Munich The Edge of War: where to watch Netflix film, is it a true story, release date - is it based on a book?

Munich – The Edge of War is a tense wartime drama directed by German film director Christian Schwochow which is new to Netflix.

It’s set in the autumn of 1938 as Europe stands on the precipice of conflict.

It focuses on events surrounding the signing of the Munich Agreement, a pact signed to try to get Hitler to agree not to use his military in return for taking a disputed territory.

The agreement was signed by delegations from France, Italy, Nazi Germany, and Britain as an attempt to curtail the escalation of conflicts which could lead to widespread war.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What happens in Munich – The Edge of War?

In Munich – The Edge of War, it is the autumn of 1938 and Europe stands on the precipice of conflict.

Adolf Hitler is preparing to invade the Sudetenland, a mountainous area of Czechoslovakia, a move which would initiate hostilities across the continent, though he had announced it was to be his last territorial claim.

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain attempts a diplomatic resolution by asking Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini to intervene.

The emergency conference in Munich involving delegations from Germany, Britain, Italy and France - including British civil servant Hugh Legat and German diplomat Paul von Hartmann, old friends from their days at Oxford - has many hopeful of a peaceful resolution over disputed territory.

British civil servant Hugh Legat is asked to join the British delegation so he can secretly meet with his old university chum, German diplomat Paul von Hartmann, who is in possession of secret documents revealing Hitler’s grand plan.

Negotiations begin in earnest and Hugh and Paul find themselves entangled in a web of intrigue and bureaucratic subterfuge.

Bidding farewell to his wife, Pamela, and young son, Hugh nervously prepares to commit an act of espionage on foreign soil for the greater good, while Paul yearns for the comforting embrace of his lover, Helen.

Is it a true story?

The film is based on the international bestselling novel of the same name by English author Robert Harris.

However, that book is rooted in historical fact.

The story - told through the eyes of two young civil servants who reunite at the fateful summit six years after they were friends at university - is a fictionalised account of events.

But the events surrounding those two characters were very real, and it doesn’t take much to remember what happened next.

World War II unfolded just one year after the 1938 Munich Agreement was signed.

While there appears to be no real-world inspiration for the character of Hugh Legat, Paul von Hartmann was inspired by anti-Nazi diplomat Adam von Trott zu Solz, who joined the Party in order to carry out secret activities against the regime.

According to Hollywood vs History, the 1938 Munich Conference is depicted accurately “for the most part.”

When can I watch it?

Munich – The Edge of War will be streaming from 21 January exclusively on Netflix.

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