Film & History Interview

FILM & HISTORY INTERVIEW ThIo anJU.de maJÜn> the {¡lut o{ a òenleò o{ Intenvlewi with leading {Ummakeu, cnJctia, and hl&tonlanò that will appean, In Film S Hton.y In coming l&òueé. The edi¿onj> wl&h to thank the pn,oducenj> o{ the awa/td-wlnning 5Ut State newt, and public asaltó ¿how on WWET-Tl/ In Mew Sank {on. penma>ò from United States which helps the police in each country to fight revolutionaries and all - sometimes democratic movements like in Brazil, for example. So we more criticize than politicize. Interviewer: Now what was your purpose in making this film? Costa-Gavras : I think first - to try to show the legal violence, because around the world there is, in each country, violence. And generally there is legal violence which sometimes It, wonAe than the illegal violence. And, also we try to make people think why there is illegal violence. What are the reasons because all of us, we condemn the illegal. The revolutionary or the illegal violence. And I think people never think why it happens. We try to see why it happens. What problem? Why those peoples are violent? Why those young people which are coming from universities and schools, they are teachers, lawyers - so it's not just gangsters. Interviewer: What do you mean? Costa-Gavras: They try to change things. I think last century when the - the young Americans and sometimes the old Americans make revolution against English they - they were right. They were right because they tried to liberate the country from foreign people, from strangers. So, sometimes in Latin America same thing happens. Interviewer: But you have said that you thought the young people in Uruguay were not right. Costa-Gavras: No, I think when the American last century were right, I think they are right. I think. I don't think they make revolution for nothing, because they are crazy. There is some reason. I'm not for the violence. I'm not for killing people. I'm not for it. But I think it is necessary to - to make an examination to see why that kind of thing happens. Interviewer: Well - well, people who have criticized "Z" and who are criticizing this even before they have seen it, say that you make political films. And I have read that you say that you make films about politics. 12 Costa-Gavras: Yes. Interviewer: Now would you explain what you mean by that? 'Costa-Gavras: I think when I made "Z" in my feeling I made a political action against the Greek militarists. So people saw "Z", understood the problem and they took a political position against the military. So I think the movie became political because people think politically with the movie. So, I think with "Confession" was the same thing. And now I can see that with "State of Seige", it is happening the same thing. I think people see the movie in a political way, with a political meaning . Interviewer: So in "Z", you are saying that you did set out to - to expose or embarrass the Greek colonels. Costa-Gavras: No, I am Greek. I thought that I had to make something an action against the Greek colonels. Some people make bombs. I'm against bombs because they kill people. I prefer to make movies. So I made "Z" against them. Just to show how things are in Greece. Interviewer: So it was a political film. Costa-Gavras: It became a political film because it makes people thinking politically. Interviewer: But when you said, when you were quoted as saying that instead of making political films, you made films about politics. I took that to mean you were in a more journalistic vein. Reporting what - political realities are and letting people see what they don't see through other media. Costa-Gavras: I think every movie is political. I think when you made a stupid movie which - says nothing it is a political movie also because it does not make people think. When we saw the movies with - with American Indians, and all of us we are in agreement that - the American Indians have to be killed - have to be exterminated - you know...