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Costa-Gavras
Κώστας Γαβράς
Costa-Gavras in 2017
Born
Konstantinos Gavras (Κωνσταντίνος Γαβράς)

(1933-02-12)12 February 1933(age 91)
Loutra Iraias,Greece
Alma materInstitute for Advanced Cinematographic Studies
OccupationFilmmaker
WorksFull list
SpouseMichèle Ray
Children
AwardsFull list

Konstantinos"Kostas"Gavras(Greek:Κωνσταντίνος "Κώστας" Γαβράς;born 12 February 1933), known professionally asCosta-Gavras,is a Greek-French film director, screenwriter, and producer who lives and works in France. He is known for political films, such as the political thrillerZ(1969), which won anAcademy AwardforBest Foreign Language Film,andMissing(1982), for which he won thePalme d'Orand anAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.Most of his films have been made in French, but six of them were made in English, includingHanna K..

Early life

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Costa-Gavras was born inLoutra Iraias,Arcadia.His family spent the Second World War in a village in thePeloponnese,and moved to Athens after the war. His father had been a member of thePro-Soviet branchof theGreek Resistance,and was imprisoned during theGreek Civil War.His father'sCommunist Partymembership made it impossible for Costa-Gavras to attend university in Greece or to be granted a visa to the United States, so after high school he settled in France, where he began studying literature at theSorbonnein 1951.[1]

Early career

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In 1956, he abandoned his university studies to study film at the French national film school,IDHEC.After film school, he apprenticed underYves Allégret,and became an assistant director forJean GionoandRené Clair.After several further appointments as first assistant director, he directed his first feature film,Compartiment Tueurs,in 1965.[2]

Selected films

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His 1967 filmShock Troops(Un homme de trop) was entered into the5th Moscow International Film Festival.[3]

InZ(1969), an investigating judge, played byJean-Louis Trintignant,tries to uncover the truth about the murder of a prominent leftist politician, played byYves Montand,while government officials and the military attempt to cover up their roles. The film is a fictionalised account of the events surrounding the assassination of Greek politicianGrigoris Lambrakisin 1963. It had additional resonance because, at the time of its release, Greece had been ruled for two years bythe "Regime of the Colonels".Zwon theOscarforBest Foreign Language Film.[4]Costa-Gavras and co-writerJorge Semprúnwon anEdgar Awardfrom theMystery Writers of Americafor Best Film Screenplay.

L'Aveu(The Confession,1970) follows the path ofArtur London,a Czechoslovakian communist minister falsely arrested and tried for treason and espionage in theSlánský 'show trial'in 1952.

State of Siege(1972) takes place inUruguayunder thecivic-military dictatorship of Uruguayin the early 1970s. In a plot loosely based on the case of US police official and alleged torture expertDan Mitrione,an American embassy official (played byYves Montand) is kidnapped by theTupamaros,a radical leftist urban guerilla group, which interrogates him in order to reveal the details of secret American support for repressive regimes inLatin America.

Missing,originally released in 1982 and based on the bookThe Execution Of Charles Horman,concerns an American journalist,Charles Horman(played byJohn Sheain the film), who disappeared in the1973 coup d'étatled by GeneralAugusto PinochetinChile.Horman's father, played byJack Lemmon,and wife, played bySissy Spacek,search in vain to determine his fate. Nathaniel Davis, US ambassador to Chile from 1971 to 1973, a version of whose character had been portrayed in the movie (under a different name), filed a US$150 millionlibel suit,Davis v. Costa-Gavras,619 F. Supp. 1372 (1985), against the studio and the director, which was eventually dismissed. The film won an Oscar forBest Screenplay Adaptationand thePalme d'Orat theCannes Film Festival.

Betrayed(1988) is roughly based upon the terrorist activities of Americanneo-Naziandwhite supremacistRobert Mathewsand his groupThe Order.

