Z (1969)

Director:

Costa-Gavras

Writers:

Vasilis Vasilikos (novel)
Jorge Semprún (writer)

Release Date:

8 December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Following the murder of a prominent leftist, an investigator tries to uncover the truth while government officials attempt to cover up their roles.

Plot Keywords:

Cover Up | Government | Greece | Police | Demonstration

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Yves Montand	...	The Deputy
Irene Papas	...	Helene, the Deputy's wife
Jean-Louis Trintignant	...	The Examining Magistrate
Jacques Perrin	...	Photojournalist
Charles Denner	...	Manuel
François Périer	...	Public Prosecutor
Pierre Dux	...	The General
Georges Géret	...	Nick (as Georges Geret)
Bernard Fresson	...	Matt
Marcel Bozzuffi	...	Vago (as Marcel Bozzufi)
Julien Guiomar	...	The Colonel
Magali Noël	...	Nick's Sister
Renato Salvatori	...	Yago
Habib Reda
Clotilde Joano	...	Shoula (as Clotilde Joanno)

Also Known As:

Z ou l'anatomie d'un assassinat politique (France) (working title)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

France | Algeria

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:(Banned) (1969 - 1976) | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:13 (re rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Algeria

Company:

Office National pour le Commerce et l'Industrie Cinématographique

Trivia:

"Z" is tied with the Fritz Lang movie M (1931) for the record for shortest movie title ever. Holds the record for the movie with the shortest title to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Quotes:

The General: Dreyfus was guilty!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "HBO First Look: 'The Contender': The Making of a Political Thriller (#7.17)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Messe Pour le Temps Présent--Psyché Rock

The most important political film in Greece

First and foremost, it is a true story. It's the story of the assassination of Grigoris Lambrakis, that eventually led to the military junta. Every time I see it, it gives me the chills. Since Z was released while the junta was still in power, it was banned in Greece for several years. After the fall of the military junta, Z was worshiped, although we saw it on TV much later in order to avoid stirring passions. In terms of the plot, if you're not Greek, it's quite possible you might be left with many unanswered questions, but, in general, it is an accurate description of Greece during that era.

While Vassilikos' novel (written in 1966) has driven him to exile from 1967, Theodorakis was still in Greece under surveillance and managed to write his excellent score secretly.

Costa-Gavras gives us a top-class fast paced direction which hasn't aged even today, although I'm sure the Oscar was as much a political decision as a purely artistic one. What is truly spot-on is the casting. Both Montand and Trintignant excel, but even minor roles like Vago and Yago are portrayed in an extremely realistic way. My small objection would be Irene Papas staying near-silent throughout the movie. Although her talent allows her to pull it off with class, I really didn't understand why she was not supposed to talk.