Z (The Criterion Collection)
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DVD details
Actor: Gérard Darrieu, Jean Bouise, Jean Dasté, Marcel Bozzuffi, Maurice BaquetBrand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language)
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 127 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-10-27
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Reviews of Z (The Criterion Collection)
DVD Review: It Happened There
Summary: 5 Stars
"Any resemblance to actual events, to persons living or dead, is not the result of chance. It is DELIBERATE."
With that caption (albeit in French) in the opening credits the stage is set for Z. Made in 1969, the film is based on the novel about the May 22, 1963 assassination of Greek politician Gregoris Lambrakis. Yet it is far from your average history based and instead becomes a thriller. It is also, perhaps more importantly, a look at the misuse of government power in a democratic society and those willing to expose it.
The film features what can be called a perfect cast. Jean-Louis Trintignant is the Examining Magistrate, the government official who is supposed to sign off on the police's version of events but discovers the truth is much different. Then there's the officials involved including Pierre Dux as chief of police and Julien Guiomar as his deputy who both give fine performances as men in power who become increasingly desperate to close the case. There are those directly involved in the assassination such as Renato Salvatori and Marcel Bozzuffi who convincingly play ordinary people who political beliefs and the power of public officials lead them to commit the assassination. Last but not least are Yves Montand as the Deputy (aka Gregoris Lambrakis) and Irene Papas as his wife, both of whom use their rather limited screen time to great effect. There really didn't seem to be a single miscast part which is an incredible rarity and something that makes the film even better.
This brings us to the production values of Z. While the film was shot in on the opposite side of the Mediterranean in Algiers though it makes for a fine substitute for the Greek locations where the events actually took place which is helped even more by the use of things like a Greek typewriter in scenes with the Examining Magistrate for example. Perhaps as a consequence of that there seems to be very few sets in the film which helps even more to give a sense of verisimilitude to the entire film. The film also replays the assassination several times after showing it to the viewer in its entirety to show how points of view and ulterior motives can affect views of an event (something echoed by Oliver Stone in his 1991 film JFK). The film's editing allows the action of the film's first half to be a bit more drawn out as it paints a portrait of the events leading up to the rally where the assassination takes place yet allowing for it to have the pace of a thriller when the investigation of the Examining Magistrate begins, allowing for flashbacks from different witnesses. The result of all this is a film that seems very realistic, slowly paced at times and yet tightly paced when it needs to be.
Then there is the script of course. The script written by Jorge Semprún and director Costa-Gavras, is a casebook example of how a real-life vent should be transposed to the silver screen as it condenses a significant amount of time down to two hours without confusing the viewer or being tedious. The script also pulls no punches with its views of the right wing government of Greece at the time (though the country is unnamed in the film) starting with appears at first to be a lecture about agricultural policy that leads into a rant about the government's wanting to destroy the "mildew of the mind" i.e. everything to the left of it politically. From there the script shows how officials how officials allowed the assassination to happen and how they then tried to hide their involvement as quickly as possible. The script shows even those not involved, under pressure or by being complacent, try to stall the investigations of the man charged with finding the truth (the Examining Magistrate). Considering when the film came out and the events in the years preceding it is hard to see why it was so successful here in the U.S. and why it continues to have strong resonance today (especially considering that the assassinations of Lambrakis and JFK were a mere six months apart). The script is above all a demonstration of misuse of government power, the lengths it will go to cover its own tracks and those who are willing to expose it.
Z is many things. It is a true story told like a thriller that shows how a historical event would be put on the screen. It is a fine film that is well acted by a perfect cast all of whom are backed by good production values, fine editing and a script that pulls no punches. Above all though I believer it is a warning. To whom is it a warning? To those who say that something like this can't happen in a democratic society because in 1963 it happened there.
Description of Z (The Criterion Collection)
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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