When the Munich Olympics commenced in 1972, just three decades after the fall of Nazi Germany, the event was meant to symbolize a new era of peace for the nation.
However, this vision was shattered when the Black September Organization (BSO), an armed militant group, infiltrated the Olympic Village and took 11 members of Israel’s team hostage.
This historical event serves as the basis for the Oscar-nominated thriller September 5. Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, the film follows the ABC Sports team as they navigate the immediate ethical dilemmas surrounding the live broadcast of the unfolding tragedy.
The BSO’s motive for the attack was the release of over 300 Palestinian prisoners, according to the digital memorial website dedicated to the Munich attack.
They initially killed two Israeli athletes before seizing the remaining nine as hostages. David Clay Large, a senior fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, explained to NPR that the BSO executed the remaining hostages before German police neutralized the terrorists.
Remarkably, the ABC Sports team, under the leadership of Roone Arledge (portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard), covered the entire event in real time, choosing to broadcast live. At 3:24 a.m. the following morning, sportscaster Jim McKay delivered the tragic announcement: “They’re all gone.”
At the heart of September 5 is the pivotal decision to broadcast violence as it happened. The film also highlights the ABC Sports journalists’ transition into covering “hard news” for the first time. In recognition of their groundbreaking coverage of the Munich Olympics, ABC and its journalists collectively won 29 Emmy Awards.
What was the Black September Organization (BSO)?
The Black September Organization was a Palestinian militant group established in 1970. Its name derives from the Black September conflict, also known as the Jordanian Civil War, which took place in September 1970, as noted by Brookings.
This conflict involved a battle between the Jordanian military, led by King Hussein, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), under the leadership of Yasser Arafat. Though the primary conflict occurred in September 1970, hostilities persisted until July 1971.
Following the Munich Olympics attack, the BSO was dismantled by the PLO in 1973, according to Israeli historian Benny Morris. However, individuals claiming BSO affiliation continued carrying out attacks until 1981.
What happened during the 1972 Munich Olympics attack that inspired September 5?
The film September 5 is based on real events that transpired on Sept. 5, 1972, and were extensively covered by ABC Sports.
During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, a faction of Palestinian militants identifying as the Black September Organization (BSO) breached the Olympic Village and abducted 11 Israeli athletes, according to NPR.
The BSO’s objective was to negotiate the release of over 300 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, as stated in their demands letter, which is documented on the attack’s memorial website.
They killed two athletes upon entering and held the other nine hostage. A failed German police rescue attempt resulted in the deaths of the remaining hostages.
Accounts of the standoff’s conclusion vary, but NPR reported that the terrorists were told they could fly with their hostages to Cairo.
German authorities planned to ambush the gunmen by disguising police officers as flight crew. That evening, the terrorists and their hostages were transported by helicopter to Fürstenfeldbruck air base, near Munich, where a plane was waiting.
However, according to the memorial website, the German plan collapsed when assigned officers refused to participate, and backup snipers were inadequately trained and equipped.
Large told NPR, “[The police officers] ended up shooting five of the eight commandos, but not before the commandos then killed in cold blood all of the remaining nine hostages.”
All 11 victims of the BSO attack were affiliated with Israel’s Olympic team. The hostages included referee Yossef Gutfreund, track coach Amitzur Shapira, shooting coach Kehat Shorr, weightlifters Ze’ev Friedman and David Berger, wrestlers Eliezer Halfin and Mark Slavin, fencing coach Andre Spitzer, and weightlifting judge Yakov Springer. The first two victims, killed at the outset, were Yossef Romano and Moshe Weinberg.
In 2022, marking the 50th anniversary of the attack, Germany issued an official apology and compensation to the victims’ families. Many of the families had long criticized German authorities for failing to protect the Israeli athletes.
Who are the characters in September 5?
The cast of September 5 portrays real individuals involved in the ABC Sports coverage of the attack.
Actors Jon Magaro (Geoffrey Mason), Ben Chaplin (Marvin Bader), and archival footage of Jim McKay depict actual ABC Sports personnel who worked on Sept. 5, 1972.
Mason served as the head of the control room in Munich while Bader was an ABC Sports executive. The character Marianne Gebhardt (played by Leonie Benesch) is a fictional translator, representing multiple translators who assisted ABC’s crew during the crisis.
Who was Roone Arledge?
Roone Arledge, portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard in September 5, was a pivotal figure in ABC’s coverage of the Munich attack.
As president of ABC Sports in 1972, he later ascended to lead ABC News. In his obituary, The New York Times called him “the most important behind-the-scenes figure in the television coverage of the major events of the last half century.”
Arledge oversaw ABC’s coverage for 17 consecutive hours following the attack, including McKay’s poignant broadcast announcing the hostages’ deaths.
On air, McKay stated: “When I was a kid my father used to say ‘Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.’ Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They have now said there were 11 hostages; two were killed in their rooms this morn— yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They’re all gone.”
Arledge’s decision to provide extensive live coverage of the crisis, as depicted in September 5, set a precedent for televised news.
We quoted him saying, “The cardinal error is to be there with the only live camera and then miss whatever might happen.”
For their work in Munich, Arledge, McKay, and ABC received critical acclaim, earning 29 Emmy Awards. Arledge, considered one of the most influential television sports executives in history, passed away in 2002 at the age of 71.
Who was Geoffrey Mason?
Geoffrey Mason, played by John Magaro in September 5, was the head of the ABC control room during the 1972 Munich Olympics.
When the hostage crisis unfolded, Mason played a crucial role in determining what footage would be broadcast, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter.
Collaborating with Arledge and the ABC team, Mason ensured that ABC had exclusive access to critical moments in the unfolding tragedy. His decisions helped turn the event into one of the most significant news stories of the era.
Reflecting on the experience, Mason told in 2024, “I cannot begin to tell you how fast events were unfolding in that room. Every minute brought a new challenge.”
Did the attack that inspired September 5 actually air on television?
Yes, as depicted in September 5, the Munich terror attack was broadcast live. The film’s epilogue notes that this was the first time such an event had ever been televised.
ABC’s coverage was viewed by 900 million people, making it one of the most-watched broadcasts in history.
Recalling the day, Mason told, “It was a roller-coaster ride the entire day. We were just doing our job, and we had to get [the story] right.”
