Z 1969

type: Movie

language: French

duration: 127 min

genre: political

theme: political thriller

director: Costa-Gavras

Score: 7 / 10

Z is a 1969 Algerian political thriller film, directed by Costa-Gavras, with a screenplay by Gavras and Jorge Semprún, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos. The film presents a thinly-fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of the democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963. With its dark view of Greek politics and its downbeat ending, the film captures the director's outrage about the junta that then ruled Greece.

Plot

The story begins with the closing moments of a rather dull government lecture and slideshow on agricultural policy until the leader of the security police of a right-wing military-dominated government takes over the podium for an impassioned speech describing the government's program to combat leftism by using the metaphors "a mildew of the mind", an infiltration of "isms" and "sunspots".

Awards

Cast

More details

author	Ben Barzman Costa-Gavras Jorge Semprún Vassilis Vassilikos
award	Academy Award for Best Film Editing Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
contentLocation	Greece
director	Costa-Gavras
editor	Françoise Bonnot
genre	crime drama political thriller
keywords	ancient philosophy anticommunist attack autopsy avant-garde by using the metaphors classic coup d\'etat drunk driver drunk driving epilogue examining magistrate glossary of the greek military junta infiltration infiltration tactic inquisitorial system -ism leftism manipulate witnesses mildew military police modern art modern elementary mathematics modern mathematics modern philosophers modern philosophy nuclear disarmament pacifist police officer political rally popular music rally right-wing rush serve witness tampering zeta
musicBy	Mikis Theodorakis
nomination	Academy Award for Best Director Academy Award for Best Film Editing Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award for Best Picture Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
producer	Ahmed Rachedi Jacques Perrin
productionCompany	Office National pour le Commerce et l'Industrie Cinématographique Reggane Films Valoria Films
recordedAt	Algiers
theme	films à clef political thriller