Z (France , 1969)

Ratings - IMDB - 8.2

Release Year - 1969
Country - Algeria
Genres - Crime | Drama | History

IMDB page

First movie to be nominated for Oscars in both the best foreign-language category and the regular best picture category

"An Extraordinary Thriller! One of the fastest, most exciting melodramas ever made" - Pauline Kael

"Unbearably Exciting! Z is at the same time a political cry of rage and a brilliant suspense thriller!" - Roger Ebert

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

The story of Z began on May 22, 1963, when a Greek politician named Gregoris Lambrakis served as keynote speaker at an anti-war meeting in Thessaloniki and was immediately thereafter whacked on the head by a couple of right-wing extremists. He died a few days later. Greece’s right-wing government was suspected of supporting the assassination, and subsequent investigation revealed that the military and the police force had connections to the extremists. The country’s leftist movement, long marginalized by the authoritarian government, had had enough of these shenanigans. Lambrakis became a symbol for their cause, which proved to be significant in Greece’s political history over the next several years.

The name Z came from the Greek protest slogan “ZEI,” meaning “he [Lambrakis] lives!”

Films Basis - Based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos

Interesting Facts 

• The movie starts with onscreen titles that say, in translation, "Any similarity to real persons and events is not coincidental. It is INTENTIONAL."
• Costa-Gavras even set the action on May 22, the same date of the Lambrakis attack.
• The investigating magistrate in the movie (actor Jean-Louis Trintignant) is an analogue of Christos Sartzetakis, who was 22 years later appointed President of Greece by democratically-elected parliamentarians.
• Made by a Greek-born director and based on events in Greek politics, it was filmed mostly in Algeria and all the characters speak French. The movie never explicitly names which country it takes place in.

Awards

• Won 2 Oscars - Best Foreign Film and Best Editing
• Nominated for 3 more Oscars - Best Director, Best Picture, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
• Won 2 Cannes Film Festival Awards - Best Actor, Jury Prize
• Won Golden Globe - Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film
• Won Best Film of the Year
• New York Film Critics Circle
• National Society of Film Critics
• Kansas City Film Critics Circle
• Won  Best Director  - New York Film Critics Circle
• Won BAFTA - Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music
• Nominations
• Cannes Film Festival - Golden Palm
• BAFTA - Best Film; Best Film Editing, Best Screenplay, UN Award

Special Mention

• Costa-Gavras was the master of the political thriller for a couple decades, with Z as a prime example of how to do it right. Films like The French Connection (1971) and The Conversation (1974) were clearly influenced by Z‘s visual style; hand-held cameras, suggesting a documentary feel, became the norm for this genre.
• Rated by more than 10k users on IMDb

Download Links

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