KSL Movie Show review: Journalist or not, go see ‘September 5’

Editor’s note: This is an editorial piece. An editorial, like a news article, is based on fact but also shares opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and are not associated with our newsroom.

SALT LAKE CITY — I know I’ve just experienced a great movie when I realize how few notes I took while watching it.

Mesmerized by the attention to detail of a working TV news organization back in the early 70’s, I marveled at the journalistic integrity that was mostly followed, but at one point, tragically ignored — and this was an ABC Sports broadcast.

Yes, the American Broadcasting Company had acquired exclusive United States television rights to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. They were doing a marvelous job with Jim McKay in the sports anchor chair, while Peter Jennings did cut-in reports on the games in general.

Events were going swimmingly as American Mark Spitz was winning gold medals left and right, setting world records in his events, until one night, when gunshots were heard off in the distance.

Keep in mind, the ABC broadcast studio was only a hundred yards or so away from the Olympic Village, which housed the athletes, specifically in this case, the Israeli weightlifting team.

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A young Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) who was manning the control room that night, heard the shots, confirmed they were real, and had his crew move the live massive studio cameras onto the balcony to see if they could get a clear view of what was happening in the Village. 

Back in those days, remote cameras used film, which had to be processed before footage could air. Not so with the bulky studio cameras. They were able to broadcast live pictures.  

Also essential to this night’s process, is Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch) a German translator who could also understand Hebrew. She was monitoring the police scanners and radio, telling Mason that this was indeed a very serious situation.

Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), the president of ABC Sports, is called in. He is getting heat from the news division to turn the story over to them, but he is determined to keep his crew in the forefront.  T

his was their story and they were going to see it through. 

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A terrorist group known as Black September had broken into the Israeli apartment area and had taken the athletes hostage, demanding that a number of Palestinian prisoners be released. 

As negotiations failed, German police planned a raid, but the live ABC cameras were showing this all unfolding, alerting the terrorists who were also watching the broadcast.  

Not surprisingly, German officers stormed the broadcast studio, demanding it all be shut down. 

Realizing their mistake, Arledge had the cameras turned off but refused to end further coverage but maybe just not warn the hostage takers of a possible rescue mission. Gee, you think?

At this point, some 900 million viewers were glued to their television sets as events were about to be played out.

You probably know what happens next. 

Even so, I was fascinated by how seamlessly the filmmakers were able to blend archival footage with their own, to create a riveting thriller re-examining a major global event. 

If you have aspirations of being a news journalist, this is a must-watch because it focuses on a key element of the business: always, always verify your sources’ information with a second, reliable source. 

Being “first” on a story may seem like a good idea until you discover that you were wrong and real lives were affected. Journalist or not, go see this movie.

“September 5” (A) Rated R for language.  Starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch and Jim McKay through archival footage. Co-written and directed by Tim Fehlbaum (“The Colony” “Hell”) – filmed in Munich. Running time: 95 minutes. 

The KSL Movie Show with Andy Farnsworth and Steve Salles airs Fridays on KSL NewsRadio from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Follow the show on Facebook, and join The KSL Movie Show Club for exclusive perks by texting MOVIE to 57500. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Message frequency varies.