Order from Chaos

The Heart of Darkness -a review of “Munich”

Nothing is more tragic than for a humane person to be entangled in the existential dilemma to kill or be killed. One enters into his heart of darkness, a place where few return. Many have written about this since Conrad, and it has been eloquently expressed in a number of movies. Judah Rosenthal (Crimes and Misdemeanors) and Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Apocalypse Now are among those who never returned. Avner is about to enter.

Avner loves his wife and his child and sees them as his only home. They are for him a way to the heart of his mother, nearby but emotionally distant, loving but not nurturing; desperate to survive when all of her family succumbed in the Holocaust. He has another mother, Israel, who he has pledged to protect, first by being the bodyguard of Her prime minister, Golda Meir, then by avenging the cold-blooded murders of her sons, 11 Olympic athletes at Munich. His father is there in legend but not in fact, like the God who took the Jews out of Egypt only to seemingly leave them victims of other enemies for the rest of their existence. Avner’s father is shrouded in mystery and questions are raised about why he was never there for him. Avner will accept, nay insist that it was because his father was in prison. No more is said.

Avner is commissioned by PM Meir to find and assassinate the Munich murderers, which he does with a focus that becomes so intense that he becomes consumed, while he sees it consuming him. Avner struggles to preserve his humanity in the face of an inhuman enemy, and the very struggle reaffirms it

The objections to Spielberg’s movie lies in his portrayal of the enemy as having a human face. We see a flash of a Palestinian family grieve alongside flashes of a Jewish family. But we also see flashes of Arabs celebrating in the streets over this atrocity, and not Jewish crowds for the retaliatory bombings. We hear the same canned speeches of the Arabs on television interviews, just as they were when first broadcast. We see the targets – well dressed, urbane, incredibly wealthy Arabs, one with a family (whom Avner and his group work assiduously to protect). Though Avner demands proof of his targets’ culpability (to assuage his own guilt) the audience feels reassured that there is no doubt of their participation in this and other murders against Jews.

The one conversation which alleges a motive for the Palestinian cause is a bundle of contradictions. A Jordanian says that all the Arab nations are united in their desire to destroy Israel, but consider the Palestinians to be unimportant and a nuisance. He ends with an assertion that his dream is to sit under his proverbial olive tree (which exists only in Israel, of course). But the viewer is left with the vague impression that he is reciting dogma rather than stating a deep belief, and the life he now has is the life he wants.

There are deep questions about the efficacy, even the morality of fighting such a war. The enemy is equated to a Hydra- cut off one head and five more crop up. Though these comments reflect a sense of futility over the fight, they are balanced by the assertions that this Hydra was evil and murderous from the start and that ignoring it, or talking to it does not stop it. It is an evil monster, not human, but animal, and driven by the impulse to kill. This just happens to be the dilemma Israel continues to face. Spielberg is just calling it by its real name.

Avner, on the other hand, is left with nightmares of the horror for which he was seeking revenge- seeing over and over again the Israeli Olympic athletes being murdered. He is plagued by his own actions and develops paranoia. He fears that the Hydra is now after him and will use the same methods he used against his enemies. He sees no way to live in Israel without being part of their struggle.

Avner is given a face and a heart and a soul. He is trying desperately to keep his soul alive- a Jewish soul. Though he knows that one must fight to preserve one’s life and place in the world, he determines it is worth nothing without valuing life, family and peace. Failing to continue doing that, he opts out. One feels deep empathy for a man in such a struggle. He lives inside the heart of darkness, and battles to break out

But it’s hard to feel sympathetic to Avner’s angst outside of the theater. It is not because his angst is not righteous, but because we are still fighting the war against the Hydra. The enemy is spreading throughout the world widening the front to London, Paris, Madrid and New York, and as always, Israel.

Hamas, an avowed and unrepentant mortal enemy of Israel and Jews, has just gained political power. Hitler gained power with half the votes Hamas got, then turned democracy on its head. All the while Hitler was promoting the humiliation, disenfranchisement and ultimate destruction of the Jews, he was also promoting a high sense of national unity, individual pride in performance, and social and economic support for all Germany’s citizens (sans the Jews, of course). Hamas gained power with the same platform- “destroy the Jews and unite in mutual support and power”. What better call to power in a disenfranchised society than to identify an enemy, and promise revenge and reward. This has been the game plan of the Arabs in general since the beginning of the 20th Century.

But as bad as it looks, it was no different under the PA. The world was willing to dismiss the incongruities that slap them in the face regarding the PA and PLO. Like Hamas, the PA uses terror through their proxies Fatah and Islamic Jihad. But both insist on the State killing Palestinian ‘right to return’. They both demand Jerusalem as their capitol. And though only Hamas states it outwardly to the English speaking West, they both demand the destruction of the State of Israel through the schools, the pulpit, the media, and their respective charters. To this day, the PLO charter still contains the original passages demanding the destruction of Israel as their ‘raison d’etre’. The Heart of Darkness.

Further, Hamas did not get elected through terror, selected assassinations and riots in the streets. The Hamas mandate reflects the Palestinian public’s desires. Furthermore, the power in third place is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). It is more vicious than Hamas. These parties are a reflection of the will of the people. They are not terrified pawns reacting to the threats of a belligerent minority. To be sure, the Palestinian polls reflected their attitude towards Israel many times, but were ignored when the results did not fit the fancy of those willing to be deluded.

And most people in the world appear to prefer delusion to the stark truth. Europe, the US and even the Israeli government are already preparing to recognize the monster as the legitimate ruler of the yet unborn Palestine. Monies will pour in within two weeks without even the rumor of a change in their terrorist stance.

And there is a new front. Israeli governmental power against Israeli Jewish citizens. Reflecting Gush Katif, they are in a frenzied effort to pull back from all territories where they feel vulnerable, by beating and clubbing their own people rather than confront the real enemy. In Amona, over 100, mostly teenagers, were wounded, including a 15 year old boy in a coma due to a fractured skull. This occurred despite a negotiated compromise which would have gotten the residents out in a few weeks. One wonders whether the Jewish citizens of Israel should feel more imperiled by their enemies, or their protectors who insist on a peaceful settlement for all but their own. The Heart of Darkness.


Yet these same people who hide from Hamas and attack their own will jump all over Steven Spielberg for trying to make some sense of it all. Frankly, I believe he did a remarkable job of making the incomprehensible comprehensible. I was able to stand in the shoes of a man who left the field wounded and confused. I can more understand why a person who has gone through three to five wars, as so many Israelis have done, would not want to encourage another. Whether they are right or wrong about the enemy, I can apprehend their desperation.

In an interview about this movie, Spielberg said, “There is no connection between the Palestinian terror of that time and the al-Qaida terror of today. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Jihadism have nothing to do with each other..” With Al-Qaida now in Gaza, Syrian sponsored Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iranian sponsored Hamas in power, Spielberg needs a severe reality check.

So reality and art clash once more. Many artists have demonstrated an ability to distinguish the difference between good and evil in their art, yet consistently choose the low road. Woody Allen is the classic example of this in our age. Steven Spielberg is on the fence- he could go either way. But his movie “Munich” is not a slide to the dark side.

posted by Tiresias in Israel @ 3:47 PM