stamper

24 May 2012

Maybe its just because I am long-haired socialistic scum, but I liked this film

I think it is only honest to say that I was not quite sure what to make ofthis film in the beginning, because the first half of the film (or maybe abit more) is quite slow. This has a lot to do with the decade the film wasmade in (the 60's) but it has also a lot to do with the story, becauseeverything that is shown in this film (except maybe the scenes involving theDeputy's wife and the flashbacks she has of her husband) are needed get anending as powerful as the one we are presented with in theend.After the slow first half, the film gradually gets better and in the end thefilm is topped by it's brilliant ending, which makes the whole film aworthwhile experience. Also it is a chronicle of the overthrow of thedemocratic government in Greece. While this is not clearly and directlymentioned in the film itself, there are some clues. In the beginning of thefilm, there is a note from the people who made the film that anyresemblances to true persons and / or events were made on purpose and not byaccident. In what follows we see several signs on the wall saying ‘HELLAS'(Greek for Greece) and in the end on the typewriter we can see Greek symbolson the typewriter (not on the keys, but on the turning ball putting theletters on the paper). I was told that there were pictures of Greek royaltyin the film but I must have missed that. This means that this is not only agood film on how politics work, but it is also a historic piece of filmconcerning the overthrow of the government in Greece in the 60's (the samedecade as the film was made in).In the end there are three things I'd like to point out. First of all I am asocialist by upbringing and I have long hair, so anyone with a Nationalisticattitude can just blow my opinion away by saying I'm long-haired socialistscum. Second of all, opinions vary and although the first half of the filmwasn't too good, I am glad I sat through the whole movie, because in the endI was rewarded for doing so. Thirdly and lastly I want to mention that Iwatched this film in it's dubbed German version and therefore cannot makeany statements about the acting in this film. I can only say that the factthat the film was dubbed did not bother me (as it doessometimes).7,5 out of 10

esteban hernandez

23 May 2012

It still happens often

This is a bit old film, produced by Algeria and France, and based onthe novel of the writer Vassilis Vassilikos. The director Costa Gavras,always interested on historical and political issues for his films(État de siège 1972, Missing 1982, Betrayed 1988 and Music Box 1989)took the novel for the plot of this film to describe somewhat how thedictatorship evolved in Greece of 60s. The authorities of the countrydid not want to disrupt the game of democracy, i.e. not to prohibitpublic manifestations, press freedom and others, but in a subtle, andalso vulgar and brutal way, they used hooligans to beat and kill those"communist" elements, who were protesting against the government or thestatus of the country. At the end these officials of the "democracy"made all their misdeeds lying, bribing and hiding the reality of thefacts. The deputy of the opposition (Yves Montand) was killed in thatway. The attorney (Jean Louis Trintignant) investigating the casenoticed the incoherence and simplicity of the information given by theofficials, and for this reason the authorities tried unsuccessfully tobribe the attorney. This did not work, and the government finally wascompelled to adopt extreme measures abolishing the democratic freedom.Good film to reflect whether this is happening again. The acting wasexcellent from the part of Trintignant, Montand, Renato Salvatori,Marcel Bozzufi and Jacques Perrin, but Irene Papas was really weak, shehardly spoke in the film.

B.Y

23 May 2012

A must see ...

I have seen this title lurking in the Foreign section at my local hip video store for a long time. Inspired originally to rent it because of the music (same guy who did the music for Zorba the Greek), I learned very fast that although excellent, the music is but part of a much greater piece of work here. The DVD of "Z" has some very insightful extras that further one's appreciation for this film. The film hits you from all sorts of angles. It's relevance to the social political climate of the sixties, its timeless value as a reminder of the abuse of power and it's amazing cast. I did not witness its release first hand nor saw it in 1969 (I was too young to appreciate any film). That being said, allow me to be so bold as to say that this is one of those must see films that any film buff as well as historian of pop culture and politics should be witness to.

Songbyrd11

23 May 2012

Saw the original---cant wait to see this one.

I remember going to see this. I saw a lot of sub titled movies back then and all I remember was that when I saw this film, I forgot I ever read a sub titled. The story was amazing, I also new the story from the actual event. See it.

