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Z

  • 1969
  • M/PG
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
30K
YOUR RATING
Z (1969)
The public murder of a prominent politician and doctor amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials. A tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.
Play trailer3:48
1 Video
83 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller

The public murder of a prominent politician and doctor amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials. A tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them g... Read allThe public murder of a prominent politician and doctor amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials. A tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.The public murder of a prominent politician and doctor amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials. A tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.

  • Director
    • Costa-Gavras
  • Writers
    • Vassilis Vassilikos
    • Jorge Semprún
    • Costa-Gavras
  • Stars
    • Yves Montand
    • Irene Papas
    • Jean-Louis Trintignant
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    30K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Costa-Gavras
    • Writers
      • Vassilis Vassilikos
      • Jorge Semprún
      • Costa-Gavras
    • Stars
      • Yves Montand
      • Irene Papas
      • Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • 128User reviews
    • 88Critic reviews
    • 86Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 2 Oscars
      • 12 wins & 13 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:48
    Watch Trailer

    Photos83

    Jean-Louis Trintignant in Z (1969)
    Charles Denner, Bernard Fresson, Jean-Pierre Miquel, and Yves Montand in Z (1969)
    Charles Denner in Z (1969)
    Yves Montand in Z (1969)
    Jean-Louis Trintignant and Jacques Perrin in Z (1969)
    Charles Denner and Yves Montand in Z (1969)
    Jean-Louis Trintignant and Jean Dasté in Z (1969)
    Z (1969)
    Z (1969)
    Z (1969)
    Jean-Louis Trintignant and Georges Géret in Z (1969)
    Georges Géret in Z (1969)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Yves Montand
    Yves Montand
    • Z
    Irene Papas
    Irene Papas
    • Hélène
    • (as Irène Papas)
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    Jean-Louis Trintignant
    • Le juge d'instruction
    François Périer
    François Périer
    • Le procureur
    Jacques Perrin
    Jacques Perrin
    • Le photojournaliste
    Charles Denner
    Charles Denner
    • Manuel
    Pierre Dux
    Pierre Dux
    • Le général de gendarmerie Missou
    Georges Géret
    Georges Géret
    • Nick
    Bernard Fresson
    Bernard Fresson
    • Matt
    Marcel Bozzuffi
    Marcel Bozzuffi
    • Vago
    • (as Marcel Bozzufi)
    Julien Guiomar
    Julien Guiomar
    • Le colonel de gendarmerie
    Magali Noël
    Magali Noël
    • La soeur de Nick
    Renato Salvatori
    Renato Salvatori
    • Yago
    Habib Reda
    Clotilde Joano
    Clotilde Joano
    • Shoula
    • (as Clotilde Joanno)
    Maurice Baquet
    • Le maçon héroïque
    Sid Ahmed Agoumi
    Allel El Mouhib
    • Director
      • Costa-Gavras
    • Writers
      • Vassilis Vassilikos
      • Jorge Semprún
      • Costa-Gavras(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The actors falling off the truck had to do their own stunts as the low budget would not allow for a stuntman.
    • Goofs
      After Nick is hit on the front of the head, he holds the back of it.
    • Quotes

      Françoise Bonnot, Voiceover Narration: [final lines] The military regime banned: long hair, miniskirts, Sophocles, Tolstoy, Euripides, Russian-style toasts, strikes, Aristophanes, Ionesco, Sartre, Albee, Pinter, freedom of the press, sociology, Beckett, Dostoyevsky, modern music, pop music, new math, and the letter Z, which means HE LIVES in Ancient Greek.

    • Crazy credits
      Any resemblance to actual events, to persons living or dead, is not the result of chance. It is DELIBERATE. (Signed by) Jorge Semprún, Costa-Gavras
    • Connections
      Featured in La solitude du chanteur de fond (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      Messe Pour le Temps Présent--Psyché Rock
      (uncredited)

      Composed and Performed by Pierre Henry

      Courtesy of Philips/PolyGram Records

      by arrangement with PolyGram Special Markets

      © 1967 Philips Classics Productions

    User reviews128

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    A few interesting facts and misconceptions about the film.and the true story that it is based upon.
    This is not a review.All that is need to be written about this masterpiece of a film has already been written.

    However there are 1-2 things worth mentioning that might interest some folks that are not from Greece: Jean Louis Trintignant's character "The Examining Magistrate" was in reality Christos Sargetakis who became the president of Greece for 5 years(1985-1990).

    The film ends with the rise of the military dictatorship and it is suggested that the upposition didn't really capitalise on Lambrakis' assassination.That's not what happened in reality.

    In reality the Lambrakis assassination caused the resignation of prime minister Karamanlis(the right wing P.M of Greece at that time) and the triumph of the upposition(something like the democrats in the U.S,the G.Papandreou party,NOT Lambrakis' left wing party) in the elections of 1963 with a whooping 54% which becomes even bigger when taking into account the situation in Greece at that time,with right-wing police controlling everything and manipulating the citizens.

    Of course the film was made after the democratic-elected government had fallen and junta had taken over.(in fact the democratic government had fallen 2 years*in 1965* before the junta took over and we had a false semi-democratic government that consisted right wing members of parliament and defected members of the G.Papandreou party)

    So in reality the Lambrakis assassination DID make a difference in Greece,if only for 2 years(1963-1965) while on the film nothing changed.I guess with the ultimate rise of the junta that was reigning at the time the film was made it was proper to make the film bleaker than the true events.
    helpful•63
    12
    • gletzes
    • Aug 24, 2006

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 8, 1969 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Algeria
    • Official sites
      • Criterion (United States)
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • French
      • Russian
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Z - Anatomie eines politischen Mordes
    • Filming locations
      • St. George Hotel, 24 Avenue Soudoni Boudjemaa, Algiers, Algeria
    • Production companies
      • Valoria Films
      • Reggane Films
      • Office National pour le Commerce et l'Industrie Cinématographique (ONCIC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $83,305
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $10,144
      • Mar 15, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $83,305
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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