256:, the very secret police force that is carrying out the surveillance. One day, Artur is arrested and jailed by an organization that declares itself "above the ruling party", and put in solitary confinement for months without being told the reason why. His wife Lise and their children are kept in the dark by the government and told to cooperate for their own good; Lise is later removed from her job as a prominent radio news announcer and forced to work in a factory by the party. Though she believes in her husband, she is equally certain in the wisdom and ultimate goodness of the party.
276:
latter. When their interrogators do not return to them, the prisoners panic and threaten to appeal, but are told by their court-appointed lawyers that the sentences are only for the party's benefit and will not be enforced if they do not appeal. The convicted men appear in court one final time to accept their sentences and waive their right to appeal.
283:
between 1956 and 1963. However, the rest are executed and cremated, with their ashes scattered along a road. At the same time, a number of the officials behind the ordeal end up facing their own persecutions, including
Kohoutek, Artur's own interrogator. Artur later encounters the demoted Kohoutek,
275:
At the trial, Artur and his colleagues faithfully play their parts. Lise, to her shame, is forced to make a recorded statement disavowing her husband and praising the party which airs during the trial. The prisoners are variously sentenced to either death or life imprisonment, with Artur given the
267:
and being forced to walk back and forth all the time, Artur is slowly pressured into confessing imaginary crimes, including treason, and baited with the prospect of leniency at sentencing if he cooperates. He also learns that his friends have been arrested as well and are implicating him in crimes
565:
that the film is a "thoughtful, intelligent demonstration of how strong, idealistic men of character are turned into pawns of history". Although the film is "subdued, Costa-Gavras's work has tremendous zing, but it's not until the movie is almost over that it gains resonance."
299:
elements who had orchestrated the entire affair had been pushed out of power by the party, and Artur believed that the party now desired to expose the truth of what happened during those years as much as Artur himself did. Unfortunately, he arrives in Prague just as the
554:
and it couldn't be, because there is no justice to emerge at the end and no scoundrels to unmask." The director, he wrote, "has made a point of insisting that the movie is anti-Stalinist, not anti-Communist." London remained a communist at the time the film was made.
29:
580:(1988) wrote: "the screenplay's static and wordy nature is not sufficiently tempered by the direction or the playing. However, some of the interrogation scenes which lead to the false confession of the title cannot fail to have an impact."
272:", which will be broadcast live on radio and shown in cinemas. While his captors coach him to memorize prepared answers by rote, he is given robust meals, vitamin injections, and a sunlamp to improve his appearance after years of wasting.
546:(1969), but because the subject of this film "is much more complex, much more human, I find it vastly more interesting". It is "a harrowing film of intellectual and emotional anguish, dramatized by the breathless devices of melodrama."
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in 1951. He realizes he is being watched and followed, and meets to discuss this with a group of his friends who have also attained top government positions. They realize they are all being watched, even the chief of the
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In 1968, Artur completes his memoirs of his experiences in captivity and returns to
Czechoslovakia to have them published. By then, amidst the
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642:"Costa-Gavras Depicts a Believer's Betrayal by His Belief: Montand and Signoret Star in 'Confession' Other Movies Arrive on Local Screens"
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Yves
Montand lost more than 15 kilograms (33 lb) to play his role. Montand had been shaken by the
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against the state. Upon finally confessing to his alleged crimes, Artur is then groomed for a public "
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In France the movie contributed to the disillusion of French left intellectuals and artists with the
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Artur Ludvik, alias Gerard, is a loyal communist and hero of WWII who serves as the vice-minister of
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and later said of the film: "There was in what I inflicted upon myself something of an act of
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Which
Socialism, Whose DĂ©tente?: West European Communism and the Czechoslovak Crisis of 1968
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763:. Central European University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-615-5211-26-3, pp. 275–322 (
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Afterwards, Artur and some of his colleagues are gradually freed and
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who tries to downplay his role in Artur's torment by claiming he
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740:(First ed.). London: Bloomsbury. pp. 122–23.
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Liedermacher
Reinhard Mey - "Waldeck war Sehnsucht"
211:It is based on the true story of the Czechoslovak
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550:wrote in April 1971: "It is not a thriller like
602:. In Germany it inspired the singer-songwriter
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288:and never understood what the party wanted.
196:) is a 1970 French-Italian film directed by
610:(1972) of which he published with a Dutch (
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736:Bergan, Ronald; Karney, Robyn (1989) .
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223:. Gavras did not intend the film as an
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591:Awards as Best Foreign Language Film.
302:Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia
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808:The Confession: Enthralling Absurdity
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639:
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640:Canby, Vincent (December 10, 1970).
628:
700:, p. 63, 21 November 1991 No. 2217
669:Kael, Pauline (December 12, 1970).
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13:
1154:Drama films based on actual events
1144:Films about miscarriage of justice
750:(second ed.) in the United States.
