Steven Spielberg: Munich or Bust!

Given all of the latest Internet buzz surrounding Steven Spielberg and the most recent exclusive to hit the info-highway, we thought we'd take a deeper look at what's coming down the "as yet untitled" film pipe now that War of the Worlds has invaded the box-office.

According to a recent article in The New York Times, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan were Steven Spielberg's biggest risks in his filmmaking career. If we agree and say this is true, then his newest untitled project about the assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics may very well surpass both of those films in terms of high risk. Spielberg, no slouch for pushing the envelope, takes on even more sensitive subject matter in this one and, also according to The Times, today's most prominent filmmaker has sought advice from a variety of sources including his own rabbi, former President Bill Clinton and former diplomat Dennis Ross, who has alerted Israeli officials to the film's delicate nature.

For those of you who don't know this part of history, here is a brief rundown of the events that unfolded at the 1972 Munich Olympics:

On September 5, 1972, eight terrorists belonging to Black September ( a faction of the PLO) raided the Olympic village, killed two Israeli athletes and took nine more hostages. The terrorists then demanded the release of jailed Palestinians in Israel and, when negotiations broke down, the terrorists packed up shop with the hostages in tow. Leaving the village, they headed for a military airport to board a plane back to the Middle East, where German snipers opened fire, killing three of the terrorists. After an ensuing gun battle left all nine hostages, a policeman, and two more of the terrorists dead, on that day the Olympic dream had died along with innocent lives. The response to the terrorist act from then Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, was to authorize the use of covert action teams to find and assassinate all the individuals involved in the attack (for a more detailed account, read Alexander B. Calahan's thesis on the response and follow up right here).

Admirers of Spielberg's work on Schindler's List may view this new project as hurtful to Israel's image and the fragile Israeli/Palestinian relations. Unlike Spielberg's other sensitive projects, Munich will be his first foray into the very volitile Middle East Israel/Palestine environment, which if misconstrued could reopen old wounds, add fuel to an already smouldering fire, or be misinterpreted given the human messages Spielberg will undoubtably address. However, if anything, as most Spielberg projects do, the highly anticipiated film will definitely make for enganging world-wide conversation.

The biggest risk for Spielberg, if you want to mix cinema potpourri with politics, may be the public's perception of Isreal's controversial response to the attack and the policy of targeted killings. In a statement released to The New York Times, Spielberg says, "Viewing Israel's response to Munich through the eyes of the men who were sent to avenge that tragedy adds a human dimension to a horrific episode that we usually think about only in political or military terms... By experiencing how the implacable resolve of these men to succeed in their mission slowly gave way to troubling doubts about what they were doing, I think we can learn something important about the tragic standoff we find ourselves in today."

Of all the directors in the business today, Steven Spielberg is at the top of the list to tackle a project as controversial as this one will be. Given his track record of taking on controversial subject matter, blended with raw human emotion for dramtic introspective effect, don't be surprised if his vision is embraced by critics and fans alike.

We just may hear his name called on Oscar night.