ungrateful slaves let them down;"D-Day", showing the Germans as they huddle in freezing bunkers while awaiting the pompous American invaders; and "Downfall", in which a poor, failed artist (Adolf Hilter), finds himself misunderstood by all and abanonded in his final moments by everyone. (A real tearjerker).
It wouldn't surprise me at all
It's hard to believe the same man who did "Saving Private Ryan" is capable of putting out crap like this. What is he, schizophrenic?
It's worse than that.....
he's a Hollywood liberal.
And to provide balance to "Schindler's List," a movie called "Eichmann's List" about heroic Germans trying to complete the Final Solution.
You are all wrong-
This is the Pre-quel to "Cindy's Hour"
The heroic struggle of a grieving mother.
And the Terible jews and Right-wing Christians who
killed her son.-- Think I am Joking?
Well, depends on your definition of the word "inspired". Recently, that has come to mean simply "we borrowed the title and stuffed a new story inside of it".
Sort of what happened to The Sum of All Fears.
Inspired can be, just as easily, the opposite of what the original narrative or what history presented, as for example, the muslims' insistence of considering parts of Israel as "palestinian" lands while simultaneously whining that a "viable palestinian" state is not possibly with all the Israeli meddling in their murderous muslim plans...
Well, depends on your definition of the word "inspired". Recently, that has come to mean simply "we borrowed the title and stuffed a new story inside of it".
Sort of what happened to The Sum of All Fears.
Inspired can be, just as easily, the opposite of what the original narrative or what history presented, as for example, the muslims' insistence of considering parts of Israel as "palestinian" lands while simultaneously whining that a "viable palestinian" state is not possibly with all the Israeli meddling in their murderous muslim plans...
One can never count on the movie viewing public to come away with the "correct" reaction to the film... a good friend of my sons, saw the movie Friday, and commented that he was now considering moving to Israel and joining the army to help fight for the cause. He had no idea that there was a left leaning agenda at play here, yet he understood what a universal concept justice is. I warned him that his left leaning jewish parents my have a slight different opinion.
but if Speilberg had made the movie based on this book, it wouldn't get an Oscar nomination and ticket sales wouldn't be strong in western europe.
LOL! So true!
The liberal holywood simply want to paint black as white and white as black.
Spielberg said it was important to show the terrorists' humanity.
Next he'll do a movie showing the humanity of the terrorists who blow up our soldiers and who blew up our Trade Center and Pentagon.
I get your point. But my question was how can a Hollywood liberal create a true and patriotic masterpiece like Saving Private Ryan? Is it that he knew how popular it would be with the average American ($$$) or did he have a moment of sanity? If it was the moment of sanity thing, it ended when that movie did because he's back in the gutter again.
A good story and especially expert consultants........the people who were there!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.