Next month, Universal Pictures and Dreamworks will release ""Munich,"" a thriller from Steven Spielberg about the hunt for Palestinian terrorists who kidnapped and killed members of the Israeli team at the 1972 Olympics.

Spielberg, who is Jewish, has a mixed track record among Arabs. His Oscar-winning ""Schindler's List"" warranted more than a few thumbs down, but DreamWorks' ""The Prince of Egypt"" was generally well-received, though the animated telling of the story of Moses, an Israelite hero, drew fire from Muslims who detected a Zionist subtext.

""Munich"" will be the ultimate Spielberg challenge for Arabs, as it confronts the most contentious subjects in contemporary politics, from terrorism to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Arabic blogs and 'zines are buzzing with anticipation and apprehension. Egyptian journalist Dhiya Bakhit, for one, is suspicious, writing online: ""Spielberg's films are extremely popular in the Arab world, especially among the merry youth who imitate everything Western. They don't even know that Spielberg?who will reenact the attack by a group of Palestinians on an Olympic team during the 1972 Munich Olympics?has a specific personal agenda because of his religious and ideological connection with Israel.""

That ""Munich"" won't be in wide release throughout the Middle East won't crimp its circulation. Even in countries where there is government censorship of film, it's increasingly lax, because everyone knows that no matter what is cut or banned at the theater or in rental shops, the unexpurgated version will surely reach Arab living rooms anyway, via DVD and the Internet. (In Iran, a non-Arab Muslim country where only government-approved films play in movie houses, the students I debated got their hands on ""Titanic"" with little effort; there are architects in Tehran who specialize in tasteful rooftop enclosures that conceal satellite dishes while adding elegance to a fa?ade.)

Source: /www.latimes.com/technology/la-tm-arabmovies47nov20,1,1938717.story?coll=la-headlines-technology"">L.A.Times."