EXCLUSIVE: Theyre all gone.
McKays marathon 16-hour stint anchoring the shattering incident has long been held as a milestone in broadcast history.
It was the first breaking news story to be beamed live globally in an unfettered way.
Peter Sarsgaard (far left) as ABC Sports chief Roone Arledge in ‘September 5.’Republic Pictures
September 5,directed by Swiss filmmakerTim Fehlbaum, opens theVeniceFilm Festivals Horizon Extra sidebar on Thursday.
Those arguments havent gone away.
However, its McKays very human response during the crisis that is at the center of the film.
Jim McKay hosts the 1972 Munich Olympics for ABCABC Sports/Getty Images
Sarsgaard and Magaro worked together on Maggie Gyllenhaals big studio featureThe Bride.
It must be noted that the supporting cast and the background artists all get time to shine.
Not a single actor is left behind.
Beneschs role is a key one because her character represents Germanys post-war generation.
Fehlbaum, whose films include sci-fi titlesThe ColonyandHell, seemed an unlikely choice to helm this unbelievably gripping tale.
And we did our research and came across Geoffrey Mason.
He was on the night shift, and shots were heard.
Suddenly, Fehlbaum thought, Oh wow, thats actually the most interesting angle to tell the story from.
I personally like movies that draw strength from limiting the locations, like12 Angry Men.
One has to smile at the ingenuity of the media worlds analog past.
Fehlbaum was aware of that and charged his production designers with acquiring TV equipment and monitors from the era.
He also kept coming back to McKays Munich reporting and watched and rewatched his seminal Theyre all gone moment.
The simplicity of how McKay framed his words is a part of why theyre so powerful.
Our worst fears have been realized tonight, McKay says to the broadcasters sitting in the studio with him.
He then looked straight into the camera.
They have now said that there were 11 hostages.
Two were killed in their rooms.
… Nine others were killed at the airport tonight.
Theyre all gone, his anguished voice proclaimed.
That moment was really crucial to us, says Fehlbaum.
And we had a really long process.
However, Geoffrey Mason was pivotal in ensuring the filmmakers could access all of McKays Munich clips.
Can I tell you more about it?
Could you give us your blessing?
He is a very busy man, obviously.
And then I quickly talked to him and good that I could talk to him face to face.
And then I got half an hour to talk to him over Zoom.
and he told me about their whole experience in Munich.
He was a teenager and was there.
And then I asked him again to help us and support us in the project to get the rights.
And he did that.
And Im very thankful for that, Fehlbaum says.
The actor also was invited into the CBS Sunday football control room.
They become one organism, and everyone is so focused while theyre on air.
His sessions with the sports broadcasters were to prove invaluable when shooting.
I actually loved it.
And again, were so fortunate to have the actual footage, so it was strange.
And it was actually a fun challenge to get to play with the ghost of Jim McKay.
There was no time to think.
We couldnt give them a blank screen.
So that was our focus.
When it was done, when you went back to the hotel is when you cried.
Thats when you had a lot of drinks to erase the pain.
Magaro ponders on how reporters cover major breaking-news stories.
I dont know how news reporters do it, says Magaro, shaking his head.
Now it is just about getting the sensationalism out there, he adds.
And then Bens [Chaplin] character Marv is a little more the angel on the shoulder.
The Collins story became the inspiration for Billy Wilders biting 1951 pictureAce in the Hole.
In 1987, the 18-month-old toddler became trapped in a shaft 22 feet below ground.
It triggered a frantic rescue effort for the next 58 hours.
He admits to being aware of the swagger.
Yeah, his swagger.
Anyone whos got a job like that has got some swagger.
I mean, youre a leader.
Always a man about town for sure.
These were also very naive sort of times, Sarsgaard says.
This is the first time, really, that a live feed was used to cover a news event.
It was also one of the first times a live feed was used to cover a sporting event.
So all they did was just turn on the cameras.
To me, it changes things.
And that idea was something that I found really, really interesting.
That theres no way to be impartial.
Theres no way not to affect the events even.
When she grew up, she joked, I went the opposite way.
Theres another vital moment where tone was to prove important.
Im almost reluctant to mention it because it comes at the end of the film.
Its not really a spoiler.
Well, the films for sale.
I just pray it gets into the right hands.
Should the cameras have been there in September 1972 to bring us the horrible news instantly?
As a young teen, I watched as much as the BBC and ITV were broadcasting.
The point is, I watched.
The thrill of a big news story is exciting, Im sorry to say.
Ive covered my share of them from way back when.
I was thrilled to be involved.
But, yes, once I got home I would sometimes wonder what Id been doing there.
Over half a century later, Leonie Bensch is posing the big question thatSeptember 5is raising.
Where is the line between reporting and exploiting?
An announcement about the North American premiere ofSeptember 5will be made Thursday.