InMusic Box(1989), a respectedHungarian immigrant(Armin Mueller-Stahl) is accused of having commanded anAnti-Semiticdeath squadduringWorld War II.His daughter, a Chicago defence attorney played byJessica Lange,agrees to defend him at hisdenaturalizationhearing. The film is inspired by the arrest and trial of Ukrainian immigrantJohn Demjanjukand screenwriterJoe Eszterhas' realisation that his father had been a member of the HungarianArrow Cross Party.The film won theGolden Bearat the40th Berlin International Film Festival.[5]

La Petite Apocalypse(1993) was entered into the43rd Berlin International Film Festival.[6]Amen.(2003), was based in part on the highly controversial 1963 play,Der Stellvertreter. Ein christliches Trauerspiel(The Deputy, a Christian Tragedy), byRolf Hochhuth.The film plot alleges thatPope Pius XIIwas aware of the plight of theJewsin Naziconcentration campsduringWorld War II,but failed to take public action to publicise or condemn the Holocaust. Gavras wonCésar Award for Best Writingfor this film.

He was president of theCinémathèque Françaisefrom 1982 to 1987, and again since 2007.

Political-commercial film

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Costa-Gavras is known for merging controversial political issues with the entertainment value of commercial cinema. Law and justice, oppression, legal/illegal violence, and torture are common subjects in his work, especially relevant to his earlier films. Costa-Gavras is an expert of the "statement" picture. In most cases, the targets of Costa-Gavras's work have been right wing or far right movements and regimes, including the Greek military inZ,and right-wing dictatorships that ruled much of Latin America during the height of the Cold War, as inState of SiegeandMissing.[citation needed]

In a broader sense, this emphasis continues withAmen.given its focus on the conservative leadership of the Catholic Church during the 1940s. In this political context,L'Aveu(The Confession) provides the exception, dealing as it does with oppression on the part of a Communist regime during the Stalinist period.[citation needed]

Issues and style

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Costa-Gavras has brought attention to international issues, some urgent, others merely problematic, and he has done this in the tradition of cinematic story-telling.Z(1969), one of his most well-known works, is an account of the undermining in the 1960s of democratic government in Greece, his homeland and place of birth. The format, however, is a mystery-thriller combination that transforms an uncomfortable history into a fast-paced story. This is a clear example of how he pours politics into plot, "bringing epic conflicts into the sort of personal conflicts we are accustomed to seeing on screen."[citation needed]

His accounts of corruption propagated, in their essence, by European and American powers (Z,State of SiegeandMissing) highlight problems buried deep in the structures of these societies, problems which he deems not everyone is comfortable addressing. The approach he adopted inL'Aveualso "subtly invited the audience to a critical look focused on structural issues, delving this time into the opposite Communist bloc."[citation needed]

Until 2019'sAdults in the Room,Costa-Gavras had never worked in Greece or made a film in the Greek language.[citation needed]

Influences

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When Costa-Gavras asked about some of his biggest cinematic influences, he replied:

The first movie I saw at the Cinematheque wasErich von Stroheim'sGreed,and I was astonished to see you could do long movies with no happy ending.Kurosawa,no doubt, was a big influence. Movies sometimes more than directors have influenced me:The Grapes of Wrath,byJohn Ford,was an extraordinary discovery.Sergei Eisenstein,of course. Later on, [Ingmar]Bergman.[7]

He also listedRené Clément,[8]Jacques Demy,[8]andGillo Pontecorvo's filmThe Battle of Algiersas an influence on his filmmaking.[9]

Legacy and influence

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Costa-Gavras films have been a significant influence onpolitical cinema.Wade Major of theDirectors Guild of Americamentioned that, "With films like Z and Missing, Costa-Gavras almost single-handedly created the modern political thriller".[10]When German DirectorWim Wenderspaid tribute to him in 2018 at the 31stEuropean Film Awardsin Seville, Spain, Wenders called him "One of the greatest filmmakers of our time."[11]

He has influenced directors such asOliver Stone,William Friedkin,Steven Soderbergh,Rachid Bouchareb,Mathieu Kassovitz,andBen Affleck.

