Costa-Gavras: Encounters with History

By John J. Michalczyk and Susan A. Michalczyk

Book Overview

Costa-Gavras: Encounters with History explores the life and work of the director intertwined with historical and socio-political events, from the early stages of his career: emigrating to France from Greece in 1955 and first studying at the Sorbonne, then focusing on filmmaking at IDHEC, now La F mis. He became an internationally respected director, first with his Oscar-award winning film Z (1969) and continued with a vast array of films, including his most recent work, Adults in the Room (2019). His films portray the complexities of human nature, relationships challenged by historical and contemporary socio-political issues. In this overview of the director's films, the authors shed light on his encounters with history from his youth in war-torn Greece to his later films on immigration, unemployment, global capitalistic greed, and the abuse of political and economic power in Europe.


Costa-Gavras' films have spanned several decades and several continents, to combat unethical laws and injustice, oppression, legal/illegal violence, and torture. Throughout his evolution in the world of cinema for over half a century as director, writer, and producer, Costa-Gavras has told human-interest stories that entertain and inspire, and that help us better understand ourselves and a fragile, fragmented world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1501390929
• ISBN13: 9781501390920
• Release Date: February 2024
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"