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Z (Criterion Collection)
 
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Z (Criterion Collection) (1969)

Starring: Maurice Baquet, Jean Bouise Director: Costa-Gavras Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Format: DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
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Product Details

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Costa-Gavras's Z, winner of the 1970 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, is a classic political thriller, combining intrigue with raw emotional power. The story turns on the investigation of the assassination of a left-wing Greek politician (Yves Montand), and his government's attempts to cover up the murky circumstances. Montand receives death threats as he prepares to give a speech condemning the government, and is then run down in front of numerous witnesses. Jean-Louis Trintignant (The Conformist) plays the judge assigned to the investigation, who gradually discovers how far the state will go to rid itself of political opposition. As he is warned off the case by his superiors, the judge becomes even more determined to discover the truth, no matter where it might lead. Costa-Gavras (Missing, Mad City) is in familiar territory here, but no one handles this type of material better. Z is a classic of political intrigue and social consciousness. --Robert Lane


Product Description

A pulse-pounding political thriller, Greek expatriate director Costa-Gavras’s Z was one of the cinematic sensations of the late sixties, and remains among the most vital dispatches from that hallowed era of filmmaking. This Academy Award winner—loosely based on the 1963 assassination of Greek left-wing activist Gregoris Lambrakis—stars Yves Montand as a prominent politician and doctor whose public murder amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials; Jean-Louis Trintignant is the tenacious magistrate who’s determined not to let them get away with it. Featuring kinetic, rhythmic editing, Raoul Coutard’s expressive vérité photography, and Mikis Theodorakis’s unforgettable, propulsive score, Z is a technically audacious and emotionally gripping masterpiece.

SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard

• Audio commentary featuring film historian Peter Cowie

• New interviews with Costa-Gavras and Coutard

• Archival interviews with Costa-Gavras; producer-actor Jacques Perrin; actors Yves Montand, Irène Papas, and Jean-Louis Trintignant; and Vassilis Vassilikos, author of the book Z

• Theatrical trailer

• New and improved English subtitle translation

• PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Armond White

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Customer Reviews

39 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (39 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable Film In An Excellent DVD Restoration, November 27, 2003
This review is from: Z (DVD)
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 yet endowing 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

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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Costa-Gavras' Masterpiece, February 6, 2001
By A. Hogan (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Z [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Z is a political thriller with few action scenes,none of the "thrills" associated with conevntional thrillers. The Murder takes place fairly early on,and it is obvious who is respnosible. The thrill is in the dogged investigation by an incorruptible magistrate{interesting comparison to Stones's JFK},which leads to the highest seats of government. Based on a terrific novel by Vassilis Vassilikos{and an excellent screenplay by Jorge Semprun},this tells the story of the murder of the Greek parliamentarian and doctor Gregory Lambrakis.That it was a political assasination is obvious,though the complicity is so multilayered that it appears that the truth will never come out. Yves Montand is ,as usual, excellent as Lambrakis [referred to as Z throughout the film.Z comes from the Greek verb zei, HE LIVES} Irene Pappas is his suffering wife{and widow}. Costa-Gavras travelled this territory often, {the Confession, Missing} though not with this brilliance. The editing is crsip,leading to the sense of breathlessness among the defendents. I will leave the ending to the viewer.This is probably the best political thriller that I have ever seen, and 31 years later,is till excellent,if not brilliant
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars still a thrill, 30 years later, October 3, 2000
This review is from: Z [VHS] (VHS Tape)
It starts out by saying: "Any similarity to actual persons or events is deliberate" and goes on to tell an intricate, absorbing story.

From 1969, this political thriller stands up as a brilliantly crafted film, helped by an extraordinary cast, great editing, and a marvelous Mikis Theodorakis soundtrack.

What an amazing ensemble of actors ! Yves Montand is fabulous, also the beautiful Irene Papas, Charles Denner, Jacques Perrin, and so many more...but the real hero of this film is Jean-Lois Trintignant. He is magnificent, and the subtleties of his performance riveting.

I don't think you have to subscribe to the politics espoused in this film to appreciate its greatness. It stands as a work of art, and I think Costa-Gavras' finest film.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "Z" HITS HARD AT FASCIST POLITICS IN OUR WORLD TODAY

Ex-patriot Greek filmmaker Costa-Gavras's observant, rousing, docudrama still punches a prescient jolt nearly 40 years after it's initial release. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Robin Simmons

5.0 out of 5 stars Criterion Upgrade the way to Go!
There is an audio commentary by film historian Peter Cowie. He points out that while not naming names, the screenplay for Z is a scathing commentary of the then-government of... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Cubist

5.0 out of 5 stars Arguably the best political film ever made, and Costa-Gavras's best film...
Z is one of the best political films ever made, and in fact, may be the best political film ever made. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Grigory's Girl

5.0 out of 5 stars A murder coverup..???......They won't get away with it..!!
French language and subtitled in English.....this was cutting edge cinema when it was first released in the late 60's and it has not lost any of it's impact. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Seen Them All

4.0 out of 5 stars Great classic ppolitical film
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
Published 4 months ago by Herman Schloss

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published 6 months ago by One-Line Film Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Pretensious propaganda
I viewed the French language version. This film may or may not follow the history of the event fairly closely but I do not know the history. Read more
Published 7 months ago by M. Dean

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable
"Any resemblance to real events, to persons living or dead, is not accidental. It is DELIBERATE."
(Counter-disclaimer at the begining of the film)

Won the New... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Bob Fake Name

5.0 out of 5 stars Z - A movie by Costa Gavras
I was 18 when I saw this movie for the first time, and it gave me quite a shock - for the first time, I realized a movie could be more than just entertainment, then it could... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Zadok_the_Priest

4.0 out of 5 stars Z - older movie great returns
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. Read more
Published on October 24, 2007 by Mr. D. J. MCCARTHY

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