"to Live" Is To Be Immortalized On Film

"Z" stands for zei, or he lives, the Greek third person verb for "to be alive." The "he" in question is Gregory Lambrakis.

Lambrakis is a deputy of the communist-oriented union of the Democratic left (EDA), a party opposed to the policies of Greek Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis. Lambrakis was assassinated on May 22, 1963, after speaking at a rally protesting the presence of American missiles in Greece. It is his death that throws into motion a smoke-screen of deception which in turn exposes the weaknesses of Karamanlis' government and (by director Costas-Garvas' account) opens the door to the fascistic coup on April 21, 1967 by the Greek military to install George Papadopoulos at the expense of the then sitting center-left government of George Papandreou.

The impact "Z" had on international cinema in the late 1960's and early '70s can scarcely be overestimated. The film won the Cannes Film Festival "Jury Prize"; the American Hollywood Oscar "Best Foreign Film" award; and the New York Critic's Award. The film was also banned in Greece (obviously), Spain, Mexico, Morocco, Brazil, Portugal and India.

Adapted from the novel of the same name by Vassilis Vassilikos, the film was scripted by Costas-Garvas and Jorge Sempprun. The troupe of international actors and actresses in "Z" include Yves Montand as the ill-fated Lambrakis, Jean-Louis Trintignant as the non-ideological "special investigator" who slowly uncovers the conspiracy; Irene Papas as Lambrakis' widow; and Marcel Bozzufi and Renato Salvatori as the two dim-witted thugs blackmailed by the police to commit the murder.

A masterfully quick-paced film with the psychological tension of a Hitchcock mystery coupled with the graphic semi-documentary impact of cinema verite, "Z" is nonetheless a calculatedly commercial film that was specifically geared by director Costas-Garvas towards a non-ideological audience. Thus whether viewed as a documentary, action thriller or political biography, the film is highly successful on all counts.

"Z" is a potent reminder that political activism cannot be stamped out nor silences...for Lambakis certainly does live.

"Z" will show at U-M's Lorch Hall on Nov. 12 at 7 and 9:15 pm.