Z (1969) on Netflix
In a military-led Mediterranean country, opposition activists plan a nuclear disarmament rally with a deputy as speaker. When the deputy is struck down, a magistrate takes the case.
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- Netflix2.7/5
- IMDb8.1/1034,438 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes94%
Trailer
Plot summary
A left-wing opposition group in a military-led Mediterranean country arranges a rally for nuclear disarmament, with a well-known deputy as the speaker, but the authorities pressure venues to refuse the group space and set men to tear down its posters and harass those who come. A warning reaches the organizers that someone intends to kill the deputy; the officials who are told of it dismiss the claim. After the speech the deputy is struck down in the street. At the hospital the magistrate who takes the case learns that an autopsy shows head injuries rather than a traffic accident as the cause of death, while the General, who heads the state police, tells the Chief Prosecutor that a drunk driver is in custody. A photojournalist also pursues the story.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Z (1969)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- At the 27th Golden Globe Awards, the producers of Z refused the award to protest the film's exclusion from the Best Motion Picture – Drama category.
- Z became the first non-English language film to receive Academy Award nominations for both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film, and to win in the foreign-language category.
- Composer Mikis Theodorakis was under house arrest by the Greek junta when Z was made, yet he approved Costa-Gavras's use of his existing music, and the soundtrack became a hit record.
- Costa-Gavras took the one-letter title Z from Greek graffiti meaning "He lives" for Lambrakis; Yves Montand worried it would be confused with Zorro, but the novelty of the idea won Costa-Gavras over.
- Because the production had no budget for professional stunt performers, Marcel Bozzuffi performed his own wrestling stunts on the "Kamikaze" vehicle.
- The film features Pierre Henry's hit "Psyché Rock" without crediting him, and the soundtrack as released replaces his song with a similar track by Theodorakis titled "Café Rock."
