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State of Siege

Original title: État de siège
  • 1972
  • Not Rated
  • 2h
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
6.4K
YOUR RATING
State of Siege (1972)
Watch Bande-annonce [OV]
Play trailer2:10
1 Video
84 Photos
CrimeDramaMysteryThriller

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.

  • Director
    • Costa-Gavras
  • Writers
    • Franco Solinas
    • Costa-Gavras
  • Stars
    • Yves Montand
    • Renato Salvatori
    • O.E. Hasse
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    6.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Costa-Gavras
    • Writers
      • Franco Solinas
      • Costa-Gavras
    • Stars
      • Yves Montand
      • Renato Salvatori
      • O.E. Hasse
    • 33User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 2 wins & 5 nominations total

    Videos1

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 2:10
    Bande-annonce [OV]

    Photos84

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    Top cast54

    Edit
    Yves Montand
    Yves Montand
    • Philip Michael Santore
    Renato Salvatori
    Renato Salvatori
    • Captain Lopez
    O.E. Hasse
    O.E. Hasse
    • Carlos Ducas
    Jacques Weber
    Jacques Weber
    • Hugo
    Jean-Luc Bideau
    Jean-Luc Bideau
    • Este
    Maurice Teynac
    Maurice Teynac
    • Minister of Internal Security
    Yvette Etiévant
    Yvette Etiévant
    • Woman Senator
    Evangeline Peterson
    • Mrs. Santore
    Harald Wolff
    Harald Wolff
    • Minister of Foreign Affairs
    Nemesio Antúnez
    • President of the Republic
    Mario Montilles
    • Assistant Commissioner Fontant
    André Falcon
    • Deputy Fabbri
    Jerry Brouer
    • Anthony Lee
    Roberto Navarrete
    • Commissioner Romero
    Douglas Harris
    Douglas Harris
    • A.I.D. Director
    Gilbert Brandini
    • Journalist
    Eugenio Guzmán
    • Spokesman of Uruguayan Government
    Jean-François Gobbi
    • Journalist
    • Director
      • Costa-Gavras
    • Writers
      • Franco Solinas
      • Costa-Gavras
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews33

    7.76.4K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    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.
    8jbgeorges

    Striking testimony

    Both political act and historical testimony, this magnificent film by Costa Gavras must be shown to the younger generations and even be part of history lessons! It is a real immersion in the fight between the far left activists of Tupamaros in Montevideo in the 1970s against an authoritarian and repressive state apparatus. Above all, it describes in detail the parallel structures set up by the American services under the disguise of assistance and without any legality, like death squadrons as they will be called in other Latin American countries. The methods are shown in all their brutality: violence, torture and arbitrary assassinations. The film's script is based on actual events, only the names have been changed. Yves Montand's performance is all the more impressive when you consider his political commitment against fascism and arbitrariness. Other excellent cast include Jacques Weber, Renato Salvatori and Jean-Luc Bideau.
    searchanddestroy-1

    A so recognizable film of Costa Gavras...

    Yes, a Costa Gavras movie is always recognizable, as a Yves Boisset one, the ONLY two French directors who dared speaking of political actual facts which other directors were afraid to talk about. In France, it's not like in America, where film makers are free to speak of everything, see for instance ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN or EXECUTIVE ACTION, speaking of Watergate file or JFK assassination...In France, if you except Yves Boisset or Costa Gavras, no one, even today, would dare to speak of this. OK, I admit that Costa Gavras, in this film, doesn't talk of French events, nor as he did for Z, but when he made UN HOMME DE TROP or SECTION SPECIALE, that was directly related to French history. The Costa Gavras scheme is here the same as in Z. He uses an event to emphasize the political dimension just afterwards. Even in using a thriller topic, see Z for instance...I would have loved seeing Costa Gavras directing a film about war in Algeria and OAS organization. I don't think he did. I won't repeat what the other users told about this one, but I repeat, you deal here with a typical Costa Gavras' feature, which I could tell the director's name without seeing the opening credits.
    10claudio_carvalho

    A Testimony of the History of Latin America in the 70's

    In the early 70's, in Uruguay, the revolutionary group Tupamaro kidnaps an American trainer of torture and the Brazilian consul, and through the interrogation of the abducted American, the big picture of Uruguay (and other Latin America countries) is reported.

    "État de Siege" is a testimony of the history of Latin America in the 70's, during my childhood and adolescence. All the democratic governments elected by people were discharged through coup d'état by military dictatorships supported by the American government, the police and military forces trained in tortures by American advisors, student and union leaderships destroyed and revolutionary groups unsuccessfully fighting against the dictatorial regime. The fantastic director Costa Gravas exposes this serious wound in Latin America and this denunciation shall never be forgotten by the next generations. This movie remains amazingly real and important, sometimes recalling a documentary. Only this month this film was released on DVD in Brazil, and it is a worthwhile investment. My vote is ten.

    Title (Brazil): 'Estado de Sítio" ("State of Siege")
    8esteban1747

    How Dan Mitrione was killed

    This is not a fiction film. In fact, it reveals the way the guerrilla movement Tupamaros acted in Uruguay during the 70s. For those young people, it is necessary to remind that this left-wing movement was not a guerrilla in the mountains but an urban one, operating mainly in Montevideo. They used to kill esbirros (nasty policemen and agents) and to make justice against the existing dictatorship whenever it was required. The movement operated in a secret and compartmented way, i.e. many of the members did not know each other, thus avoiding to be eliminated by denunciation. Costa Gavras was able to draw the way Tupamaros acted in Uruguay, and also an important happening of those days, the way the CIA agent Mr. Dan Mitrione (Yves Montand) was killed. In fact this movement was disarticulated once new police agents infiltrated in the movement, and the main leaders were discovered. Mitrione was killed but this did not prevent that another CIA "pinch-hitter" for Mitrione came later to replace the dead man. The film may seem as sympathetic to Tupamaros, partially it might be, but this is rather a subtle critic to their methods than congratulation for what they did.

    More like this

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    7.8
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    6.4
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.

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    FAQ17

    • How long is State of Siege?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 8, 1973 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Italy
      • West Germany
      • Chile
    • Languages
      • French
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Opsadno stanje
    • Filming locations
      • Cerro Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Región de Valparaíso, Chile
    • Production companies
      • Reggane Films
      • Euro International Films
      • Unidis
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,127,482
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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