The Message In "Munich" (621 hits)
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Submitted by kaos-king (antius777) (View user info) at 2007-07-15 10:07:07 EDT
I just recently watched the Steven Spielberg movie "Munich."
For those who didn't know, in 1972, while Germany was hosting the Olympics, a group of terrorists kidnapped and subsequently murdered eleven Israeli competitors. This tale deals with the story of a Black Ops agent from the Mossad (The Israeli equivalent to the CIA) forming a small team to track down and assassinate those responsible for the events that came to be known as "Black September."
The movie was excellent and it was almost perfectly cast. (I have to admit I had a hard time accepting Daniel Craig as an Israeli Jew after seeing "Casino Royale" first.) It was filled with action and suspense, and more importantly... it was thought provoking.
But what thoughts did it provoke, exactly? I was at the bar with my best friend last night and brought up the film, mentioning that I had seen it. He had as well, and agreed it was quite good. Then he said something interesting; "I'm not sure what message they were trying to get across," he said. Sipping our drinks, we discussed this at some length. Now, I'm not going to sit here and analyze the Spielberg's movie, but I am going question some of the issue that the film presented.
ONE
The Concept Of Home
From what I could gather, the events of "Black September" were meant to bring the world's attention to perceived "plight" of the Palestinians. Even to this day, there is a strong hatred and resentment among the Arab people, foremost with the Palestinians, due to their presence in the Middle East. While I can not quite grasp the origin and necessity of these feelings, I do somewhat understand the Palestinian complaint. Much of the land that is currently the nation of Israel used to belong to them.
However, does that really matter so much? In the beginning of the film, a number of Israeli government members are talking about their place in the world and how they must fight to keep their "home." Yet, they've only had this land in their name a short time. The Palestinians desperately want it, but why? In a later scene, the character of Avner is talking with a PLO member. The Palestinian says they deserve to have a home, just like everyone else, just like the other Arabs. That's fine, I suppose... but why THIS land. From all I can tell, it's relatively useless.
Ah... that's right; the religious aspects of the area. Jews and Muslims, along with Christians all view this war-torn stretch of rock as something "Holy." The faithful are willing to murder each other all over a scrap of dirt that has no significance other than for its possible historic qualities. The fact that these three religions all happen to worship the same god, although through different means, seems irrelevant. It makes me wonder about the faith of these people - is it so weak, so lacking, that they all need such petty things as a mound of earth?
My opinion? Get everybody out of there. EVERYBODY. Annex part of Mexico and give it to the Jews. Annex an equal sized chunk of China and give it to the Palestinians. The Christians already have enough, so fuck 'em. Then, once everybody in out, we nuke the shit out of the entire area, rendering it useless. Problem solved.
TWO
Anti-Semitism
When casting this film, Spielberg had to gather up some great actors for his parts. Now, from what I could tell, all the Palestinian parts went to individuals of Arabic descent. Okay, all well and good. The Israeli parts went to... Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush? Ummmm, I don't think any of those gentlemen are Jewish! Maybe Bana is, Craig is as British as they come, and Rush can be whatever he wants. However, that's kinda my point...
There's a scene in the movie where an informant seeks to cause some turmoil. He decides it would be amusing to stick the five Mossad agents in the same safehouse on the same day as three PLO soldiers. Cute, huh? The PLO, who are of obvious Arabic heritage, burst in with guns drawn. They announce nervously that they are PLO. Bana's character of Avner tells them that he and his crew are a German faction. And the PLO believe it. Why?
Because what the FUCK does a Jew look like???
Avner and the PLO soldier even share a cigarette together and talk politics. Granted, Avner kills him later, but that's not the point. Certain ethic backgrounds have distinct features. You know an Asian individual when you see one. People of Jewish background? - not so much. For every stereotype you can come up with for a Jewish look, I can come up with a handful of examples where that doesn't apply. Are Jews hated for their race or their religion? In either case, unless they're coming out of Temple, I dunno how you spot one.
THREE
The Never Ending Conflict
By the end of the film, Bana's character of Avner is battle-weary and emotionally scarred. After a series of mistakes, failures and deaths, he's ready to be done. His desire to quit is met with disapproval, but once Avner digs deeper, it seems that not all the men he's assassinated for Israeli were behind "Black September." Although he's told that all these individuals posed a security threat, Avner walks away, disgusted in the part he's played.
Avner's handler Ephraim, played by Geoffrey Rush, is adamant that the fight will go on - with or without Avner's help. To me, this WAS the message of the movie, but how to interpret such? Does this cast the Jewish Nation as battle ready men and women, willing to do whatever it takes to ensure their survival? Or does this show the Israelis as warmongers, just as guilty as their enemy? Perhaps it's something in between.