20 May 2012

Great classic ppolitical film

This review is from: Z [VHS] (VHS Tape) A classic about political corruption both before and after a political assassination. However, be careful about the quality of used VHS versions of this film

barba_george

20 May 2012

Possibly, the mother of all political thrillers

In this film, we find ourselves in a big city in a nameless country,whose political system is royal democracy. However in effect it isunder a military regime. At that time, a pacifistpolitician-doctor-athlete arrives to deliver a speech aboutdisarmament. This does not please the military, who devise a plot to doaway with him. The politician is killed and his murder is covered up asan accident. The rest of the film is about the efforts of the ExaminingMagistrate and a newspaper photographer to uncover the truth.For those who are up to date with Greek history, the country is Greece,the city is Thessaloniki and the politician is Grigoris Lambrakis. Butthat is of small importance, since this is a story which could have(and possibly has) happened anywhere at any time in history.About the film: the cinematography is excellent, even by today'sstandards. The acting and direction are both top class. But whatimpressed me the most was the film's editing. After the slow first15-20 minutes or so, the film picks up a pace which is tight andlightning fast. The dialogue is concise and to the point - the film'slast lines, spoken by the Narrator and found in the quotes section ofIMDb, never fail to bring tears to my eyes. Finally, the film offerswhat I consider to be the best film score of all time (but I may be abit biased on this, since the score is by Mikis Theodorakis, mypersonal favourite).This kind of documentary-style film making has been done plenty oftimes since, especially in political thrillers. But this is whatsparked everything up. Watch this film. You'll be rewarded.My rating: 10/10

mst-5

19 May 2012

Courageous

POSSIBLE SPOILERSCosta-Gavras finest film without question; here his militantly politicalstance comes across cleanly and without sanctimony. I am not anenthusiastic fan of all his work, and was somewhat disappointed withMissing. 'Z', on the other hand, is fueled by a totally convincingparanoiawhich both engulfs the viewer and, cruelly, engenders a kind of desperatehope that everything will be all right in the end, which it is not. Unlikein Missing, where Jack Lemmon's final speech seems designed to appease theoutraged viewer (and mollify the director himself?), Z's finale isdevastatingly dispassioned; the forces of tyranny have carried the day asjustice, truth and socialist transformation are vanquished. In this sense,Z is essentially an act of witness; one of Costa Gavras considerablestrengths is his ability, or willingness, to show his heroes lose, to showjustice frustrated, to suggest that when the odds are stacked against one,one tends to fail. So many films, even some good ones (such as The MilagroBeanfield War, which the IMDb amusingly classifies under 'fantasy') show usthe little man or woman battling apparently insurmountable odds andwinning,and there is a place, I think, for these feel good films. But it takes agreat deal more courage to make a film like Z...One of the 40 greatest films ever made.

19 May 2012

He is alive

The problem with revolutionary pieces of political cinema is that in retrospect they can appear dated and simplistic when compared to the more sophisticated films that follow them. Costa-Gavras' influential political thriller does suffer from that problem a little at times, but if diminished it is still powerful and effective stuff. Dealing with the assassination of Montand's charismatic political opponent of a regime that is run by the military in all but name (unidentified in the film, it is clearly Greece under the colonels - among the list of things banned by the movie's regime is 'la musique populaire (M. Theodorakis)'. The film's composer was actually under house arrest at the time). The first half of the film covers his arrival and the events leading up to his death at a sabotaged political rally, the second following two parallel investigations into the hows and whys, that of Jean-Louis Trintignant's honest Attorney and co-producer Jacques Perrin's photo-journalist. The film is dialogue heavy (with the honourable exception of Irene Papas, who, as in Zorba the Greek, remains almost mute throughout) and lacks the more effective investigative construction of Missing. It works against the film that we know what has happened - and more importantly, how - so early, since the result of Trintignant's investigation seems a foregone conclusion. It would perhaps have been much more effective if we had seen the various participants very different accounts of events first to draw our own conclusions alongside his. Characterisation is also a sporadic weak point: while those on the sides of the angels all give good performances, only the charismatic Yves Montand seems to be a person we can care about rather than a political or moral position while the military figures are too clearly set up just to be knocked down and veer towards the comic book. Yet it retains an urgency and outrage that ensures that it still commands the attention. If not the masterpiece it was hailed as on its first appearance, it's certainly an excellent film and remains an important landmark in political cinema.Criterion's impressive DVD transfer is a big step up from the standards conversion release Koch Lorber put out a few years ago, though it sadly loses Costa-Gavras' audio commentary from that version, replacing it with on from Peter Cowie, but it goes some to compensating by including new interviews with Costa-Gavras and Raoul Coutard (who has a cameo as the doctor who operates on Montand) as well as archive interviews with Costa-Gavras, Jacques Perrin, Pierre Dux, Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant and author Vassilis Vassilikos, the original theatrical trailer and a booklet.

