One Day in September

The winner of the 1999 Academy Award for best documentary, One Day in September finally makes its video debut following a one-time showing on HBO and a limited theatrical run. The film is a compelling and remarkably illuminating effort that succeeds as both a top-notch documentary and a revealing piece of journalism. It concerns the 1972 Munich Olympic games, where Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage, interrupting the games as the watching world collectively held its breath. September uses interviews with victims' families, newsreel footage (much of it featuring ABC's Jim McKay and Peter Jennings) and a recent chilling interview with Jamal Al Gashey, the only surviving terrorist, to give us the background on the incidents as they unfolded on Sept. 5, 1972. The most shocking of the revelations are the apparent lack of safety precautions in the Olympic village, the incompetence by German law enforcement authorities, the insensitivity of Olympics officials and the possibly politically motivated moves by the German government. Michael Douglas offers a subdued, subtly outraged voice for the narration. This is a must for stores with sections devoted to documentaries, sports or Jewish interest topics. --Irv Slifkin