It will be interesting to see if the Israeli film "Ajami," which I've heard many good things about wins the best-foreign language film Oscar this year. But, the 1969 winner in the category, the ground-breaking progressive political thriller "Z" by Greek director Costa-Gravas, who also helmed another acclaimed political thriller "Missing" (1982) with the late Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek, will be screened as part of a special series in conjunction with the North Carolina Museum of Art at the the Galaxy Cinema in the Raleigh suburb of Cary, NC, on Thursday night.
"Z" follows the murder of a prominent leftist, and an invesigator tries to uncover the truth though government officials try to cover up the crime.
The film was a statement on Greek politics at the time when like many countries in the region Greece was facing political upheveal. Similar situations were also taking place in neighboring Turkey, where my late father immigrated from. I believe, as a result, "Z" was banned in both countries!
"Z" gets its title from the fact that Z means 'he is alive' in ancient Hellenic.
The film starred the late French Yves Montand who appeared in another highly political film "Tout Va Bien!" (directed by Jean Luc-Godard) in 1972. That film co-starred Jane Fonda who was making headlines at the time for her controversial trip to Vietnam.
"Z" is also known for its landmark musical score by composer Mikis Thodorakis.
In fact, I can't get it out of my head now!
For more information, the cinema's web site is mygalaxy.com
A Greek music show, hosted by my friend Maria Hatzios, runs on the Virginia Tech student station WUVT (90.7 FM) in Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday mornings.
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