Z

When this film opens, two things stand out immediately. First is that the men responsible for it, writer Jorge Semprún and writer/director Costa-Gavras, have a stern message they are presenting to their audience, and they want us to understand the truth behind it. Right in the title card, in bold font, is: Any similarity to real persons and events is not coincidental. It is INTENTIONAL. This bold statement is accompanied by a lecture given by the general (Pierre Dux, based on Christos Sartzetakis) about how modern ideals are akin to diseases and rot. The very ideas he is throwing out tell you everything you need to know about those in power here. We are never told which Mediterranean country this is, but we know from history that this is Greece under the junta.

The left-wing opposition plans to have a famous government deputy (Yves Montand, based on Grigoris Lambrakis) give a speech advocating for nuclear disarmament, but through pressure from the government, no venue will allow them to meet there, forcing the people to meet on the streets. Thugs are also recruited to tear down posters and harass attendees. An anonymous tip is received that there will be an attempt on the deputy’s life, but the governmental officials dismiss this. 

During the speech, Pirou, another deputy, is mistaken for the speaker and is attacked, left for dead in the street when the assailants realize their mistake. As the intended target crosses the street from the hall where he just gave his address, a delivery truck, driven by Yargo (Renato Salvatori, based on Spyro Gotzamanis) speeds past him and a man on the flatbed, Vago (Marcel Bozzuffi, based on Emmanouel Emmannouilidis), strikes him down with a heavy club. The chief prosecutor is informed of the incident, but the General lies, stating that the deputy was hit Yargo, who was merely driving drunk, who they have in custody. An eyewitness, who intends to testify that Yargo was intending from the start to commit murder, is assaulted in the streets on his way to testify, but refuses to back down despite opposition from his family and the general. Vago, the man in the flatbed who actually struck and killed the deputy, tries to kill the witness too, but is instead caught and arrested. 

The Examining Magistrate (Jean-Louis Trintignant, based on Christos Sartzetakis), initially brought in to affirm the police’s testimony of events, begins to find inconsistencies and obvious fabricated stories, leading him to dig further despite being warned against it. As the truth starts to come together, people’s lives are threatened, and high-ranking officers are facing accusations of orchestrating the assassination.

I mentioned in my review of Judgment at Nuremberg how justice was robbed when those found guilty ended up getting little to no punishment for their actions in the end. The same happened here. Costa-Gavras ends his film with an end-credit scroll pointing out how shortly after the events we have now witnessed, the prosecutor was mysteriously removed from the case, several key witnesses suddenly died through a series of mishaps, the assassins received relatively light sentences, the high-ranking officials were only given administrative reprimands, the deputy’s close associates either died or were deported, and the photojournalist (Jacques Perrin, a composite character, partly based on Giorgos Bertsos) was imprisoned on charges of disclosing official documents. 

The heads of the government resigned, too, but before a new election could take place, a coup d’état occured, allowing the military to seize power, banning modern music; pop art; avant-garde novelists; philosophers, both modern and classic; modern mathematics; and the use of the letter Z, which is used by the protesters against the former government, refers to the deputy, and means “He Lives.” This is a damning finger pointed at those who have taken power and silenced the people. Knowing what happened to this film in Greece and the people involved in making it is just as harrowing.

The film is broken up into three distinct segments, each with a main character we are to follow. The first is the deputy, whom we see as smart and genteel. Once he has been attacked, that focus shifts to his wife, Helene (Irene Papas, based on Roula Lambrakis) as she awaits news while he undergoes numerous surgeries before finally dying. The final segment follows the magistrate as he starts tying up his investigation and putting it all together. These three segments feel as a whole but also have a distinct flavor all their own. The final segment, for instance, feels almost like a chase, not by vehicles but by the pursuit for last-minute revelations to wrap up the case and accuse the guilty.

This is a foreign language film, which can be a barrier to some people. It needn’t be. It’s a taught political thriller (I’ve heard it referred to as the ultimate political thriller, made more effective because it is true). Because it is based on real events, it becomes more than just a diverting couple of hours of entertainment and becomes a lesson in the realities of life. The good guys don’t always win, and even when it looks like they did, those in power have a way of sidestepping accountability. When Helene is told that the general and his men have been charged with first-degree murder, it’s supposed to be a moment of triumph, but she just looks out toward the ocean, a look of distress on her face. 

There are a lot of plates in the air in this film, a lot of things that we have to keep track of in order to truly follow what is going on. This is not the kind of movie that can be watched casually, even if you don’t need the subtitles. Costa-Gavras and Jorge Semprún have done a masterful job in bringing this to the screen and showing us the realities of the time in Greece. It cost them a lot to be this frank and outspoken against the junta and the political and social climate in Greece. The film speaks for itself and makes sure right away what they were trying to say. For that, both men, and many others involved in making it, were banned from Greece in a vain attempt to silence their words. For that, this film needs to stay in our thoughts as a reminder of the dangers of government-sponsored censorships and a determination to silence free-thinkers.

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Ahmed Rachedi and Jacques Perrin

Best Director: Costa-Gavras

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jorge Semprún and Costa-Gavras

Best Foreign Language Film: Algeria (won)

Best Film Editing: Françoise Bonnot (won)

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Release Date: February 26, 1969

Running Time: 127 Minutes

Rated M/PG

Starring: Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean Louis Trintignant, Charles Denner, Georges Geret, Jacques Perrin, François Perier, Bernard Fresson, Pierre Dux, Julien Guiomar, Marcel Bozzuffi, Magali Noël, and Renato Salvatori

Directed by: Costa-Gavras