Z
Short description
Z is a 1969 crime drama directed by Costa-Gavras, based on a 1966 novel by Vassilis Vassilikos. It was made as a co-production between Algeria and France, and it was the director's second feature, following The Sleeping Car Murders in 1965 and preceding The Confession in 1970.
The story centres on a prominent opposition politician who is killed in the street shortly after addressing a peaceful rally. The authorities move quickly to present the death as a traffic accident, and a young examining magistrate is assigned to confirm the official version of events. Instead, the magistrate, working methodically despite pressure from above, uncovers evidence pointing to a planned political killing involving senior figures in the police and the army. Yves Montand plays the politician, with Jean-Louis Trintignant as the magistrate, Irene Papas as the politician's wife and Jacques Perrin as a photojournalist.
The film was released in February 1969 and runs 122 minutes. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7 out of 10 from a relatively small number of votes, while on TMDB it stands at 7.8 out of 10 from a much larger voter base. A film critics' rating of 8.2 out of 10, drawn from 51 reviews, places it above both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Both the novel and the film depicted real events that took place in Greece in the 1960s. On May 22, 1963, at an anti-war rally in Thessaloniki, Grigoris Lambrakis, a member of parliament for the Unified Democratic Left party, was fatally wounded by two far-right extremists traveling in a three-wheeled vehicle, and died in hospital five days later.
- The film's music was composed by Mikis Theodorakis, a friend and comrade of the murdered MP Lambrakis, who secretly sent it from Greece. Theodorakis himself became a victim of political repression under the authoritarian regime. In addition, the film features the melody “Psyché Rock” by electronic music composer Pierre Henry.
- A film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Greek writer Vasilis Vasilikos.
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