17 May 2012

4 stars out of 4

The Bottom Line:One of the few foreign films to get a Best Picture nomination, this timeless thriller about a political assassination and subsequent cover-up keeps getting more and more interesting before culminating in an ending that can only be called perfect; the more I think about it the more I think it's a truly great motion picture, so watch it and start thinking along with me.

16 May 2012

Best performance and sound track

Must own, I've seen it years ago, I can hardly wait for the new release through Amazon.com.

15 May 2012

Another Costa-Gavras political film

This review is from: Z: The Criterion Collection (DVD) This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.Z a title based on the Greek language expression "Zei" meaning "He lives" is a film based on the true story of the assassination of Greek politician, Gregoris Lambrakis. It is also based on a novel by Vassilis Vassilikos.The film itself doesn't mention any names or a particular country because of the political repression in Greece at the time. The film is in French and includes performances by several well known French actors. The film starts as a reformer attempts to give a speech about nuclear disarmament but officials prevent him from doing so. He is eventually murdered publicly and the film shows attempts by investigators to solve the crime.This is the second Costa-Gavras film released on DVD by the Criterion Collection and both are political films about repression. This is another great film and very well made.The special features on the DVD are a theatrical trailer, audio commentary by film historian Peter Cowie, Exclusive interviews with director Costa-Gavras and Cinematographer Raoul Coutard, and older interviews with cast, crew and the writer, Vassilis Vassilikos.This is a great film and one that should be screened in classrooms for political science courses.

Eternity

14 May 2012

Stunning!

I saw this movie over 20 years ago and it has remain in my thoughts and inmy soul. It is what I call a "KEEPER", a film that I want to see again andagain.There are very few movies that can compare to "Z", one that comes close is"Fail Safe" from the same time period.Watch this movie and LEARN!Eternity

