Costa-Gavras

 Costa-Gavras




Z (1969)


RANKED:


1. Z (1969)


With his landmark film "Z," Greek-French filmmaker Costa-Gavras crafted one of the most influential political thrillers in cinematic history. Centering on the investigation into a public attack on an opposition party leader, the film weaves through its intricate and expansive narrative to uncover the levels of corruption at the heart of the state. Although the film was directly based on the real-life assassination of a Greek politician in 1963, its illustration of political corruption demonstrates the new format of global politics in the post-war modern era. "Z" was one of the many films that ushered in a new style of politically-charged films that were coming to the forefront of the mainstream as the 1960s morphed into the 1970s. It launched the global success of Costa-Gavras and is still considered today to be one of the greatest films ever made.

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