I just rented Costa-Gavras "Z" from Netflicks.
It is an absolutely astounding political drama, portrayed as a police procedural. Furthermore it is based on fact, the 1963 Greek counter-revolution. It won the 1969 Oscar for Best Foreign Language film. I went to the theater to see it then and have not seen it since.
My viewing now has no less impact than in in the late sixties.
It was filmed in Algeria, as close to Greece as could be obtained at the time. The language is French. As are most of the actors. Jean-Louis Trintignant stands out as the magistrate, a sort of Columbo clone, only without the frumpy clothes, but deliberately with shaded glasses and somewhat wooden portrayal to hide his intent. Many important actors signed on to the low budget project. I am not aware of many of the foreign actors, but Yves Montand and Irene Pappas were amongst them.
I watched this film with two close friends the other night. My best friend has an annoying tendency to pause films in the middle in order to interject some question or discussion point. But in this case, it worked out well. We rewound the movie at many particular scenes and were able to grasp the importance of what Costa-Gavras was portraying, and how he was portraying it.
For me, it is one of the most important political films of my life.
Z (Wiki)
Here's the trailer:
Here's another trailer:
Sorry. No subtitles on the trailers.
on edit: From Roger Ebert's review:
At the time of its release, film critic Roger Ebert, who named Z the best film of 1969, liked the screenplay and its message, and wrote, "'Z' is a film of our time. It is about how even moral victories are corrupted. It will make you weep and will make you angry. It will tear your guts out...When the Army junta staged its coup in 1967, the right-wing generals and the police chief were cleared of all charges and 'rehabilitated.' Those responsible for unmasking the assassination now became political criminals. These would seem to be completely political events, but the young director Costa-Gavras has told them in a style that is almost unbearably exciting. Z is at the same time a political cry of rage and a brilliant suspense thriller. It even ends in a chase: Not through the streets but through a maze of facts, alibis and official corruption."
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However, it is an exceptional flick. My friends and I, in spite of my good buddy's continual interruptions -- I eventually took the remote control away from him, but only because the climax was occurring but we watched the whole movie again in the morning without interruptions. But make no mistake, the climax and the story telling building up to it is the reason that this film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language flick and why it was nominated for Best Picture. It should have won both of them. Think Columbo, without the frumpy suit.
Plus, this movie has a rather extraordinary history. Google is your friend here, if you care to delve into these rather political matters.
I highly recommend it.
Bookmarking.