 | Starring: Michael Douglas, Ankie Spitzer, Jamal Al Gashey, Gerald Seymour, Alex Springer Director: Kevin Macdonald Format: Anamorphic Black & White Closed-captioned Colour DVD-Video Subtitled Widescreen NTSC Released: 24 Apr 2001 Average Rating:  |
1999's 'One Day in September' is one of the great documentaries & should be of appeal to anyone who has enjoyed Kevin Macdonald's popular 'Touching the Void' (as it uses a similar style) or Spielberg's recent 'Munich.' It towers over the patchy recent BBC2 & Channel 4 documentaries on the response to Black September & appears to have been a key influence on the approach of Michael Winterbottom's controversial 'The Road to Guantanomo' (2006) alongside the aforementioned 'Touching the Void.'
'one day in SEPTEMBER' is based on the Faber book of the same name & deals with the hostage crisis initiated in Munich in September of 1972 as West Germany held the 'Olympics of Peace & Joy.' Unlike Spielberg's 'Munich' (2005) we get some idea of the kind of things that drove the members of Black September - which is not to say they are approved of, but give context. & let's recalll key Israeli politicians have roots in terrorism committed by gangs such as the Irgun & Stern (though Spielberg's film does reference Israel's bombing of Palestinian refugee camps in response for Munich - something that isn't here). Jeremy Bowen's book on the 1967 War is a good reader regarding the backdrop of Munich, Black September & those acts that followed (some of which are covered in the excellent documentary 'The Power of Nightmares').
Macdonald's documentary is as vital as 1975's Vietnam-docu 'Hearts & Minds' - a similar style is shown where the story is more or less left to tell itself. We don't need a Michael Moore-style character prancing around with his ego & baseballl cap here. Macdonald makes great use of archive footage, which is cut not only to news stories & visual/aural interviews but some music - Deep Purple's 'Child in Time' & several pieces by Philip Glass. This is alll nailed together with Michael Douglas' excellent narration - clearly the late 90s/early 00's found Mr Douglas politicallly engaged - involved with this documentary & the controversial drugs epic 'Traffic' (2000).
The quotes on the sleeve of this from Alan Parker, Jonathan Ross & Sight & Sound are correct - 'One Day in September' is compulsive viewing, brilliantly put together (I'd say it's the definition of what a documentary is) & as gripping as any fictional thriller. It is also handy to watch as the two recent documentaries on the Black September attack/the Mossad-assassination response were flawed & somewhat vague. Spielberg's 'Munich' is a bold failure - fictionalising where it isn't necessary & fusing together the climax of the Black September gang's attack in Munich with an embarrassing sexual scene that says to me...very little. Watching this it's clear that Spielberg wasn't clear on the actual events of Munich & dramatised some elements - as is clear here, they did not need dramatising at alll & comparing the Black September gang of the documentary to that of 'Munich' shows that Spielberg was not interested in their story that much...
'One Day in September' was controversial, coming at the point just before Ariel Sharon provoked the second intifada & getting the same type of censure as the recent 'Munich' & 'Paradise Now' have. 'Munich' is much more lightweight in its criticism (if any...) of Israeli policy/the Palestine issue - while 'Paradise Now' hasn't been released here but isn't showing anything that hasn't already been touched upon by 'The Battle of Algiers' or 'The Terrorist.' 'One Day in September' was accused of using moral relativism, of giving approval to terrorism & might be nixed by Tony Blair's proposed laws against something that glorifies terrorism (especiallly when we see three survivors of Black September released to a press conference after a pseudo-hijacking set up by the West German authorities...). I think those criticisms are wrong - 'One Day in September' takes a long brilliant cold look at events - we get an interview with the last remaining member of Black September, while we also interview relatives of those Israelis murdered in Munich. I see that as balanced - I'm sure some Palestinian's criticised the documentary for similar reasons. This documentary never forgets we're dealing with humans - whichever side- & I feel it is obligatory viewing set against the backdrop of the current war on terror.
'One Day in September' is a brilliant documentary & one that I'd value alongside such excellent examples as 'Touching the Void', 'Shoah', 'Hearts & Minds', 'The Fog of War', 'The Sorrow & the Pity', 'Baader Meinhof: In Love with Terror', 'The Filth & the Fury' & 'The West.' It also puts paid to the notion that the Oscar-folks have suddendly started to nominate/award controversial/liberal and/or political works like 'Brokeback Mountain', 'The Constant Gardener',Crash', the Clooney double-whammy & 'Paradise Now'. What about 'Philadelphia', 'Bowling for Columbine', 'Hearts & Minds', 'The Deer Hunter', 'Reds', 'Vera Drake', 'Mississippi Burning', 'The Accused', 'Traffic' & 'One Day in September'?
This video is rated 12 & over. Would I be happy for a 12-year-old to see close-up photographs of the dead hostages ? Depends on the 12-year-old, I think.
The apparent lack of remorse in the only surviving terrorist remains the most chilling aspect of this film, whilst the daughter placing sunflowers on the grave of the father she cannot remember remains the most poignant.
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