In the ’70s and ’80s, Steven Spielberg was notable for pioneering the blockbuster landscape. But in the ’90s, the director would transcend beyond that status following his versatility, as he would delve into more serious territories with Schindler’s List, one of Spielberg’s most important films to date.
However, the director’s other attempt at helming a historical film wouldn’t be as universally acclaimed as Schindler’s List following its political aspect. Moreover, the director was aware the film would divide viewers upon its release, as he recalled discussing this matter with Tony Kushner.
Steven Spielberg Knew He Was Delving Into Hot Water With Munich
Steven Spielberg was fully aware that his 2005 film Munich, based on the 1972 massacre in Munich, was going to stir some controversy upon its release. Being the most intentionally political film of his career, the film’s initial reception was impacted by post-9/11 politics, the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and doubts about its historical accuracy.
While the general reception towards the film has improved with time, which scored five Oscar nods upon its release, Spielberg expected the political backlash at the time. The Jaws filmmaker stressed that he felt the story needed to be told, and recounted discussing with his fellow collaborator Tony Kushner in length about the film making noise upon its release.
He said (via DGA):
I kind of saw it as a story that I felt needed to be told… Tony Kushner and I would sit around waiting for the shot to be lit and talk about how people were going to have a real tough time understanding and reconciling what this film is. And Tony was the one, more than even me, who said, ‘We’re going to make a lot of noise with this movie, and it’s not all going to be good.’ And I would say, ‘Is any of it going to be good?’ And he said, ‘Maybe 10 years from now, but I think when this film comes out it’s going to be swift-boated.’
One of the major reasons the film caused quite a stir upon its release was because Munich wasn’t black and white with its portrayal of the events, and posed difficult questions to the viewers.
Steven Spielberg Refused To Spoonfeed Audience With Munich
Instead of taking a definitive stance with the film, Spielberg decided against spoonfeeding the viewers and opted to put this burden on the audience. While he agreed that many would’ve preferred the film landing somewhere definite, the Oscar winner stressed there are “no easy answers to the most complex story of the last 50 years”. He said:
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.
But despite opening to mixed reception upon its release, the film would eventually contribute to Daniel Craig’s James Bond casting.
Munich is available to stream on Apple TV.
