Z / State Of Siege [1969/1972)
Real life political class war in Greece - I have watched the film first in a film festival. If the festival showed this film only it would be enough. Later I have read the book also. The book is written by Greek writer Vasilius. The political environment is in Greece but same everywhere in the world. The left is always chased and harassed. The aggressors are organized illegally but receive police and government shelters. Those who try to investigate the events in an unprejudiced way are either bought or sacked or killed in the way. The film is a hit! All star cast deserves all the applause, also praise to Costa Gavras.
Memorable Film in Excellent DVD Restoration - Although it is seldom seen today, in 1970 Constantin Costa-Gavras Z picked up both the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Picture and an Academy Award as Best Foreign Film. In the wake of the John and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations of the 1960s and fueled by the later Watergate scandal, the film had tremendous resonance with American audiences, becoming one of the highest grossing foreign language films ever released in that market.Based on the novel by Vassilis Vassilikos, which was itself based on the 1966 Lambrakis Affair in Greece, Z is at once a political thriller and satire. Set in an unnamed nation, it presents a politician who is strongly critical of American and Russian nuclear build up and his nation s participation in it. Denounced by the status quo as a communist, he is met with civic obstruction when he arrives to give a speech and afterward is struck down and killed by a speeding truck in the streets. A drunk driving accident, according to local officials. An assassination, according to his entourage.Although the film has a somewhat slow and uncertain build, once fully underway it becomes a rapid-fire series of sharply edited scenes in which the sloppy assassination plot is unraveled by a dispassionate magistrate sent to conduct an investigation--an investigation plagued by assaults on witnesses and civic cover-up. But in such a corrupt society, can the full truth ever be known?Director Costa-Gavras walks a very fine line here, presenting the characters as archetypes but endowing them with enough human emotion to engage our interests and sympathies. And the cast is remarkable, with Yves Montond, Irene Papas, and Jean-Louis Trintignant particularly notable. The script is at once chilling and covertly comic, jeering at officialdom around the corners of its more serious business, and the overall look of the film--particularly in the violent crowd scenes--is truly memorable.The film has been restored to a pristine condition in its original widescreen and the DVD offers a number of language subtitles (including English) in easy-to-read yellow script. Bonus features are slight, but include the original trailer, samples of restoration work, and an extremely interesting conversation between novelist Vassilikos and director Costa-Gavras. Consta-Gravas also offers an audio-commentary--in French, which will be frustrating for those who (like me) do not speak the language.Although some viewers may not even notice the satirical tone of the film, and while some will be put off by its distinctly liberal slant, I think most viewers--including those who don t normally care for foreign film--will find Z a fascinating ride, particularly if they enjoyed the likes of JFK or THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Time may have dimmed the origins of the piece, but sadly the subject of governmental corruption and the mendacity of powerbrokers remains as timely as ever.GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Clever polotical thriller - This a very clever and absorbing polotical thriller about repression and deservedly a famous film. Yves Montand is the resistance hero and Jean-Louis Trintignant the judge who upsets the applecart by wanting to get at the truth. Must be seen!