jzappa

14 May 2012

A Seminal One for Cinephiles

Costa-Gavras's 1969 exemplary political thriller Z released at theclose of a decade of mushrooming cultural transformation and unbridledmistrust, flawlessly describing a global atmosphere of fear at a timewhen America was at its weakest, our national defense apparentlyviolated by the repeated concussive jolts of our own murders ofprogressive leaders. Rooted in real-life happenings, the film vibrantlyenvisions and unearths the plotting behind the 1963 assassination of aGreek social democrat and pacifist. It made the reality of politicalmurder cinematically existent, as no Hollywood film by that time wouldrisk.Not even John Frankenheimer's classic The Manchurian Candidate was abox-office success. It took a Greek with a WWII Resistance-fightingfather who was imprisoned upon being labeled a Communist, and as wellas a mastery of cinematic technique (which was not allowed to study inthe U.S. due to his father's Communist stigma), to modernize thepolitical thriller in ways both profitable and imperative.Keeping the practice of the politically conversant films of FrancescoRosi, which concentrated topical policy into multifaceted, absorbingcinematic mythology, Costa-Gavras would continue to enhance thepolitical thriller toward a fashionable form. His work paralleled GilloPontecorvo's, whose political renderings were also approachable asaction adventures. This style was different from such solemn earlierfilm movements as Italian neorealism and Russian formalism in that itallowed socially alert, politically provoked artists to follow personalcauses, dirtied with the exhilaration of the era's New Wave aesthetic.With this material, Costa-Gavras contributes to tackling thepredicament of his native soil. Since WWII, internal strife betweenCommunists, conservative leadership, military and royalty had keptGreece in chaos, which comprised Lambrakis's assassination and amartial takeover. In Z, Costa-Gavras reacts to the dictatorship,although from afar, with this French-speaking production that used butone Greek, Irene Papas as Lambrakis's wife, emblematically addressingthe Lambrakis murder and ensuing overthrow, and supporting thereinstatement of democracy, which eventually occurred. The vital,exciting score by Mikis Theodorakis, who was under house arrest inGreece yet rebelliously allowed Costa-Gavras to use his music,characterizes the film's mutinous life-force. Costa-Gavras elucidatedall that real-life crisis while effecting his talent with revitalizedintent.This ingeniously edited Edgar-winning dramatic thriller is not atreatise specifying the dogmatic disparities that made Lambrakis amartyr of the conservatives grabbing control. Really, Costa-Gavras andscreenwriter Jorge Semprún use Lambrakis's assassination to sound thebell on a dishonest and vicious commandeering of control. Theirapproach is genuine and heartfelt instead of party-line, attractingleftist agreement while providing a down-to-earth grasp of the ethicsbehind backbiting. The Dr. Strangelove-esque beginning finds thecolonels suffering a fellow right-winger's comparison of liberalism tomildew, and establishes the staccato Costa-Gavras pattern. To stage howcivil liberties are in unvarnished danger, Costa-Gavras and Semprúncunningly, without derision, esetablish the crime scene: aLambrakis-like spokesman, played by Montand, resists the obstructionsthat local authorities elicit to holding an undersized rally.This anxious night has noirish boundaries, with Montand's valiantassistant, shy bureaucrats, executive military officers, the rallyplanners, and a ragtag crew of rent-a-thugs with anti-Communistbacking. When the rally is compelled into a less obliging hall, thechance for disaster increases. Anarchy explodes out of this pressure,and Costa-Gavras, with cinematographer Raoul Coutard, interpret thecatastrophe with profundity and fluency. The precision is virtuallydreamlike, seeming as inescapable as divination and as recognizable ashistory, immediately legendary. When later repeated in slow motion, thescene remembers the experience of recycling an unreal fact.Society's collapse is inherent in scenes of the assassins'heart-pounding getaway and the establishment's callous cover-ups. Z isa howdunit rather than a who. Its absorption derives from brusquebattle with the unstable actions of political enemies. It has animalimpact when a henchman (the unforgettable Frog Two from The FrenchConnection) brawls with an organizer on the back of his truck.Proficient at the workings of the thriller, Costa-Gavras hones oursocial awareness with both political precision about the trauma offascist subjugation, established through the scared military and thedistrustful organizers, and journalistic frankness, characterized bythe reporter who observes the assassination and records his owninquiry. Since Z is as thrilling as it is informative, the movieillustrates the influence of political activism beleaguered bypig-headed conservative coercion.By meeting that shocked era's bewilderment regarding politicaldeception, Costa-Gavras creates a near-perfect parable for the dangersof political uprising. The assassination and investigation are toldthrough curtly ordered mystery, tension, surprise, and jurisprudence.Jean-Louis Trintignant's probing magistrate, the fair-mindedprosecutor, offers a stable, clear-headed ballast to Costa-Gavras'saggressive, histrionic action sequences: the staccato mosaic of policerundowns that quickly produce scenes of military grillings whereTrintignant declares an axiom shortly to become an image ofground-breaking, recuperative impartiality. It's an important featureof Costa-Gavras's technique to embed ideas in us of community honestyby concurrently notifying and amusing us.Concluding with a stimulating, unconventional reckoning of fascisttighten-ups on liberty of demonstration and fine arts, Costa-Gavrastwists his depiction with a scary afterthought that summarizes thecontinuing political fight. He sidestepss hippie buoyancy and predictsmodern skepticism with a simple thriller tool: a caution. Z containsthe aftershock of that cultural transferal from illumination tomistrust in all of its astutely conceived conventions from familiargenres. Costa-Gavras communicates the worry and alarm of politicalconspiracy that troubled the democratic and anti-war movements of the60s, and continually does.

lhwilliams

13 May 2012

Historical moment at the Oscars and Tonight Show

When the preview of "Z" was shown at the Oscars, it received a standingovation. I didn't know why until I saw the movie. The Oscar forced itto be shown in the United States. At the time, the US backed themilitary government in Greece. The totalitarian government representeda stand against communism. This movie depicts the true story of abeloved olympic athlete who became a doctor and began speaking outagainst his Greek government. For that, he was murdered. This is abouta brave investigator who begins to search for the origin of the ordersto have the doctor killed.It leads to the downfall of a country. Mikis Theordorakis wrote themusic from house arrest in Greece and it was smuggled out to be placedon the film. Yves Montand played the lead role and was blacklisted fromgetting a US Visa for his participation until some strings were pulledand he was allowed a 24 hour visa, to be extended each 24 hours inorder to allow him to film "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever". At theend of filming,that night he made a surprise appearance on JohnnyCarson's Tonight Show. He told the story about "Z" and commented thathe was in the care and custody of US Immigration and the FBI. Thecamera panned right and a dark suited man slid quickly behind thecurtain. He apologized for his abruptness, but his visa expired atmidnight and he had to get to the airport. When I saw these things, Iwas shocked my government would take a movie so seriously. When itshowed up in an obscure movie theater in Houston, I had to go. I wasthe only person buying a ticket just after noon that day. Upon enteringthe theater, a dark suited man was sitting in the lobby. I walked intotheater and then stuck my head back out to see what the only otherindividual in the theater was doing. He was stepping away from theticket booth. I watched as he walked the short distance to my car, tookout a notebook and wrote in it while looking at my license plate. Thisis how it happened. It was 1969. J. Edgar Hoover had stated publiclythat no truly loyal American would pay money to see such a movie. Itwas unpatriotic. Newspaper articles that spring reported it.Watch this movie and consider the importance "entertainment" can haveon government, media, and yourself.

