014 Munich (2005)

"EVERY CIVILIZATION FINDS IT NECESSARY TO NEGOTIATE COMPROMISES WITH ITS OWN VALUES" On this episode of Retro Grade, we go over Steven Spielberg's Munich, the 2005 film about the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. After 11 Israeli athletes are killed, Israel green lights the assassinations of the men involved with the attack. This is the beginning of a battle that ravages through most of Europe, taking the lives of many innocent people with it. We delve into the story of the film, trying to discern the real from the fictionalized, the moral to the immoral and whether the actions from the main characters were justified or miscalculated. Not only do we go over Steven Spielberg's own thoughts on Israel's response to the massacre, but we also see what Israel thinks of the film, and how they interpret the film and its final shot in particular. We breakdown how the film creates suspense through the music and the cinematography leading up to the assassinations, and how they are used to communicate the characters state of mind in quieter scenes. And finally, we try and relate the film to our modern world, to how we see acts of terrorism today and how media might have a hand in shaping the viewer's opinions about a real like conflict and the groups within it. Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes. Artwork by @jannelle_o