To me, it simply spelled out the futility of what each side was trying to accomplish. Each opponent lashing out at the other in response to past strikes, almost as if playing a children's game, seeing who could get in the last shot. Neither side is willing to compromise or listen to reason. And if they keep at it as they've been doing since the time of "Black September," keep raging at each other as they're doing now here in 2007, soon that strip of land really WON'T be any good to anybody.
I don't claim to have all the answers, and I'm definitely not the most informed guy there is. I just watch this movie and think that if things haven't really changed all that much in thirty years, perhaps it's time to try something totally new. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like both sides are fighting now just for the sake of the fight, with no real clear idea of victory in sight.
User Reviews
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-16 09:00:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
mossad is one of the effective and deadliest of all agencies.
they have hands on experience on a day to day level of how to manipulate chaos.
unlike the CIA, they are effective and in the shadows.
sword of gideon is a film portraying the squad who hunted down the terrorists after black september.
it's based on a true story.
the operation code name was the same as the title of the movie.
i think speilberg, to sell his film, definitely embellished the truth somewhat, but i cant really comment seeing as i haven't seen this protrayal.
much like shindlers list. that went overboard too.
milking jewish suffering for all its worth, eh stevie?
never ceases to amaze how they can find a way to make cash from even thier own annihilation.
Submitted by HighVoltage900 (user info) at 2007-07-16 08:09:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-16 04:36:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
havent seen it but i bet the sword of gideon is a better movie.
same theme except about 30 years older and less special affects.
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Chances are slim that that is true.
kk the whole thing is fucked up, but the problem is that in the end, if israel really REALLY badly wants to end the fighting, they can. They would have to use means that the rest of the world would be appalled at, but they have the capabilities.
Submitted by czwij (user info) at 2007-07-16 04:36:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
havent seen it but i bet the sword of gideon is a better movie.
same theme except about 30 years older and less special affects.
Submitted by Progr3ss (user info) at 2007-07-16 03:03:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
The message?
In a word?
Money.
That's what it's always been about. That's what it will always be about.
God plays a very small role in the equation.
Submitted by kaos-king (user info) at 2007-07-16 01:06:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by ICO (user info) at 2007-07-15 17:03:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Funny how you mention annexing parts of Mexico and China to give away, while America (with its vast quantities of nearly unoccupied lands) is to my knowledge a much better alternative, seeing as you don't have to wage war to get to it.
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Eh, I only said Mexico and China because they are very, very far way from each other...
My political opinions were not formed by the movie. *sigh*
I once again see that really nobody caught the large amount of bullshit I squeezed into this post.
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2007-07-15 23:54:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I wasn't particularly interested in seeing this, but I didn't know Bana and Rush were in it. I will probably rent it now.
Submitted by Caulaincourt (user info) at 2007-07-15 23:41:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by icarus1987 (user info) at 2007-07-15 23:21:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
For the record, saying that the Jews only held Israel for a short time and as such should better understad the plight of the Palestinians would be like saying that the Native Americans have only been on a given reservation for a short time, and as such should understand the plight of the cityfolk who want to throw up a Best Buy. The Jews were in Israel long before the Muslims even existed as a cohesive units.
Submitted by Flack (user info) at 2007-07-15 23:15:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
What alot of people outside of the region don't realize is that The Palestinians actually welcomed Jews to the country a long time ago. Jews started emmigrating back to the holy land hundreds of years ago and, during the Holocaust, alot of them came back to what is now Isreal and actually BOUGHT land off the Palestinians. It basically came to the point where the Jews had accuired so much land through legal business transaction that they just decided to make thier own indepenadant state out of it. Now was there some shiester action going on during this? I'm sure there was. Was there a forceful taking of land? Definately. But lates look at our own histories before we start diggin in the asses of the Jews:
America stole land from the Native Indians becasue of "Manifest Destiny."
Up until about 50 years ago, the Bristish controlled alot of this world, including interests in the Middle east and central Asia.
Italy (aka Rome) used to control the entire known world (at least what WAS known at that time).
Persia (Iran) forcefully took over many lands thousands of years ago, including parts of Europe, Eurasia, and Africa.
The Palestinians are just pissed because the Jews outsmarted them. Now they're treated like second-class citizens because, well, they act like second-class citizens. They strap bombs to thier wives and children in hopes of killing Jews.
I havent heard of an Isreali suicide bomber yet.
Man I cant wait to take my trip to Isreal in a couple years so I can see this whole fiasco with my own eyes.
Submitted by Jack_McCallum (user info) at 2007-07-15 18:34:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
While I can sympathize with the Palestinians, they have proven themselves to be the consummate arseholes of the middle east again and again. Arafat was a multi-millionaire while his people starved. When Israel gave up land that had been made fertile the Palestinians went in and destroyed greenhouses that could have helped them, greenhouses on what was now their land.
