{"id":10116,"date":"2022-01-19T10:02:01","date_gmt":"2022-01-19T09:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1548867"},"modified":"2022-01-19T10:23:07","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T09:23:07","slug":"munich-the-edge-of-war-star-says-film-avoids-pitfalls-of-dusty-stories-about-politics","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/munich-the-edge-of-war-star-says-film-avoids-pitfalls-of-dusty-stories-about-politics\/","title":{"rendered":"Munich \u2013 The Edge of War star says film avoids pitfalls of \u201cdusty\u201d stories about politics"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Patrick Cremona\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 19 January 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Two years after embarking on a harrowing World War One mission in 1917, George MacKay is back on our screens attempting to put a stop to another global conflict.<\/p>\n

New Netflix film Munich \u2013 The Edge of War<\/a> sees MacKay star as fictional political aide Hugh Legat in the run-up to the Munich Peace Conference in 1938, with his character working alongside Neville Chamberlain (Jeremy Irons) before being drawn into a plot to bring down Hitler with his German university friend Paul.<\/p>\n

And according to MacKay, it was vital to avoid the pitfalls of \u201cdusty\u201d stories about politics and war, with the star explaining to RadioTimes.com<\/a> that a key scene \u2013 which sees Hugh and Paul discuss politics in a Bavarian bar \u2013 was born out of improv, in a bid to infuse the script with \u201cyouthful energy\u201d.<\/p>

\u201cWe had a week\u2019s rehearsal before we started and Christian [Schwochow, director] was really giving, in terms of we basically improvised around those scenes. Ben Power the writer would be part of that rehearsal and that discussion, and would then transcribe some of the improv and put that into the scene, so it then became an amalgamation of the sort of things we had discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cSome of the most effective, affecting political conversations I\u2019ve had in my life have been in pubs, have been watching friends discuss something. And so I think we really wanted that energy because I think that everyone today, but especially the youth of today, are so politically and socially ignited and conscious and verbal and active. And it\u2019s amazing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think that there\u2019s a danger in telling stories about past politics that it sounds a bit dusty or a bit boring. Whereas I think we wanted to catch that youthful energy of like discussing ideas because that\u2019s all it is. It\u2019s ideas that are then solidified in action, or as Hugh might say, in legislation, but it comes from an idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I think it was important that that energy was there within those scenes. And that\u2019s for me is what the film is about, it is a discussion on what is the right thing to do, and how is the best way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Netflix<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

MacKay\u2019s co-star Jannis Niew\u00f6hner, who plays Paul, agreed that the Bavarian bar scene was one of his favourites in the movie, and he hopes that scenes like this \u2013 and compelling characters like Hugh and Paul \u2013 will make audiences more willing to engage with history.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I have an interesting character like Paul von Hartmann or a friendship story between Hugh and Paul which I can follow, then I\u2019m really open to what\u2019s being told history-wise,\u201d he explained. \u201cOther times, it\u2019s quite hard for me to, you know, to understand all this stuff or to have a real interest for it, but if there\u2019s a great story and characters I can open up \u2013 and I hope it\u2019s gonna be the same with the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n