L'aveu - The Confession (1970)

The 1970 film "L'aveu" (The Confession) is based on what became known as "Operation Salyut", which took place in Czechoslovakia in 1951. The incident took place after a group of politically dissident people were arrested by the Soviet regime, interrogated and finally confessed.

The film was shot by director Costa-Gavras and starred famous actors such as Yves Montand and Simone Signoret. By describing in detail the psychological pressure and torture experienced during interrogation, the film emphasizes the damage done to human rights by totalitarian regimes.

L'aveu" (The Confession) is based on the event called "Operation Salyut" that took place in Czechoslovakia in 1951. The film focuses on the arrest, interrogation, and eventual confession of politically dissident people by the Soviet regime.

The main character of the film is Artur London, a Czech national of French descent. Although Artur is a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he and his wife Lise are arrested for political reasons. Both are questioned and tortured. Artur confesses by admitting the false accusations during the interrogation.

Later, Artur learns that other detainees have similarly confessed under torture and realizes that the real accusations were fabricated to purge dissidents inside the Soviet Union. Although Artur wants to take back his confession, he is convicted because the confessions they gave under torture were used in the trial process.


The film explains in detail Artur's exposure to psychological pressure and torture during interrogation, emphasizing the damage done to human rights by totalitarian regimes. "L'aveu" is a film known for its critical approach and strong acting performances and has a prominent place among political thriller films.

We wanted to share some interesting information about the movie.

  • The movie "L'aveu" has an important place among the political thriller movies of director Costa-Gavras. Costa-Gavras often focuses on political oppression, human rights and the harms of totalitarian regimes in his films.
  • The movie "L'aveu" is based on a true event and is based on the autobiographical book of the same name by the novelist Artur London.
  • The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Best Director award.
  • Director Costa-Gavras chose his wife, Michele Ray-Gavras, for the role of Lise London.
  • The torture scenes used in the movie are shown realistically. Because of this, some critics found the film disturbing for viewers.
  • In the final scene of the movie "L'aveu", Artur is recruited to fight for the real criminals to be punished. This parallels Artur's advocacy for human rights as he does in his real life.
  • The film criticizes the purges of the Stalin era in the Soviet Union and the targeting of dissidents. However, it is noted that Western countries are also involved in similar human rights violations.
  • The interrogation scenes in the film are important in that they show how people make confessions under political pressure and raise awareness about how psychological pressure techniques can be used.
Director : Costa Gavras
Writers : Lise London (book), Artur London (book), Jorge Semprún (adaptation)
Director of Photography : Raoul Coutard
Music : Giovanni Fusco
Production : 1970 - France / Italy - 139 m.
Genre : Drama / Thriller

CAST :
Yves Montand
Simone Signoret
Gabriele Ferzetti
Michel Vitold
Jean Bouise
László Szabó


Previous Post Next Post