Z

A pulse-pounding political thriller, Greek expatriate director Costa-Gavras’s Z was one of the cinematic sensations of the late sixties, and remains among the most vital dispatches from that hallowed era of filmmaking. This Academy Award winner—loosely based on the 1963 assassination of Greek left-wing activist Gregoris Lambrakis—stars Yves Montand as a prominent politician and doctor whose public murder amid a violent demonstration is covered up by military and government officials; Jean-Louis Trintignant is the tenacious magistrate who’s determined not to let them get away with it. Featuring kinetic, rhythmic editing, Raoul Coutard’s expressive vérité photography, and Mikis Theodorakis’s unforgettable, propulsive score, Z is a technically audacious and emotionally gripping masterpiece.

Greece, France
1969
127 minutes
Color
1.66:1
French
Spine #491

Special Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard
Audio commentary featuring film historian Peter Cowie
New interviews with Costa-Gavras and Coutard
Archival interviews with Costa-Gavras; producer-actor Jacques Perrin; actors Pierre Dux, Yves Montand, Irène Papas, and Jean-Louis Trintignant; and Vassilis Vassilikos, author of the book Z
Theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by critic Armond White

New cover by Eric Skillman

DVD 1 Disc Out Of Print SRP: $39.95

Digital Options

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Special Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard
Audio commentary featuring film historian Peter Cowie
New interviews with Costa-Gavras and Coutard
Archival interviews with Costa-Gavras; producer-actor Jacques Perrin; actors Pierre Dux, Yves Montand, Irène Papas, and Jean-Louis Trintignant; and Vassilis Vassilikos, author of the book Z
Theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: An essay by critic Armond White

New cover by Eric Skillman

Cast & Credits

Cast

Yves Montand: The Doctor
Irene Papas: Hélène, the doctor's wife
Jean-Louis Trintignant: The Magistrate
Jacques Perrin: Photojournalist
Pierre Dux: The general
François Périer: Public Prosecutor District Attorney
Charles Denner: Manuel
Georges Géret: Nick

Credits

Director: Costa-Gavras
Co-producer: Jacques Perrin
Co-producer: Ahmed Rachedi
Based on the book Z by: Vasilis Vasilikos
Screenplay: Jorge Semprún
Screenplay: Costa-Gavras
Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Cinematography: Raoul Coutard
Editing: Françoise Bonnot
Production design: Jacques D'Ovidio

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Explore

Raoul Coutard

Cinematographer

Perhaps the most famous cinematographer of the nouvelle vague, Raoul Coutard shot more than seventy-five films during his forty-three-year career. A war photographer (in Indochina) turned freelance photojournalist (his images appeared in Paris Match and Look), Coutard turned to film, hesitantly, only in the late fifties. After fumbling his way through a few film assignments (he was inexperienced with a movie camera), he was hired by producer Georges de Beauregard to shoot the debut film of a young critic named Jean-Luc Godard. His ragged, incisive shooting style on Breathless became iconic in modern cinema, and Godard kept him on board for the rest of the sixties and beyond, while other directors, like François Truffaut, Jacques Demy, Jean Rouch, and Costa-Gavras, also called upon his skills. His exacting images, which vary from rich and luxurious to gritty and documentary-like, can be seen in countless indelible films, including Shoot the Piano Player, Jules and Jim, Contempt, Alphaville, Pierrot le fou, and Z.