1969 Directed by Costa-Gavras
Repression is the rule of the day in this film that skewers Greek governance of the 1960s. Z, a leftist rabble rouser, is killed in what appears to be a traffic accident. But given the political climate, the death of such a prominent activist raises troubling questions. Though it's too late to save Z's life, a postmortem examination suggests that the ruling party was behind his death. As the facts leak out, those who tell the truth pay the price for their honesty.
Yves Montand Irene Papas Jean-Louis Trintignant Jacques Perrin Charles Denner François Périer Bernard Fresson Pierre Dux Georges Géret Magali Noël Marcel Bozzuffi Julien Guiomar Renato Salvatori Jean Bouise Clotilde Joano Maurice Baquet Habib Reda Hassan El-Hassani Gérard Darrieu Jean-Pierre Miquel Sid Ahmed Agoumi Jean Dasté Van Doude Jean-François Gobbi Guy Mairesse Andrée Tainsy Eva Simonet François Chaumette Allel El Mouhib Show All…
Z - Anatomie eines politischen Mordes, Z, avagy egy politikai gyilkosság anatómiája, Z先生, Z, l'orgia del potere, 大风暴, Зед, Дзета, Z - Han lever, 一桩政治凶杀案的剖析, Z ou l'anatomie d'un assassinat politique, Z - hän elää, Ölümsüz, Z - A Orgia do Poder, ZED, Z (Costa-Gavras)
Politics and human rights High speed and special ops War and historical adventure political, democracy, documentary, president or propaganda political, president, historical, politician or democracy spy, agent, intrigue, thriller or suspense terrorism, thriller, gripping, intense or political war, soldiers, combat, fought or military Show All…
Z is smarter than me, and it’s smarter than you. It immediately proclaims that, “Any resemblance to real events, to persons living or dead, is not accidental. It is DELIBERATE.” Rashomon-ish re-enactments show us the irrelevance of truth and the omnipresence of corruption.
Brilliant editing sustains suspense for all 127 minutes. Initially, it heightens the tension of protests and violence, but as the film transitions to interrogations and investigations, the pace feels just as relentless. An attorney catches an official or witness in a lie, and the camera swivels to reveal a tiny twitch, or a hand tensing on the table.
Nobody survives Costa-Gavras films. The thugs in power are just as bad at lying as the thugs without power, but they get the last lie, and that’s the one that counts.
Greek expatriate director Costa-Gavras was a political genius. Before the audacity of Bernardo Bertolucci's Il Conformista (1970) and severely influencing the subject matter of Theodoros Angelopoulos' Meres Tou '36 (1972), Z, despite holding the record for the shortest film title ever along with M (1931), is one of the greatest worldwide political dramas ever committed to celluloid. Governmental censorship was considerably heavy during those times, and releasing a brave project of such caliber always shattered the moral of international democracies and conservative parties. Nevertheless, Z screamed like a democratic society could have never done it. Manifestations always lost their impact despite being registered as national history. The director grabbed an astounding novel of political sincerity and subjected it to a…
This film is based on the true story of a 1963 political assassination in Greece that served as sort of a practice run for the right-wing military that eventually overthrew the elected government in 1967. There are a few notable things about this movie, which I dug a great deal. For one, it's a penetrating examination of the psychology and sociology of bureaucracy. Watching the corrupt military officers cover up their involvement in the killing of a pacifist politician with subtle social pressure and straight-forward indoctrination, you get a vivid idea of how these same officers were able to brush aside the civilian government and rule directly. Also, for a film primarily concerned with politics, there is a wounded beating…
From it's opening moments, it's particularly apparent that this is a film put together by people with a statement to make, and the adequate outrage to forge it forcefully. Approachable as both a commentary on righteous political anger as well as a straight-up thriller, it bestows a remarkable experience where co-writer and director Costa-Gavras carefully ensures that each scene includes various components of interest beyond merely moving forward the chain of events.
Françoise Bonnot stylishly edits the film, and there's undeniable modernism in its illustration of unjust and immoral governments. It's a well-produced and continually intriguing political thriller which is loaded with conspiracy and nicely underscored with music by Mikis Theodorakis. There's additionally a dominant element of dark comedy trickling through the narrative, and it remains a powerful representation of dishonest authoritarians as well as being a contemporary political masterpiece.
Impossible to pigeonhole within a single genre, Z dips its quill into the wells of ideological soapboxing, conspiratorial thriller, and crime drama, using a nearly inexhaustible supply of actors to weave a complex portrait of a country on the front-lines of the (cold) war and peace movement. So varied are director Costa-Gavras' approaches to his message that it reminds me of City of God in the way that it feels ripe for adaptation into a much longer serialized television drama; say, with each episode focusing on one of the witnesses or suspects of the crime that opens the film and tied together by overarching investigation. The effect is that the film, at a little over 2 hours, feels much longer.…
This film is incredible. Have to say that, right out the gate. Kinetic. Disturbing. Angry. Thrilling. Funny. Its acerbic humor surprised me. Z is a furious and terrifying satire. I need to see more Costa-Gavras.
On a purely cinematic level, the movie is just exceptional, man. From the opening moments until the end credits, the film moves at a frenetic pace as we are introduced to both left and right wing politicians, agents of the state, activists, journalists, and civilians, all with different agendas and motivations. Here, the story is the protagonist, jumping from one player to the next until the pieces of the puzzle fall in place to reveal the larger picture.
In Z, the camera is constantly moving.…
"Our strength lies in respecting the law."
"The law of the jungle."
A prominent political figure dies — but good news! It was just a car accident and definitely not a malicious premeditated murder orchestrated in a desperate effort to prevent the politician's likely replacement of the current corrupt political regime in the upcoming election. The driver confessed that he was simply drunk off his ass and definitely not carefully selected as the most talented driver from a secret group of anti-communists often used by the authoritarian military police to quell dissent. The police did an excellent job investigating the incident that they had absolutely no part in creating and are definitely not hoping that no one else looks into…
Criterion Collection Spine #491
(Foreign language film)
A political advocate for peace is struck down in the street, and the investigation into who was responsible for his assassination reveals a staggering scandal of corruption.
"They struck me. Why? Why do the ideas we stand for incite such violence? Why is peace intolerable to them?"
The acclaimed political thriller Z had been on my radar for the longest time, after I heard Director William Friedkin note that it was one of his inspirations for making 'The French Connection'. The film has an extremely intimate feel as we are given an up-close look at this period of social unrest in Greece. While this style did make Z very intense at times, I…
This was insane, a genuine masterpiece. The editing, shot composition, script, the score and cinematography were flawless. Easily the best political thriller I’ve ever seen, watching the conspiracy unravel and seeing the power of corruption within a political system was astonishing. A distinct breakdown of a totalitarian government, incredible film.
"We serve the people and the people require the truth. The people require the truth."
Women Film Editors #111: Françoise Bonnot
I have given a lot of thought to revisiting Z while reading obituaries for Irene Papas, who passed away a week ago, and perhaps even more when remembering Jean-Louis Trintignant's death in July and Jacques Perrin in April. In my memory of the film, it exemplified the development of ideas rather than characters; now, in an America reshaped by the politics and current events of the past half-decade, I find that the strengths of Costa-Gavras's searing drama - inspired by the real-life assassination of Greek Parliament member and anti-war activist Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963 - are equally balanced by…
