Manchester University Press
3 Costa- Gavras, Jorge Semprún and Yves Montand
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that one of the most significant films to emerge at the end of the 1960s, that widely captured audiences’ attentions and could certainly be labelled a political thriller, was Z, directed by Costa-Gavras and written by Jorge Semprún. Together, as well as apart, the pair would have an enormous impact on the development of the form of the European political thriller as the 1970s progressed. Key to their collaboration in this period was the work they undertook on three landmark films: Z (1969), The Confession (L'aveu, 1970) and Special Section (Section spéciale, 1975), some of the most powerful political dramas of the period.
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that one of the most significant films to emerge at the end of the 1960s, that widely captured audiences’ attentions and could certainly be labelled a political thriller, was Z, directed by Costa-Gavras and written by Jorge Semprún. Together, as well as apart, the pair would have an enormous impact on the development of the form of the European political thriller as the 1970s progressed. Key to their collaboration in this period was the work they undertook on three landmark films: Z (1969), The Confession (L'aveu, 1970) and Special Section (Section spéciale, 1975), some of the most powerful political dramas of the period.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Notes on contributors viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- 1 Creating a major film season at HOME 4
- 2 France, May ’68 and the development of the political thriller 19
- 3 Costa- Gavras, Jorge Semprún and Yves Montand 30
- 4 State of Siege (État de siège), Costa-Gavras, 1973 39
- 5 L’Attentat (Plot), Yves Boisset, 1972 49
- 6 Special Section (Section spéciale), Costa-Gavras, 1975 59
- 7 The political thriller in the context of Italian cinema 71
- 8 Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto), Elio Petri, 1970 83
- 9 Killer Cop (La polizia ha le mani legate), Luciano Ercoli, 1975 92
- 10 West Germany 100
- 11 Neither intentional nor accidental, but unavoidable 109
- 12 Where the political thriller was less prevalent 118
- 13 Operación Ogro (Ogro), Gillo Pontecorvo, 1979 127
- 14 Die Flucht (The Flight), Roland Gräf, 1977 136
- 15 Days of ’36 (Meres tou ’36), Theo Angelopoulos, 1972 148
- 16 Who is the man on the roof? 157
- 17 The legacy of the 1970s European political thriller 167
- 18 The season 178
- Index 190
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Notes on contributors viii
- Acknowledgements xi
- Introduction 1
- 1 Creating a major film season at HOME 4
- 2 France, May ’68 and the development of the political thriller 19
- 3 Costa- Gavras, Jorge Semprún and Yves Montand 30
- 4 State of Siege (État de siège), Costa-Gavras, 1973 39
- 5 L’Attentat (Plot), Yves Boisset, 1972 49
- 6 Special Section (Section spéciale), Costa-Gavras, 1975 59
- 7 The political thriller in the context of Italian cinema 71
- 8 Investigation of a Citizen above Suspicion (Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto), Elio Petri, 1970 83
- 9 Killer Cop (La polizia ha le mani legate), Luciano Ercoli, 1975 92
- 10 West Germany 100
- 11 Neither intentional nor accidental, but unavoidable 109
- 12 Where the political thriller was less prevalent 118
- 13 Operación Ogro (Ogro), Gillo Pontecorvo, 1979 127
- 14 Die Flucht (The Flight), Roland Gräf, 1977 136
- 15 Days of ’36 (Meres tou ’36), Theo Angelopoulos, 1972 148
- 16 Who is the man on the roof? 157
- 17 The legacy of the 1970s European political thriller 167
- 18 The season 178
- Index 190
