Z [DVD]

Great Criterion restored transfer of this iconic film from the 1960s.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒆. 𝑾𝒉𝒚? 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆?𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎? 𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔? 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕…Z is a 1969 political thriller film directed by Costa-Gavras, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jorge Semprún.Repression is the rule of the day in this film that skewers Greek governance of the 1960s. Z (Yves Montand), a leftist rabble rouser, is killed in what appears to be a traffic accident. But given the political climate, the death of such a prominent activist raises troubling questions. Though it's too late to save Z's life, a postmortem examination suggests that the ruling party was behind his death. As the facts leak out, those who tell the truth pay the price for their honesty.In 1967 Greek writer Vassilis Vassilikos published 𝒁, a novel that stealthily examines the assassination of a political figure named Grigoris Lambrakis and its broader implications. Providing the inspiration for Gavras’ adaptation of this work, what transpires on page and screen is something that was at least 20 years in the making.Born on April 3rd 1912, most of Lambrakis’ time spent as the young adult would be colored by the political and economic turmoil that plagued post World War II Greece; as early as 1941 Greece was establishing itself as a militant community as indicated by the founding of ‘Organization X’, and a dictatorship known as ‘The Greek Junta’ went on to rule from 1967 to 1974. The former was eventually disbanded as a non-credible union, however, both played active roles in the persecution of communists and had contempt for leftists ideals in general.During the Axis occupation of Greece (1941-1943) Lambrakis participated in the Greek resistance, eventually acting mostly from within the only legal Left-wing political party in the country post 1949, The United Democratic Left. In 1961 Lambrakis was elected as a Member of parliament, and in that same year he helped organize the Commission for International Detente and Peace (EEDYE); he made regular appearances at Pacifist demonstrations, many of which were paired with threats made against his own life by authority figures and common citizens alike. On April 21st, 1963 the First Pacifist Rally was scheduled to take place in Athens, but it was swiftly disrupted by law enforcement on the basis of this event being banned without proper notice and indiscriminate detainment of suspected demonstrators. Partially due to the protection granted to him as a parliamentary member Lambrakis opted to march alone for this cause, but he was arrested as well.Interestingly, both versions of 𝒁 are rather accurate in their depictions of Lambrakis’ demise and contextually specific barriers leading up to it. On May 22nd, 1963 Grigoris arrived in the city of Thessaloniki to serve as the keynote speaker during an anti-war meeting only to find that the conditions for this occasion were no longer guaranteed; with little explanation it was determined that the host venue was operating without sufficient authorization to do so, and many organizers received information regarding a plot to attack Lambrakis that seemed relatively credible and made in earnest.Lambrakis proceeded to deliver his intended speech with the additional denouncement of this plot so as to highlight any indifference displayed by law enforcement and individuals whom were otherwise responsible for protecting him, but this was done to no avail. While he was attempting to leave he was struck in the head by two far-right extremists named Emmanouel Emmanouilides and Spyros Gotzamanis, and they were only apprehended due to efforts made by a witness named Manolis Hatziapostolou who intervened by his own volition.𝒁’s examining magistrate, whom Jean-Louis Xavier Trintignant channels with a most delicate poise, is based in part by the likes of Christos Sartzetakis: following the shocking news of Lambrakis’ passing he was appointed to lead the investigation regarding the manner of his death by an attorney with the Greek Supreme Court. Over the course of 67 days Sartzetakis helped implicate the police and the State as committed accomplices, going so far as to charge at least twenty-one total defendants as co-conspirators while rejecting external pressure to quickly the case without a thorough appraisal of the facts.The reliability and connivance of Sartzetakis’ sources are illustrated in his fictional counterpart through interactions and testimony that prove repetitive, thus emphasizing not only the importance of perspective but the hints of resourceful tampering that large-scale plots require to play out both “successfully” and with little scrutiny.Perhaps not surprisingly, Christos’ efforts proved largely futile. Only two of the people he named as abetters were convicted of the murder of Lambrakis, with both of them being pardoned by the Junta shortly afterwards. In 1968 Christos was also expelled from judiciary duties approximately two years later, with the Junta classifying his work as “discriminatory” and “partial”, which culminated in him being incarcerated from 1970 - 1971 in conditions that were inhumane and included torture.Context further considered, 𝒁’s value as a rebellious act cannot be overstated. From 1967 to 1974 the mere mention of Lambrakis’ name was illegal, with even the possession of any of his published works being considered a criminal offense. Needless to say, Gavras ultimately had to defer to Algeria from Greece to even have this feature made, and goes quite accomplished in illustrating the hostile and haphazard nature of political scandal by robbing his audience members of a sense of justice that feels acquired in just the knick of time.Going further, the lack of nuance regarding this fictional Lambrakis’ ideology is par the course of conflict that must be publicized as bipartisan by people in power to serve an overarching agenda. The oppositional branding of Lambrakis as a far-left communist proved just as bad for his campaign as it was for his life since the implication was that he had sympathy for the Soviet Union during a time where international forces were largely working together to extinguish its influence by any and all means possible.Appropriately so, 𝒁 was written an adapted during a decade defined by political leaders that were assassinated or disappeared for reasons that don't have the most clear explanation in terms of motive or method: John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and the locality specific Mehdi Ben Barka to name a few. The obvious thread tying many of these figures together was a dissentient desire for peace: a concept that is rare and useless in the long-run to systems that need discord, disparity, and indifference to serve their agendas and the individuals they subsequently favor with a calculated but reckless abandon.Lambrakis passed long before the downfall of the Greek Junta and a series of subsequent trials held to hold its high ranking members accountable for actions that kept them active as a militant dictatorship.Numerous places have since been named after Lambrakis to further honor him as a symbol against political repression and for social equity, with a Peace Marathon March being held annually in his memory by the EEDYE. In a just world his efforts would have been largely unnecessary and the extent to which his murder was justified wouldn’t be a debatable topic; unfortunately, it depends on who you ask and whose version of events is being entertained or rehashed as gospel.

This tells the story of the military coup and grease when the Greeks had the temerity to elect someone we did not like. It was done by Costa'Gravas who has done many other political dramas Of which missing with Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek is most famous in the United States this was his first film and really is a sucker punched at the got if you think that There is hope at the end of the film. Certainly not applicable to the 21st-century but Guariglia entertaining and one of the best films of all time

Based on the real-life murder of populist Greek liberal Gregorios Lambrakis in 1963, this incendiary political thriller epitomizes the idea of a "cinema of resistance". It is also a compelling story, with Montand delivering a brief but intense performance as the assassinated pacifist, and Trintignant providing an emotional jolt as the puppet judge who surprises everyone by indicting high-level officials. Costa-Gavras keeps our pulse pumping with shotgun pacing, punchy edits, and sudden turns of events. "Z," which means "He is alive" in ancient Greek, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, and remains timely in today's world of lapsed ethics.

This video wouldn't play... I tried HD, SD, nothing worked. I ended up having to pay $14.99 to watch this movie because the lesser priced options had technical issues. When I just tried to cancel the order, I was told I couldn't. What a rip-off!

A riveting, fast-paced story of political corruption at the highest levels of government, and of a bureaucrat who dared to stand against high government and military officials to ensure justice. Great movie! I saw this movie many, many years ago in my early adult years, and was mesmerized by the movie, and the music. I had to see it again. I was not disappointed!

Great movie, great price, easy download.