Stone mentioned that Costa-Gavras "was certainly one of my earliest role models,... I was a film student at NYU whenZcame out, which we studied. Costa actually came over with Yves Montand for a screening and was such a hero to us. He was in the tradition ofGillo Pontecorvo'sThe Battle of Algiersand was the man in that moment... it was a European moment. "[12]

The American filmmakerWilliam FriedkinlistedZas one of his favorite films and mentioned the film's influence on him when directing his filmThe French Connection:"After I sawZ,I realized how I could shootThe French Connection.Because he [Costa-Gavras] shot 'Z' like a documentary. It was a fiction film but it was made like it was actually happening. Like the camera didn't know what was gonna happen next. And that is an induced technique. It looks like he happened upon the scene and captured what was going on as you do in a documentary. My first films were documentaries too. So I understood what he was doing but I never thought you could do that in a feature at that time until I sawZ."[13]

The American filmmakerSteven SoderberghlistedZas an inspiration on his filmTrafficand even stated that he "wanted to make it like [Costa-Gavras's]Z".[14][15][16][17]In 2020, Costa Gavras wrote the preface to the bookOpération Condor,by French writer and journalistPablo Daniel Magee.

The French filmmakerMathieu Kassovitzlisted Costa-Gavras films (such asZandThe Confession) as influential to his work.[18]

The French filmmakerRachid BouchareblistedZas an influence on his filmOutside the Law.[19]

The American actor and filmmakerBen Afflecklisted Costa-Gavras's films as influences for his filmArgo.[20]

In the television show “Chuck”, season 3 episode 3 “Chuck Versus the Angel de la Muerte”featured the fictional leader Alejandro Goya who was looking to convert his nation of “Costa Gravis” from communism to democratic. Alejandro’s wife and one of his body guards attempt to undermine this effort, seemingly a reference to Costa-Gravis’ movie “Z”.

Accolades

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Main article:List of awards and nominations received by Costa-Gavras

Costa-Gavras's debut film,Compartiment Tueurs,wonNational Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Filmand was nominated for theEdgar Award for Best Screenplayin 1967.

The filmZwas the first film to be nominated for both theBest PictureandBest Foreign Language Film.[21]It won the latter, as well as theJury Prizeat theCannes Film Festival,and theGolden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.Zwas also the first foreign-language film to win theBest Filmaward from theNew York Film Critics Circle.Gavras won theBest Directoraward as well.[22]

Costa-Gavras has received an honorary doctorate from theFilm School of the Aristotle Universityin 2013.

He was interviewed extensively byThe Timescultural correspondentMelinda Camber Porterand was featured prominently in her bookThrough Parisian Eyes: Reflections on Contemporary French Arts and Culture(1993, Da Capo Press).

Costa-Gavras received theMagritte Honorary Awardin 2013.[23]He was the first filmmaker to receive theCatalonia International Prize(2017).[24]

Personal life

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His daughterJulie Gavrasand his sonsRomain GavrasandAlexandre Gavrasare also directors. He is the first cousin ofPenelope Spheeris,Jimmie SpheerisandChris Spheeris.[25]

In 2009, Costa-Gavras signed a petition in support of film directorRoman Polanski,calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his1977 chargefor drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl.[26]. He argued that "the crime could not be considered rape because the teenage girl was 13 years old but looked 25"[27].

