Z (1969)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Costa-Gavras

Writers:

Vasilis Vasilikos (novel)
Jorge Semprún (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

8 December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

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 | Liberal | Investigator

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 9 nominations

US Showtimes:

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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)
Maurice Baquet	...	The Bald Man
Sid Ahmed Agoumi
Allel El Mouhib
Hassan Hassani	...	The General's Chaffeur
Gérard Darrieu	...	Baron
Jean Bouise	...	Georges Pirou
Jean-Pierre Miquel	...	Pierre
Van Doude	...	The Hospital Director
Jean Dasté	...	Illya Coste (as Jean Daste)
Jean-François Gobbi	...	Jimmy the Boxer
Guy Mairesse	...	Dumas
Andrée Tainsy	...	Nick's Mother
Eva Simonet	...	Niki
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
François Chaumette	...	(voice)
José Artur	...	Newspaper Editor (uncredited)
Raoul Coutard	...	The english surgeon (uncredited)
Bob de Bragelonne	...	Undersecretary of State (uncredited)
Steve Gadler	...	English Photographer (uncredited)
Gabriel Jabbour	...	Bozzini (uncredited)
Georges Rouquier	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Costa-Gavras

Writing credits
Vasilis Vasilikos		(novel) (as Vassili Vassilikos)
Jorge Semprún		(writer)
Costa-Gavras		uncredited

Produced by
Philippe d'Argila	....	associate producer
Jacques Perrin	....	delegate producer
Ahmed Rachedi	....	delegate producer
Eric Schlumberger	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mikis Theodorakis

Cinematography by
Raoul Coutard

Film Editing by
Françoise Bonnot

Production Design by
Jacques D'Ovidio

Set Decoration by
Jacques D'Ovidio

Costume Design by
Piet Bolscher		(as Piet Bolsher)

Production Management
Mourad Bouchouchi	....	production manager
Hubert Mérial	....	production manager
Mohamed Ouled Moussa	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ghaouti Bendedouche	....	assistant director
Philippe Monnier	....	assistant director

Art Department
Iahemzizou Nour Eddine	....	assistant set decorator

Sound Department
Michèle Boëhm	....	sound editor
Marie-Thérèse Boiché	....	assistant sound editor
Sidi Boumedienne Dahmane	....	sound engineer
Lionel de Souza	....	sound recordist
Jean Nény	....	sound engineer (as Jean Neny)
Alexandre Popovic	....	sound recordist
Alex Pront	....	sound engineer

Stunts
Yvan Chiffre	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean Garcenot	....	camera operator (as Jean Garcennot)
Taibi Lamouri	....	camera operator
Georges Liron	....	camera operator

Music Department
Bernard Gérard	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Lionel de Souza	....	stage manager
Annie Maurel	....	script girl
Alexandre Popovic	....	stage manager
Jacques Monod	....	dubbing voice: Le procureur général (uncredited)
William Sabatier	....	dubbing voice: Yago (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Office National pour le Commerce et l'Industrie Cinématographique
• Reggane Films
• Valoria Films

Distributors

• Janus Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rialto Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rialto Pictures (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1969) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Valoria Films (1969) (France) (theatrical)
• Alphaview Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (English dubbed version)
• Cinema V (USA) (subtitled)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• KinoVista (2007) (Russia) (TV)
• Manga Films
• Odeon (2008) (Greece) (all media) (re-issue)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

Algeria | France

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:

In the French dialogue, the acronym CROC is expanded as "Combattants Royalistes de l'Occident Chrétien" ("Royalist Soldiers of the Christian West"). In the English subtitled version, the initials are preserved by changing the expansion to "Christian Royalist Organization against Communism".

Quotes:

The General: Dreyfus was guilty!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gefängnisbilder (2000)

A powerful film I waited a long time to see.

I have to start by getting slightly off topic. I've wanted to see this film for thirty years. Not because I've read or heard anything about it, but entirely because of the trailer I saw when it was first released, back when I was 14. Although I now remember more the feelings the trailer inspired than the trailer itself, it still reminds me how awful trailers almost always are. The trailer for "Z" was some the most intense, exciting few seconds of film I had ever seen, and I wanted to see more. A brilliant ultra-short film production. And it did it without revealing and spoiling the movie's story. So when I finally did see "Z" I was able to enjoy something fresh and new.

It wasn't what I expected, but turned out to be one of the best political thrillers I've ever seen. You don't really have to know Greek history to see it, in part because the movie never explicitly mentions Greece. Better to do it the other way around, by getting swept up in the gritty often tawdry intrigues you will be learning Greek history without realizing it. Or if you are into conspiracies and cover-ups in general you'll learn how they really aren't the brilliantly crafted master-plans of distant omnipotent figures that most movies show, but are usually the creation of dull mediocrities, full of flaws, stupidities, and ham-fisted improvisations. That they often succeed is more because of brute force than any innate cleverness. This is a powerful and effective movie, which is almost certainly due to its being based closely on reality and the passions that inspired it's making, and from it not being a recycled and denatured Hollywood product. I highly recommend it.