The Confession (1970)

Despite the fact that Costa-Gavras now has four films in The Criterion Collection, I feel like he has become one of the forgotten auteurs. Though he's still making movies to this day, his name is not one that comes up often in conversation. Why not? His cinema is exciting, nuanced and has something to say. So what is not to like? Is it the fact that the political issues under examination in his films are considered to be the product of a bygone era? So are the politics of Godard! In fact the politics of Godard are even more obscure. A film like Made in U.S.A. is nearly impenetrable without at least a working knowledge of the long since forgotten Mehdi Ben Barka affair. Gavras does not require his audience to have intense knowledge of forgotten scandals in order to enjoy his work. The films give you everything that you need. Even Z, which was based on the 1963 assassination of the Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis, can be understood fully without that foreknowledge. In this way, Costa-Gavras is eternal. Hopefully the recent home video releases of The Confession and State of Siege will prompt a new generation to embrace this forgotten master.