The films of Costa-Gavras

Known for advancing the genre of political thriller, Costa-Gavras is a seminal figure in French and international cinema. But until now, the only major academic study of his oeuvre concluded with his 1982 English-language debut, Missing. Since that time, Costa-Gavras has directed ten films that expand on his socio-political themes, including Betrayed (1988), Mad City (1997) and Le Couperet (2005).This collection of original chapters by prominent scholars is the first book devoted to Costa-Gavras's complete films. Beginning with his earliest political thrillers, the book charts and re-examines his career from Un homme de trop (1967) to Le Capital (2012). New issues emerge that open up numerous approaches to Costa-Gavras's work, among them: contemporary analyses of adaptation, genre theory, identity politics and the nature of the political. Costa-Gavras re-contextualises history as individual human dramas and thereby involves his audience in past and contemporary trauma, from the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust, through mid-century international state terrorism and totalitarianism, to the current global financial crisis.Throughout a career spanning half a century, Costa-Gavras has remained one of cinema's most intriguing and enduring storytellers, theorists and political commentators. Scholars, students and cinephiles will find this volume provides a fascinating overview of his unique body of work.