craig-windum

10 May 2012

Must-See

Z I'm amazed this film is not as popular as it should be! It wasNOMINATED FOR 5 Oscars!!! I watched it on TV the other day, and I waslike "wow, this movie is good, why have I never heard of it?" So then Ilooked it up and found out about the Oscars, and I was not surprised.Everyone should see this film! It is about corruption in politics, andit says everything that most films that focus on Militarydictatorships, etc., as a subject should say. The ending is brilliant(I won't spoil it for you). There's a certain energy to the film thatis relentless – it starts off strong, and stays that way throughout,never letting go. It's an old film, but more thrilling that any ofthese modern thrillers coming out these days. I will have to see morefilms by the director – he is very talented, and I see that he was alsovery influential as a filmmaker during the art-house golden age. Butthis film is less an art-house piece, and more like an amazingmainstream film!

10 May 2012

Z - older movie great returns

This review is from: Z (DVD) It is great to be able to see this 1969 movie again. It has lost little in it's impact as an exposé of a corrupt government. Although made from a theatre print rather than the original negative [as it has end-of-reel markers] the quality was quite acceptable.

08 May 2012

Old French film

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

08 May 2012

Z 02 dvd release

This review is from: Z: The Criterion Collection (DVD) (NOTE: following comments for '02 non-criterion release. Sorry!)A fan of "Missing", decided to spend $3.00 on mint copy of 'z' (had never seen). Quite a compelling film, I found. A few release details: yes restored (restoration demo included), but likely better quality done by Criterion (but not available for 3 bucks!). Still, very nice picture quality (1.66:1). Audio: french 5.1 or stereo, also french comment track (director's). Subtitles: english,spanish,german; also director's commentary in english (but note: this option prevents film dialog from being displayed). As a collector of criterion and 'essential art house' (criterion sans extras) titles, I found THIS release to be a worthy addition. Amazon lists "fox-lorber" as studio, but my disc (and as pictured) lists "Wellspring".

07 May 2012

No zzzzzzzs in this Z

This movie, which is based on a true story, is a political thriller set in Greece. The chief of an opposition (left wing) political group is killed by hired thugs - with the police doing the hiring and controlling the massive cover up. A newspaper photographer begins unravelling the corruption and putting the pieces together. In reality, the scandal was so bad it brought Pampidou to power. It's a very fast-paced and taut drama. But the movie seems caught between presenting the factual record faithfully and creating a film mystery: we know what's going on while the movie keeps trying to keep us in the dark. Worth a watch, though.

mark worrell

06 May 2012

stunning political drama

Having seen this at the Art Theatre in Akron, Ohio, upon its firstAmerican release, this film was a forcefully stunning, face slappingwake up call to keep a vigilant eye on most politicians because theyare controlled only by the constraints we present and confine themwith. Grown men left the theater with tears pouring down their cheeksnot only because of the great performances and story, but because thesewere the Nixon years, and the film made us realize we were only a penstroke away from the horror of losing freedom and democracy here in theUnited States. No country is safe, and it could be argued in areas ofFlorida today that, even though we preserved our nation and eliminatedNixon, it was a Pyrhic victory, a temporary victory, and our democracyand how it is supposed to ethically work was left disheveled andbrowbeaten in the end, anyway. One thing is for certain; the rats arein the cupboard now. And this film hits all the right buttons; greatmusic, acting, an avant garde documentary style of filming that wassensational in its time and still is good today, but so many peoplehave copied it, it seems to lack originality since we are so acceptingnow of something that was novel at the time...but this is the realthing that started it all. A film that should be in everyone's home andshown to every civic class in America.