Fuck it. I'm always gonna side with the Jews. They must be doing something right if they are still around after FOUR THOUSAND YEARS.
Submitted by The_taste_of_Monkeys (user info) at 2007-07-15 17:47:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Wildman (user info) at 2007-07-15 22:34:03 BST (#)
Ranking: 0
Since real life originates from movies, I always, and only, depend on them to dictate my perspective
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hee hee hee
Submitted by Wildman (user info) at 2007-07-15 17:34:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Since real life originates from movies, I always, and only, depend on them to dictate my perspective
Submitted by Lambchop (user info) at 2007-07-15 17:18:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-15 16:05:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
You're not very good at this "writing" thing, are you?
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You're not very good at this "alter" thing, are you?
Submitted by ICO (user info) at 2007-07-15 17:03:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Funny how you mention annexing parts of Mexico and China to give away, while America (with its vast quantities of nearly unoccupied lands) is to my knowledge a much better alternative, seeing as you don't have to wage war to get to it. From this, I conclude two things:
1. You're semi-consciously admitting it's a bullshit idea.
2. You're keen enough on America having its land to make other people wage wars to get theirs.
Imagine if some people invaded a part of America that was relatively uninhabited, would you think Americans wouldn't get pissed off? It's logical for the Palestinians to get pissed off (on the other hand it's hardly logical to employ suicide-bombings to get it back).
Submitted by DonovanMD (user info) at 2007-07-15 16:37:11 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good post.
Submitted by messmind (user info) at 2007-07-15 16:36:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Avals (user info) at 2007-07-15 16:10:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
You're right. Neither side IS willing to compromise or listen to reason. Other than following a policy of restraint and not fighting back for several months while Palestinian suicide bombers continue to pour into your country. Or unilaterally evacuating tens of thousands of your own citizens, sometimes by force, to give the territory back to an enemy government that doesn't even recognize your right to exist.
Oh, wait...
Also, since when has Israel been targeting civilians? This is news to me, as well as to the country's armed forces. But hey, I guess you know best...
Submitted by Herpes (user info) at 2007-07-15 16:09:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
if any of us gets laid tonight, it's because of eric bana in munich.
Submitted by storm (user info) at 2007-07-15 16:05:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
You're not very good at this "writing" thing, are you?
Submitted by SunnyG (user info) at 2007-07-15 15:54:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
plus fucking 2 for the picture alone.
Submitted by Lambchop (user info) at 2007-07-15 15:30:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I liked this movie
Submitted by kaos-king (user info) at 2007-07-15 13:03:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-07-15 12:35:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
what's the i in the pic?
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It's a Hindu symbol
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-07-15 12:35:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
what's the i in the pic?
Submitted by Zebra (user info) at 2007-07-15 11:37:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict might never be 'solved,' but to simplify things, any solution will have to include:
The Palestinians recognize Israel's right to exist and give up the right of return, and Israel must give up the settlements. Land for peace, basically.
Jerusalem will probably need to become an international city with a permanent United Nations presence which includes Jewish, Muslim, and Christian forces from a number of countries.
This is a broad overview, and the devil is always in the details, but the likelihood of this happening has decreased substantially because of the Iraq war.
Submitted by Spam (user info) at 2007-07-15 10:41:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
You over-analyse what was essentially, a very mediocre and typically Spielburgianly shallow movie.
Submitted by St_Jimmy (user info) at 2007-07-15 10:38:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Munich wasn't a half bad movie. Did seem to drag a bit in parts though.
For the record, I believe "Black September" was the name of the Palestinian group behind the kidnappings/murders of the atheletes, not the name of the "event".
Interesting thing about Palestine vs. Israel, since they're basically right on top of each other, their conflict affects nearly all of them on a very personal level. "Can't we all just get along?" is all fine and good when you have a couple of soldiers fighting and killing each other, but when both sides are targeting civilians, forgive and forget becomes a lot tougher.
I don't see a Palestinian whose daughter was killed by an Isralie missle having a rational, logical negotiation with an Isralie whose mother was killed by a suicide bomber. There's too much personal pain to just "set aside" for the greater good.
Also... The U.S. certainly isn't helping matters. We unconditionally support Israel. I have to believe that Isreal might use force a little more sparingly if they didn't have the giant always in their corner ready to pounce on Arab countries who fight back too hard.
Isreal is essentially surrounded by enemies and you can survive such a situation without having your gigantic big brother in the room with you. However, in that case, you need to use your head a whole lot more than your fists.
Then again, maybe the whole thing is nothing more than a giant cluster fuck. Stick the Jews in Florida (most of them are already there). Carve out a bit of Iraq and build Muslimland for the Palestinians. For Muslimland, think Cedar Point but with 100% more jihad. Allah's wild ride. Muhammad Force. The Sunni Triangle of Fun. Iron Dragon of Allah's Vengence.