Z (1969)

Without a great deal of background into the confusing politics in Greece over the past decades, it is sufficient to know that this country is the cradle of democracy. It is the origin of the word itself. Watch this film with that one thought in mind. Z will influence your views on politics and the importance of preserving democracy and participating in government for the rest of your life.

What occurs in Z has happened before, is happening now, and will happen again in different countries to varying degrees. An individual's awareness of this fact is vitally important, just as participating in government is vitally important.

There are movies that come along every once in a great while that should be seen by everyone. They should be, perhaps, a mandatory part of one's high school civics curriculum. Z is one of those films.

The Internet Movie Database has a list of the 250 most popular movies of all time. The list is a mixed bag. Some movies are there because tons of people saw them and - like popular novels - they had a story line that was fun and engrossing (the Godfather movies, Star Wars, Indiana Jones); other films are on the list because they changed filmmaking itself (Citizen Kane, Hitchcock, Star Wars); and finally there are movies that change our hearts forever. Saving Private Ryan, To Kill a Mockingbird, Schindler's List.

Z should be there. If only more people had seen it.

Fmovies: This is a great Costa-Gavras' masterpiece about a political confusion caused by a murder of a politic. Costa-Gravas again shows his talent in this interesting film that is full of conspiracy, tension and confusion. The plot is complex but you can follow it and, once you do it, you enjoy the film a lot. There's this dark atmosphere in the whole length of the movie that gives it a nice and enchanting look. I think the best way to watch "Z" is in total silence, with your eyes glued to the screen and your mind turned towards the frames and all the great actions and dialogues.

My rate 8 out of 10

Every so often a film comes along whose cinematic quality is less important than the statement it makes about civilisation. 'Z' is such a film.

Chilling in its execution and its denouement, the film is a powerful anti-totalitarian tract, showing the powerlessness of the forces of truth against an establishment which holds all the cards (but which nonetheless displays appalling incompetence in playing them). That the government in question is right-wing is not important - like Orwell's 1984, this film opposes totalitarianism of all kinds.

The script, direction and performances are good enough, but this is not a film you see for entertainment. It should be shown to every government official in every country in the world, to remind them of the corrupting influence of absolute power (and, incidentally, it ought to be shown to every journalist to remind them what investigative journalism is supposed to be about).

11 out of 10, were it possible.

Z fmovies. Having seen this at the Art Theatre in Akron, Ohio, upon its first American release, this film was a forcefully stunning, face slapping wake up call to keep a vigilant eye on most politicians because they are controlled only by the constraints we present and confine them with. Grown men left the theater with tears pouring down their cheeks not only because of the great performances and story, but because these were the Nixon years, and the film made us realize we were only a pen stroke away from the horror of losing freedom and democracy here in the United States. No country is safe, and it could be argued in areas of Florida today that, even though we preserved our nation and eliminated Nixon, it was a Pyrhic victory, a temporary victory, and our democracy and how it is supposed to ethically work was left disheveled and browbeaten in the end, anyway. One thing is for certain; the rats are in the cupboard now. And this film hits all the right buttons; great music, acting, an avant garde documentary style of filming that was sensational in its time and still is good today, but so many people have copied it, it seems to lack originality since we are so accepting now of something that was novel at the time...but this is the real thing that started it all. A film that should be in everyone's home and shown to every civic class in America.

I would like to give a little history of Greece from WWII to the time when "Z" happens. The Greek people had successfully expelled the Nazis when English forces invaded the country and put the Nazi collaborators in power. The US army took over the effort in 1947, rounding up thousands of people and putting them in reeducation camps. By 1949, the "civil war" was over, with Greece under military rule.

Then, the story portrayed in "Z". Dr. Gregorios Lambrakis was beginning to speak for the people, when the junta gunned him down. In "Z", we get to see the investigation into the murder, exposing how the generals orchestrated it. They never say that the movie happens in Greece (although it clearly does), and more than simply a look at the CIA-installed regime that was ruling Greece from 1967 to 1974, it's a reminder of all totalitarian governments in the world. "Z" will very likely chill you.

One of the best political/muck-wracking films ever made, it set the stage for the great US political films of the 70's. Costa-Garvas at his finest, it's filled with detailed performances and camera work, a memorable score, and breathtaking content. If only they made films like this now, I'd be a happy camper. By the way, it was the first foreign film (French) to be nominated for Best Picture. That should tell you something.......