Press Release
Nominated for Five Oscars® Including Best Picture Comes the Critically Hailed Suspense Thriller From Director Steven Spielberg

Munich

Available on DVD May 9, 2006 From Universal Studios Home Entertainment

"Tremendously exciting. The film moves like a thriller." -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Universal City, California, April 14, 2006 – Munich, the explosive suspense thriller from director Steven Spielberg, comes to DVD May 9, 2006 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  Inspired by the real-life events following the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games, this action-packed film stars Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down, Troy), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) and Academy Award® winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine, Pirates of the Caribbean) as players in an international campaign to track down and eliminate the 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the massacre.  Munich combines edge-of-your-seat suspense with a thought-provoking story.  Boasting powerhouse performances, plot twists and shadowy alliances, the Munich DVD is priced at $29.98 SRP. A Two-Disc Collector’s Edition is also available. 

Munich follows a secret team of five agents in the aftermath of the brutal massacre of 11 members of the Israeli team at the 1972 Olympics. Led by Avner (Eric Bana), the men have been dispatched on a mission to track down those responsible for the attack; a mission that takes a personal toll on the agents and the man who led it.

Munich Garners Five Academy Award® Nominations and Critical Kudos

Steven Spielberg’s explosive suspense thriller earned five Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Spielberg), Best Film Editing (Michael Kahn), Best Original Score (John Williams) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony Kushner, Eric Roth). The film enthralled some of America’s most prestigious critics with its outstanding acting ensemble, superbly crafted script and taut direction. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly calls Munich “spectacularly gripping,” while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone describes it as "tremendously exciting,” and CNN’s Larry King calls it a “dynamic thriller.”  Gene Shalit of “The Today Show” says of Munich, “a bold and passionate thriller.”

Munich DVD Filled with Revealing Bonus Features

The Munich DVD includes an introduction from Academy Award®-winning director Steven Spielberg. 

The Two-Disc Collector’s Edition includes additional in-depth bonus features that expose the viewer further to the film’s subject.

·        Munich: The Mission, The Team – Find out how this project came about and the challenges that were faced by the filmmakers to draw an accurate portrayal of the controversial mission. The actors share their experience getting involved portraying the five men who led the mission.

·        Munich: Memories of the Event – Explore and discover the impact of the real events in Munich through documentary footage, film clips, behind-the-scenes moments and interviews with cast and crew, including Steven Spielberg.

·        Munich: Portrait of an Era – Look at the re-creation of the ‘70s with production designer Rick Carter and costume designer Joanna Johnston.

·        Munich: The “On Set” Experience – A moving and intricate exploration into the art and politics involved with the making of Munich.

·        Munich: Editing, Sound and Music – A discussion with Steven Spielberg and his collaborators, composer John Williams and editor Michael Kahn, on the final touches that were added to Munich.

·        Munich:  The International Cast – A captivating look at the remarkable group of actors that appear in Munich. With over 150 speaking parts, Spielberg and his team discuss the casting of actors from all over the world.

Synopsis

Inspired by real events, Munich reveals the intense story of the secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and eliminate the 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre of 11 Israeli athletes – and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who led it.

For more information, please visit: www.munichmovie.com.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

MUNICH FACTS

The making of Munich began with an exhaustive international search for actors to play the nearly 200 parts in the intricate screenplay, parts ranging from famous political figures to covert agents. As a point of reference, there are more speaking parts in this film than any other Spielberg has previously directed.
 
Cast members were brought together from such diverse places as Algeria, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Albania, Austria, France, Germany, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., the U.S., Canada and Japan, as well as local actors from both Malta and Hungary, where the film was primarily shot.
 
Guri Weinberg, son of Moshe Weinberg, the Israeli wrestling referee and former champion wrestler who was killed in Munich when Guri was just one month old had the very rare opportunity to portray his father and pay tribute to him in Munich. He was 33 at the time, the same age as his father at the time of his death.
 
Munich takes place on a truly international scale, 14 European and Middle Eastern countries are represented in the course of the story, from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt, from Haifa to Paris, all during the early ’70s. Shot entirely on location, the film required the creation of more than 120 sets.
 
Spielberg and his Academy Award®-nominated production designer Rick Carter found all the locations they would need within the borders of two of the newest members of the European Union: Hungary and Malta. Malta provided locations that could accurately double for all the Mediterranean and Middle East locales, while Hungary provided an ideal setting for more than half a dozen different Northern European.
 
In developing the film’s visual style, cinematographer Janusz Kaminski looked at the story through the prism of a world map. There are 8 different countries represented in the film and each was given a different look and color palette, allowing each country to have its own individuality, despite the fact that film was shot primarily in Malta and Hungary.
 
The filmmakers included a nod to ’70s cinema during a scene with Avner (Eric Bana) and Louis (Mathieu Amalric) as they walk along a Parisian vegetable market.  The scene was shot below the apartment made famous by Bernardo Bertolucci’s classic Last Tango in Paris.
 
Vehicle supervisor Graham Kelly was entrusted with locating the 1,500 cars needed throughout the production. Key vehicles on Kelly’s must have list including taxis, buses, Vespas and vintage automobiles dating from the period.  For just one short scene in which Avner (Bana) takes a walk at night on a Paris street, Kelly had to round up 60 cars, five Parisian buses and several Parisian taxis.