536:in December 1970 did not consider
14:
1225:
1179:Films produced by Robert Dorfmann
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738:The Bloomsbury Foreign Film Guide
1159:Films based on non-fiction books
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748:Faber Companion to Foreign Films
671:"The Current Cinema: Stalinism"
583:The film was nominated for the
1184:Films scored by Giovanni Fusco
1139:Films about capital punishment
1129:Films directed by Costa Gavras
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753:
729:
710:Ebert, Roger (April 9, 1971).
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689:
1:
1149:Films about Soviet repression
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578:Bloomsbury Foreign Film Guide
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7:
1204:1970s French-language films
1189:Films set in Czechoslovakia
1174:Films critical of communism
227:film but as a plea against
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1057:Ă€ propos de Nice, la suite
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886:The Sleeping Car Murders
765:chapter 7 - paragraph 44
782:. Taz.de, 28 April 2008
744:Holt Foreign Film Guide
307:
238:
145:29 April 1970
677:. pp. 172, 175–77
596:French Communist Party
511:1956 events in Hungary
263:techniques, including
191:
982:The Little Apocalypse
219:, a defendant in the
817:Criterion Collection
746:(first ed.) and the
606:to compose his song
523:Reception and awards
286:only followed orders
1209:1970s Italian films
1164:Films set in Prague
1134:Italian drama films
1065:Lumière and Company
618:) version as well.
540:a better film than
483:François Marthouret
456:Jean-François Gobbi
1214:1970s French films
1169:French drama films
1083:Michèle Ray-Gavras
1030:Adults in the Room
646:The New York Times
533:The New York Times
461:Maurice Jacquemont
341:– the factory head
215:committed leftist
131:Paramount Pictures
1199:Films set in 1968
1194:Films set in 1951
1106:
1105:
446:Monique Chaumette
333:Gabriele Ferzetti
265:sleep deprivation
179:
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91:Gabriele Ferzetti
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1124:1970 drama films
1088:Alexandre Gavras
1049:Against Oblivion
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776:Jan Feddersen:
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926:Special Section
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383:– a policeman
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360:– a policeman
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354:– Josef Pavel
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811:an essay by
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731:
719:. Retrieved
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679:. Retrieved
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649:. Retrieved
645:
615:
611:
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604:Reinhard Mey
600:Soviet Union
593:
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574:Robyn Karney
568:
560:
557:Pauline Kael
551:
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493:Laszlo Szabo
488:Umberto Raho
478:Guy Mairesse
422:Thierry Bosc
398:Michel Robin
389:– the lawyer
364:Gilles Segal
315:Yves Montand
290:
278:
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261:brainwashing
258:
242:
217:Artur London
210:
202:Yves Montand
198:Costa-Gavras
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182:
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180:
161:Running time
138:Release date
83:Yves Montand
57:
54:Artur London
40:Costa-Gavras
1041:Short films
864:Filmography
716:Roger Ebert
697:Paris Match
608:In Tyrannis
548:Roger Ebert
464: [
451:Marc Eyraud
437: [
425: [
407: [
377: [
374:Jean Lescot
348: [
339:Jean Bouise
165:139 minutes
65:Produced by
36:Directed by
1119:1970 films
1113:Categories
934:Womanlight
622:References
505:Production
335:– Kohoutek
149:1970-04-29
56:(the book
46:Written by
16:1970 film
974:Music Box
559:wrote in
516:expiation
297:Stalinist
233:Stalinism
213:communist
200:starring
107:Edited by
990:Mad City
966:Betrayed
950:Hanna K.
616:Tyrannie
598:and the
304:begins.
259:Through
170:Language
117:Music by
79:Starring
1076:Related
1022:Capital
1006:The Axe
942:Missing
815:at the
576:in the
413:– Tonda
329:– Smola
147: (
1033:(2019)
1025:(2012)
1017:(2009)
1009:(2005)
1001:(2002)
993:(1997)
985:(1993)
977:(1989)
969:(1988)
961:(1986)
953:(1983)
945:(1982)
937:(1979)
929:(1975)
921:(1972)
913:(1970)
905:(1969)
897:(1967)
889:(1965)
869:Awards
721:May 8,
681:May 8,
651:May 8,
295:, the
193:L'aveu
188:French
174:French
58:L'aveu
998:Amen.
878:Films
589:BAFTA
468:]
441:]
429:]
411:]
381:]
352:]
270:trial
802:IMDb
723:2022
683:2022
653:2022
587:and
572:and
308:Cast
239:Plot
231:and
204:and
800:at
530:in
519:."
254:StB
247:of
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714:.
673:.
661:^
644:.
630:^
552:Z,
466:fr
439:fr
427:fr
409:fr
379:fr
350:fr
235:.
208:.
190::
902:Z
845:e
838:t
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725:.
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543:Z
186:(
151:)
60:)
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