Z

This political thriller came out in 1970. It was one of those movies I've always meant to see but hadn't. Zoe saw it when it came out. She was 15 and quite the activist. When she learned I hadn't seen it she rented it for me to see. I would hope that you wouldn't wait so long. It's still very relevant. From Amazon:

Costa-Gavras's Z, winner of the 1970 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, is a classic political thriller, combining intrigue with raw emotional power. The story turns on the investigation of the assassination of a left-wing Greek politician (Yves Montand), and his government's attempts to cover up the murky circumstances. Montand receives death threats as he prepares to give a speech condemning the government, and is then run down in front of numerous witnesses. Jean-Louis Trintignant (The Conformist) plays the judge assigned to the investigation, who gradually discovers how far the state will go to rid itself of political opposition. As he is warned off the case by his superiors, the judge becomes even more determined to discover the truth, no matter where it might lead. Costa-Gavras (Missing, Mad City) is in familiar territory here, but no one handles this type of material better. Z is a classic of political intrigue and social consciousness.

Z

WHEN I LEARNED the University of San Francisco Law Review was soliciting articles about films every lawyer should see, the first film that came to mind was Z, written and directed by Costa-Gavras and released in 1969. I first saw Z at age sixteen, and it was the first film that I had ever seen in a foreign language. Although I would like to pretend that the viewing of Z was the result of my political awareness and good taste, in fact, my French teacher took our class to see it in the hope of increasing our interest in the language. I am not now, nor have I ever been, someone who normally sees a film twice by choice. However, during the next year I went back to see Z twice more with subtitles, and twice more when the dubbed version came out. I saw the film a sixth time about ten years ago, and twice more during my writing of this Essay. Z is a powerful film for any audience, and a must-see for lawyers. My two most recent viewings of the film marked the first time I saw Z as a lawyer. The effect was profound. Writing this Essay about Z helped me to understand why my ardor for social justice - kindled more than a quarter century ago, but remaining relatively dormant for most of my adult life - had suddenly reemerged with a vengeance five years ago. It was as if a voice, perhaps that of Costa-Gavras, had commanded me to go to law school and do some good in the world. Seeing Z again also helped me to understand why I had waited so long to listen to that voice. This film, more than any other, represents to me what it means to be a lawyer.

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