Steven Spielberg is no stranger to taking risks when it comes to making filmmaking and his heart-wrenching film, Schindler’s List is the biggest example of this. But after Schindler’s List, there came yet another film in Steven Spielberg’s filmography that caused a ton of controversy thanks to its sensitive topic.
In 2005, Steven Spielberg released Munich which depicted the 1972 massacre that took place in Munich, Germany whilst the Summer Olympics were ongoing. Needless to say, the subject was very risky to show in mainstream media but Steven Spielberg was okay with taking the risk, even if it meant losing some of his friends.
Steven Spielberg Risked it All for Munich
Based on the 1984 novel, Vengeance, written by George Jonas, Munich stars Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds, and more. Since the film touches on the sensitive topic of the conflict between Palestine and Israel, you just know Steven Spielberg faced a lot of wrath for his work.
But talking to film critic Roger Ebert, Spielberg stated that he was well aware about the risks that would come with the film. He admitted that he knew the film would lead to his friends cutting him off, but none of that mattered to him.
“I knew the minefield was there. I wasn’t naive in accepting this challenge. I knew I was going to be losing friends when I took on the subject. I am also making new friends.”
Calling it the most complex story in five decades, Spielberg stated that he deliberately avoided taking any positions and left the audience scrambling for answers.
“It would make people more comfortable if I made a film that said all targeted assassination is bad, or good, but the movie doesn’t take either of those positions. It refuses to. Many of those pundits on the left and right would love the film to land somewhere definite. It puts a real burden on the audience to figure out for themselves how they feel about these issues. There are no easy answers to the most complex story of the last 50 years.”
Keeping the controversy aside, Munich proved to be a critical success with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 78%. It also found a spot in many critics’ ‘Top Ten’ lists for the year, including that of Ebert’s. And while it did not win any, Munich was nominated in five categories at the Academy Awards.
Steven Spielberg Wants to Make Powerful Films
Spielberg is best known for films like Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Jaws, and Catch Me If You Can. Keeping this in mind, he told Ebert that while he will continue to make films that are pure entertainers, he also wants to do create projects with a much deeper meaning. He believes it is his responsibility to do so.
“I guess as I grow older. I just feel more responsibility for telling the stories that have some kind of larger meaning. Most of my movies sum everything up. I try to make movies to give audiences the least amount of homework and the most amount of pleasure. The majority of my movies have done that. But as I get older, I feel the burden of responsibility that comes along with such a powerful tool. I certainly have made movies by popular demand. There is a distinction between movie-making and filmmaking. I want to do both.”
Perhaps it is the fact that he is not afraid to take risks combined with his ability to go from one genre to the other that has kept Spielberg relevant and at the top of the game after all these years. Can you believe that he directed his very first film, Firelight when he was just seventeen years old?
You can rent/buy Munich from Prime Video.
Source: Roger Ebert
