By John Esther
Z Magazine
A riveting action thriller about political assassination at the highest levels, this year marks the 40th anniversary of Z ... the Academy Award-winning 1969 film co-written and directed by Costas Gavras about a Judge (played by Jean-Louis Trintignant) who looks into the death of the Deputy (also referred to as Comrade Z, played by Yves Montand) who was about to give a speech on nuclear disarmament. Deliberately dissident, claiming its intention to resemble the U.S.-backed military coup of Greece in the early 1960s and the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Gregoris Lambrakis in 1963, Gavras's film touched a nerve with audiences still reeling from the JFK, RFK, and MLK assassinations.
While Gavras has made many political films—Missing, Music Box, and Amen—his film titled after the banned letter, which was a symbolic reminder that Lambrakis (he) lives on—remains his masterpiece.
ESTHER: Why did you want to make Z in the first place?
GAVRAS: The colonels had just come to power in Greece, overthrowing democracy. Making Z was my way to protest them.
What were your political intentions?
To show they were a pack of fanatic and stupid military men that were foes to democracy.
How successful were you in achieving those goals?
If you consider how successful the film was all over the world—except in dictatorship-ruled countries, which banned my movie—I can say I reached my goals.
Which of the characters in the film do you identify with the most and why?
I identify with the journalist for his passion of seeking the truth and information and with the judge for his passion for justice, which he stands up for at great risk of losing everything.
To Read the Rest of the Interview
No comments:
Post a Comment