Customer Reviews

The Tragedy of the Munich Games

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ignore the one-star review above.This excellent documentary is not intended to be a deep exploration of why Munich happened.You can find that in the magnificent "One Day In September".This powerful film is
nothing more than a look at the events of September 5,1972 as covered
(brilliantly)by ABC,and the emotional memories of those who did it.
On that level,it succeeds.You will experience everything you felt that day-shock,anger,resentment.The film brilliantly intrecuts ABC's actual broadcast footage and powerful new interviews with some of the people involved.You see how the events continue to haunt them today,especially Jim McKay,who so masterfully led ABC's coverage and had one of the most powerful and memorable moments in television history when he delivered the bad news and said simply,"They're all gone".That is something you don't forget,and it's here.This is a great documentary that should be seen.

There has been alot of talk about this incident whenever the Olympic roll around, but this disc gives some great coverage about what had happened. If you are looking for a DVD that gives all the behind the scenes, this is the DVD for you.

I agree with the comment to " ignore the one star rating" made by another reviewer. This documentary DOES have comments from a few Palestinians, modern athletes who were involved with the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The chairman of their Olympic Commitee comments on putting the events of the Munich Olympics behind them, and moving forward. Which is precisely the same message expressed by the families of the slain Isrealis in this documentary.Very well presented account of the crisis, presented largely by the guys from ABC Sports who were there. With film footage and contemporary reports from start to finish, this is a "must see" for EVERYONE , as an eye-opener to the failure of terrorism to quench the human spirit.

If you're looking for an account of this event purely from an emotional Israeli viewpoint, this video is for you. If you're looking for an unbiased presentation of pertinent facts, find another documentary.

The documentary goes to great lengths to present Jewish emotions surrounding this tragedy, from description of the psychological difficulties the athletes faced in returning to Germany after the Holocaust, to the emotional trauma Israel experienced when the athletes were taken hostage. Such reporting is insightful, however, the documentary didn't even mention the Palestinian gunmen's motives for doing what they did. While interviews of Israeli family members included discussion about them immigrating to Palestine where "there was really nothing," no mention was made of the fact that the Israeli occupation fuelled this tragic event.

At the end of the documentary, the film transitions from images of masked Palestinian gunmen in Munich to airliners flying into the World Trade Center on 9/11, implying the two had some connection. The only transition between these images was the narrator saying, "These demons have yet to be exorcised." An uninformed viewer may likely draw the conclusion that Palestinian terrorism was behind 9/11, an irresponsible and misleading implication for a "documentary."