Από το Z στο ...V: η ελληνική ιστορία στον κινηματογράφο του Κώστα Γαβρά

Abstract

The acceptance of political cinema by the system of the spectacle is a part of the progressive conquest of spectators by the so-called «cinema of meaning». In this new form of narration, with a strong political conscience, Costas-Gavras emerged as the main representative. Our study deals with the «Greek» films of the author and their relationship with History. Both Z (1969) and Adults in the Room (2019) converse directly with modern Greek history, contributing to the cinematic reading of «Greek tragedy». The two Gavra’s films selected were those that in one way or another chose a «Greek-centered» theme, but raised questions with a global dynamic: the relationship between power and the State, the fascism’s danger, the issues of democracy and freedom. As Marc Ferro says, “History in cinema can function as the cinematic memory of a country”, as a cinematic «historiography» that tells a different - from the official - version of History that social subjects, depending on the aesthetic patterns and entertainment habits of each era, decode differently. And so, the two films are re-read differentlyy and allow the construction of a different perception of historical memory and ultimately different readings of history itself.