Is Munich the Edge of War a True Story, All About Munich the Edge of War Plot

Munich the Edge of War

Munich The Edge of War is a German/British film, based on a 2017 novel called ‘Munich’ by Robert Harris. The movie was directed by Christian Schwochow and screenplay by Ben Power. On October 13, 2021, the film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. Since the story line is highly based on World war II, the fans are wondering if the film is a true story. Read on to find out more!

Munich the Edge of War Plot

The Official Netflix synopsis says: 

 "It is Autumn 1938 and Europe stands on the brink of war. Adolf Hitler is preparing to invade Czechoslovakia and Neville Chamberlain's government desperately seeks a peaceful solution.

"With the pressure building, Hugh Legat, British civil servant, and Paul von Hartmann, German diplomat, travel to Munich for the emergency Conference. As negotiations begin, the two old friends find themselves at the centre of a web of political subterfuge and very real danger. With the whole world watching, can war be averted and, if so, at what cost?"

The story combines reality and fiction to present a set on the brink of WWII's commencement.

The plot centres around Hugh Legat, a fictional political assistant who, together with a former university acquaintance from Germany, becomes engaged in a plot to assassinate Hitler at an urgent meeting in Munich - all while Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain continues to pursue an appeasement policy. Hugh is unaware that his erstwhile close friend from Oxford, Paul von Hartmann (Jannis Niewöhner), is a member of a covert resistance group to Adolf Hitler in Germany.  Eventually, the two former men will have to join together as the world's final hope to avoid the disaster, violence, and devastation.

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Is Munich the Edge of War a True Story?

The answer is a partial Yes and a partial No. Despite the fact that both the movie and the novel employ true historical events and individuals as the context of the story, The core storyline involving George McKay's character Hugh and his erstwhile best buddy Paul (played by Jannis Niewöhner) is fictional. 

Considering that the film is set in Germany on the eve of World War II in 1938, there are aspects of a "real narrative" sprinkled throughout the film. The Munich Conference, for example, was a true event that took place in the same building as the filming of The Edge of War.

In an interview author Robert  Harris said, “I think one of the triumphs of the film is how much of it is filmed in the building where the Munich conference took place. Because you couldn’t invent that, an art director couldn’t reconstruct that extraordinary building. It was finished in 1937, I think, and very much Hitler’s own creation. And so, one of the great moments of the film is when you see everyone sitting around in that great room, and you realize it must have been like that.”

And some of the characters in the film are based on historical persons, such as Jeremy Irons' character, Neville Chamberlain, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 until May 1940. Chamberlain is regarded as a divisive historical figure. He is most remembered for signing the Munich Agreement on September 30, 1938, which permitted Germany to invade a portion of the Czechoslovak Republic in exchange for it becoming Hitler's final territorial conquest. It was largely viewed as a failed act of appeasement, and some historians and critics criticised Chamberlain for neglecting to ready Britain for World War II. In Edge of War, he's portrayed in a more favourable light, as a commander willing to go to any length to avoid conflict and keep the peace.

One of the biggest draws for Irons in playing Chamberlain was his portrayal of him. In an interview, Irons said, “History has brought us Churchill’s Chamberlain. Churchill was a great competitor, and a warmonger and wanted to go to war for a year-and a-half, two years before we did, and I thought Chamberlain, as actually Robert [Harris] did, had suffered rather in his reputation as the appeaser, as if that was a bad thing. And I hoped this would put it right a little bit. I always find it interesting playing the man behind history.”

Following that, the main theme of the movie that involves two young former friends is fictional. 

Munich the Edge of War Cast

Here is the list of the ‘Munich the Edge of War’ Cast!

Where Can I Watch Munich the Edge of War?

Netflix offered a limited US theatrical release on January 14, 2022. But, for the viewers who want to enjoy the film from the comfort of their home can stream it on Netflix. According to the official news from Netflix, viewers can watch Munich – The Edge of War on Netflix from January 21, 2022.