Munich
Ellis Sharp dissects some of the myths surrounding Munich:
Events at Munich unfolded not with sombre dignity but like a grotesque farce. The Palestinian leader, who had worked in France, negotiated with German police with occasional cries of ?oh la la!? Around 75-80,000 spectators turned up to watch the kidnap crisis unfold, enjoying the entertainment, chomping on frankfurters and sauerkraut. Some of the Palestinian kidnappers waved to the excited crowd as if they were pop stars. Many athletes regarded the crisis as nothing more than a nuisance and held the Israelis responsible. ?Golda Meir holding the fucking world to ransome again!? screamed an Irish athlete. All the evidence indicates that the kidnappers genuinely wanted to do a swap, but the Israeli government refused to agree. They were prepared to see their athletes die rather than give in. Simon Reeve concludes that ?In their own way the Israeli government had proved just as fanatical as the terrorists.? (p. 93)
In a bizarre development the crowd started shouting tactical advice to the almost comically incompetent German police. A plan to storm the building was aborted at the last moment when somebody realised the kidnappers were watching the police on live TV. People sunbathed and athletes continued with their training in view of the building where the Israelis were held, completely indifferent to the fate of the hostages. The notion that the world was gripped with horror didn?t even hold true at the Olympics, let alone internationally.
Consciously or unconsciously, Spielberg is fulfilling an important role within the propaganda model, by fixing the common wisdom of what happened in Munich and after, by putting it in a context of heroic Israelis avenging the deaths of their country men. Sure, Spielberg has left nuance within that context, leaving enough shades of grey to make the loony right unhappy, but that is less important than the simple fact of making this movie. Movies are powerful: images of Munich will influence the depiction off historical events of the Munich kidnapping from now on, even when these are in conflict with the historical truth.