État de siège

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

6.5K

YOUR RATING

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Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

Using the interrogation of a US counterinsurgency agent as a backdrop, the film explores the consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerrillas.Using the interrogation of a US counterinsurgency agent as a backdrop, the film explores the consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerrillas.Using the interrogation of a US counterinsurgency agent as a backdrop, the film explores the consequences of the struggle between Uruguay's government and the leftist Tupamaro guerrillas.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

6.5K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 2 wins & 5 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:10

Bande-annonce [OV]

Photos84

+ 77

User reviews33

7.76.4K

Featured reviews

9jlr00721

An under exposed classic; better than 'Z'

What is most significant about this movie is how few have seen it. Only 66 people have voted on it here whereas over 700 have voted on Z, its counterpart and also a fine movie. 'State of Siege' follows the realities and deceptions concerning the CIA involvement in South America. The movie is uplifting and depressing, humorous and appalling. Viewers are forced to meander through contrasting elements deeply personal and highly political. I saw the film once when it was first released and have not been able to find it since, yet I remember virtually every scene. It would be wonderful to restore it to full circulation.

9wombat-56

A great film!

I agree that this film should be released on DVD. It is a great companion piece to Z and Missing.

Costa-Gavros managed to produce a stinging indictment of US involvement in South American politics, without drawing his villains as caricatures. His characters, policemen and revolutionaries, come off as profoundly human, flawed but not themselves monsters, though they are involved in monstrous acts. The torture scenes are grueling, and were probably as responsible for the film's official reception.

I saw this at the age of 15, when it was in the theaters. I confused it with the Eric Ambler novel of the same name. It had a profound personal influence on me. I was able to rent it once, about 15 years ago but haven't run across it since.

9cineman2

A film of historical importance

State of Siege shows how the U.S. aided and abetted right-wing dictatorships in Latin America during the Cold War. Yves Montand plays an American sent by our government to teach torture techniques to police in Uruguay. He is kidnapped by Tupamaro guerillas, interrogated and presented with proof of his activities. We witness how the military, the diplomats, and the press deal with the crisis. State of Siege generates a great deal of tension and suspense, even though we know the outcome. Director Costa-Gavras tends to romanticize the Left, but what is presented here is now widely acknowledged as fact. State of Siege is a film of historical importance that deserves your attention.

10jlibby711

When will this film be released on DVD?

"State of Siege" is a terrific movie with the same look and feel as Costa-Gavras's other classic of the period, "Z." Set in Uruguay, "State of Siege" was actually filmed in Chile during the Allende presidency, and was ironically released shortly before the coup that overthrow Allende (the subject, of course, of "Missing," another Costa-Gavras film).

"Z" was released on DVD last year in a newly restored version with excellent additional materials (modern interviews of Costa Gavras and Jorge Semprun, who wrote the screenplay, as well as interviews with the actors). My question is, when will "State of Siege" receive the same treatment? It is not available for sale in the US in any form, and is almost impossible to find as a rental. Now that "Z" is available in such an excellent edition, its about time "State of Siege" was too.

8odisseyman

historic

this movie lacks a bit of focus , but the photography , the music , the concise dialogues make it quite an experience , maybe the only thing that does not convince me is the fact that we see a French -speaking latin-american country , anyway anyone who wishes to know about what happened in almost all south america , will find a great movie. I would like to point the fact that this movies was censored for being very radical due its left-wing tendencies .

Storyline

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Trivia
This was going to be the first movie shown in the new John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It was cancelled because the plot of the movie was judged to be inappropriate. This caused a big controversy. A Washington D.C. television station took advantage of the controversy by acquiring the broadcast rights to the film and showing it uncut after running a big advertising campaign calling it the "film banned from the Kennedy Center."

Goofs
The International Police Academy meeting, in the flashback, takes place in 1967. But mention is made that "Technological advances have put man on the moon," which would not occur until 1969.

Quotes
Woman Senator: The frequent use of torture's intruments has been proved by the investigating comission. Remember, that this comission is composed by members of all parties present in the parliament. Your conclusions, voted by uninamity, are those. First: it has been proved that torture has become a frequent and habitual system in our country. Second: those tortures are practiced against people who even being innocent, are not submitted to a legal questioning, and against people who, submitted to a legal questioning, would have been declared innocent. Third: the main victims of those methods are the students and the union leaders. Fourth: the explanations from competent authorities, which deny the existence of those methods or declare not even knowing about them, are unacceptable, because to accept them it would mean to admit the existence of paralel organizations, autonomous and uncontrolable inside our police system. That's it, Mr. President. Gentlemen, this is what's happening in our country. All of that occurs daily in our country. All of that must end in our country. Government lords, I don't know if you were aware or not about all that. Anyway, however, you no longer have the right to govern our country.

Connections
Featured in La solitude du chanteur de fond (1974)

Soundtracks
Fantasia in G minor, BWV 542 ('Great')
(uncredited)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Played by the organ at the end of the funeral near the end of the movie.