Filmography

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Main article:Costa-Gavras filmography

Films

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Year English title Director Writer Producer Original title
1965 The Sleeping Car Murders Yes Yes No Compartiment tueurs
1967 Shock Troops Yes Yes Yes Un homme de trop
1969 Z Yes Yes No Z
1970 The Confession Yes No No L'Aveu
1972 State of Siege Yes Yes No État de siège
1975 Special Section Yes Yes Yes Section spéciale
1979 Womanlight Yes Yes No Clair de femme
1982 Missing Yes Yes No Missing.
1983 Hanna K. Yes Yes No Hanna K.
1986 Family Business Yes Yes No Conseil de famille
1988 Betrayed Yes No No Betrayed
1989 Music Box Yes No No Music Box
1993 The Little Apocalypse Yes Yes No La Petite Apocalypse
1997 Mad City Yes No No Mad City
2002 Amen. Yes Yes No Amen.
2005 The Axe Yes Yes No Le Couperet
2006 The Colonel No Yes Yes Mon colonel
2009 Eden Is West Yes Yes Yes Eden à l'ouest
2012 Capital Yes Yes No Le Capital
2019 Adults in the Room Yes Yes No Ενήλικοι στην Αίθουσα

References

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  1. ^"COSTA-GAVRAS | maquette-kg-nov2014".Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2020.Retrieved30 September2019.
  2. ^"Biographie et Filmographie de COSTA-GAVRAS - Ciné Passion".Cinemapassion.com. Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2011.Retrieved28 October2011.
  3. ^"5th Moscow International Film Festival (1967)".MIFF.Archived fromthe originalon 16 January 2013.Retrieved15 December2012.
  4. ^"The 42nd Academy Awards (1970) Nominees and Winners".oscars.org.Retrieved16 November2011.
  5. ^"Berlinale: 1990 Prize Winners".berlinale.de.Retrieved20 March2011.
  6. ^"Berlinale: 1993 Programme".berlinale.de.Retrieved5 June2011.
  7. ^Ed Rampell (29 August 2013)."Costa-Gavras".The Progressive Magazine.The Progressive Inc.Retrieved5 March2023.Q: "Who are some of your biggest cinematic influences?" Costa-Gavras: "The first movie I saw at the Cinematheque was [Erich von Stroheim's] Greed, and I was astonished to see you could do long movies with no happy ending. Kurosawa, no doubt, was a big influence. Movies sometimes more than directors have influenced me: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Ford, was an extraordinary discovery. Sergei Eisenstein, of course. Later on, [Ingmar] Bergman."
  8. ^abJohn J. Michalczyk (1984).Costa-Gavras, the Political Fiction Film.Art Alliance Press. p. 33.ISBN9780879820299.In light of his international fame stemming from Z, Costa-Gavras was questioned as to which of the directors for whom he worked as assistant had the most influence on him. He replied: For me it was surely René Clément and Jacques Demy.
  9. ^LaCinetek (16 January 2019)."Costa-Gavras à propos de" La Bataille d'Alger "de Gillo Pontecorvo".YouTube.LaCinetek.Retrieved11 April2023.
  10. ^Wade Major (Fall 2009)."World Class".DGA.Directors Guild of America.Retrieved15 October2021.
  11. ^European Film Academy (26 September 2019)."Costa-Gavras - Honorary Award of the EFA President and Board".YouTube.Retrieved9 April2023.
  12. ^Major, Wade (Fall 2009)."World Class".DGA.Directors Guild of America.Retrieved15 October2021.
  13. ^"William Friedkin's Favorite Films of all Time".YouTube.Fade In Magazine. 12 June 2013.Archivedfrom the original on 12 December 2021.Retrieved29 June2021.
  14. ^Steven Soderbergh (2002)."Ed Kelleher/1998".In Kaufman, Anthony (ed.).Steven Soderbergh - Interviews.University Press of Mississippi. p. 107.ISBN9781578064298.Retrieved12 July2021.
  15. ^Kaufman, Anthony, ed. (2015).Steven Soderbergh - Interviews, Revised and Updated.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN9781626745407.Retrieved12 July2021.
