Throughout most of his career, Greek-born director Costa-Gavras has set his sights on political themes. With the Academy Award-winning Z (1969), he attacked the right-wing military junta that seized power in his native country; with The Confession / L’Aveu (1970), he attacked the totalitarian ways of the Communist regime of Czechoslovakia; and with State of Siege / État de siège, he attacked the right-wing military dictatorships that, with the active assistance of the United States government, popped up throughout much of South America in the 1960s and 1970s. Based on the real story of Daniel Mitrone, an American with ties to the Agency for International Development (in the film, a front for the CIA) and who was kidnapped by left-wing radicals in Uruguay, État de siège portrays a frightening world of ruthless, dogmatic fanatics from both sides of the political fence. Yves Montand stars as the suave but cold-blooded American coup-meister.
Best Film
Badlands – dir. & Scr.: Terrence Malick
Bread and Chocolate / Pane e cioccolata – Dir.: Franco Brusati; Scr.: Iaia Fiestri, Franco Brusati & Nino Manfredi
Don’t Look Now – Dir.: Nicholas Roeg; Allan Scott & Chris Bryant
Scenes from a Marriage / Scener ur ett äktenskap – dir. & Scr.: Ingmar Bergman
Sleeper – Dir.: Woody Allen; Scr.: Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman
State of Siege / État de siège – Dir.: Costa-Gavras; Scr.: Costa-Gavras & Franco Solinas
Best Actor
Woody Allen, Sleeper
Nino Manfredi, Bread and Chocolate
Steve McQueen, Papillon
Yves Montand, State of Siege
Jack Nicholson, The Last Detail
Al Pacino, Serpico
Martin Sheen, Badlands
Donald Sutherland, Don’t Look Now
Best Actress
Julie Christie, Don’t Look Now
Katharine Hepburn, The Glass Menagerie
Sissy Spacek, Badlands
Elizabeth Taylor, Ash Wednesday
Liv Ullmann, Scenes from a Marriage
Monique van de Ven, Turkish Delight / Turks fruit
Joanne Woodward, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams
Best Supporting Actor
Randy Quaid, The Last Detail
Max von Sydow, The Exorcist
Best Supporting Actress
Bibi Andersson, Scenes from a Marriage
Valentina Cortese, Day for Night / La Nuit américaine
Hilary Mason, Don’t Look Now
Sylvia Sidney, Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams
Best Cinematography
Michael Chapman, The Last Detail
Jim Crabe, Save the Tiger
Norman Gerard, Mean Streets
Pierre-William Glenn, Day for Night
Claude Lelouch, Happy New Year / La Bonne année
René Mathelin, Le Magnifique
Brian Probyn, Tak Fujimoto & Stevan Larner, Badlands
Anthony Richmond, Don’t Look Now
Giuseppe Rotunno, Amarcord
Best Original Score
Georges Delerue, Day for Night
Pino Donnagio, Don’t Look Now
Manos Hadjidakis, The Pedestrian / Der Fußgänger
Marvin Hamlisch, The Way We Were
Nino Rota, Amarcord
Armando Trovajoli, The Sensuous Sicilian / Paolo il caldo
Rogier van Otterloo, Turkish Delight