  16. ^Palmer, R. Barton; Sanders, Steven M., eds. (28 January 2011).The Philosophy of Steven Soderbergh.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN9780813139890.Retrieved12 July2021.Soderbergh called Traffic his "$47 million Dogme film" and used hand-held camera, available light, and (ostensibly) improvistational performance in an attempt to present a realistic story about illegal drugs. He prepared by analyzing two political films made in a realist style:Battle of Algiers(Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966) andZ(Constantin Costa-Gavras, 1969), both of which he described as having "that great feeling of things that are caught, instead of staged, which is what we were after."
  17. ^Mark Gallagher (4 April 2013)."Hollywood Authorship and Transhistorical Taste Cultures".Another Steven Soderbergh Experience - Authorship and Contemporary Hollywood.University of Texas Press. p. 55.ISBN9780292748811.Retrieved12 July2021.
  18. ^Will Higbee (2006).Mathieu Kassovitz.Manchester University Press. p. 11.ISBN9780719071461.One final and important influence from 1970s French Cinema is Costa-Gavras. A regular visitor to the apartment block where Kassovitz grew up – his son lived in the same building – Costa-Gavras was another of the filmmakers Kassovitz discovered through his parents: 'Môme, mon père m'a montré ses films et ce que j'ai fait a été influencé par des films comme Z ou L'Aveu. Des films forts, profonds, où l'on touch à des sujets importants, primordiaux' (Kassovitz 1998).
  19. ^Michael Gott; Leslie Kealhofer-Kemp (21 September 2020).ReFocus: The Films of Rachid Bouchareb.Edinburgh University Press. p. 107.ISBN9781474466530.When Bouchareb was asked specifically about the titles that influenced his controversial film Outside the Law (2010), he said: "It was a mix. A lot of political movies like Z by Costa-Gavras and Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers."
  20. ^Jennifer Vineyard (10 October 2012)."Ben Affleck on Why He Got to Look Hot in Argo".Vulture.Vox Media, LLC.Retrieved11 April2023.Affleck: "I haven't done a movie that I haven't ripped off from another one! [Laughs.] This movie, we ripped off All the President's Men, for the CIA stuff, a John Cassavetes movie called The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, which we really used as a reference for the California stuff, and then there was kind of a Battle of Algiers, Z/Missing/Costa-Gavras soup of movies, that we used for the rest of it."
  21. ^Galuppo, Mia (13 January 2020)."Oscars: 'Parasite' Becomes Sixth Movie to Be Nominated for Both Best Picture, International Feature".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved21 September2020.
  22. ^White, Armond (10 December 2009)."Z and the New York Film Critics Circle".The Criterion Collection.Retrieved21 September2020.
  23. ^Crousse, Nicolas (10 January 2013)."Les Magritte fêteront Yolande Moreau et Costa-Gavras".Le Soir(in French).Retrieved10 January2013.
  24. ^"Costa-Gavras, primer cineasta que gana el Premio Internacional Catalunya".La Vanguardia(in Spanish). 5 July 2017.Retrieved2 October2020.
  25. ^"Costa Gavras".Biographicon.com. Archived fromthe originalon 19 January 2012.Retrieved22 February2013.
  26. ^"Le cinéma soutient Roman Polanski / Petition for Roman Polanski".Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques(in French). 28 September 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 4 June 2012.Retrieved29 August2021.
  27. ^"Polanski:" Y'a pas de viol ", dit Costa-Gavras".Europe 1(in French).Retrieved19 August2024.

Further reading

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  • Costa-Gavras (2018).Va où il est impossible d'aller: Mémoires(in French). Paris: Éditions du Seuil.ISBN978-2-02-139389-7.
  • Michalczyk, John J. (1984).Costa-Gavras: The Political Fiction Film.Philadelphia: Art Alliance Press.ISBN0-87982-029-2.
  • Riambau, Esteve (2003).De traidores y héroes: El cine de Costa-Gavras(in Spanish). Valladolid: 48 Semana Internacional de Cine.ISBN84-87737-49-8.
  • Rizza, Gabriele; Rossi, Giovanni Maria; Tassone, Aldo, eds. (2002).Il cinema di Costa-Gavras: Processo alla storia(in Italian). Firenze: Aida Edizioni.ISBN88-8329-097-6.
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