Zorba the Greek (1964)

Written and directed by Michael Cacoyannis, "Zorba the Greek" stars the inimitable Anthony Quinn in one of his most memorable performances.

Alexis Zorba is basically a ne'er-do-well -- a Greek who lives life one day at a time.

He comes upon Alan Bates "Basil", a young Englishman of Greek extraction, as he's waiting in the rain for his ship to embark to Crete, where his inherited mine awaits.

Zorba immediately engages the prim young man in conversation and finds out all about him. Zorba applies to be his cook on the island, just like that. Alan Bates, obviously uncomfortable but not knowing how to shake off this fellow, reluctantly agrees.

Once on Crete, they move into Madame Hortense's. Madame Hortense (Lila Kedrova) is an aging prostitute with sad, colorful stories about her past. Zorba immediately begins wooing Madame Hortense and encourages Basil to put the make on a young widow in town (Irene Papas). Both ultimately do, but with unexpected results. After Bates' one fling with Papas, a young man, the village idiot, commits suicide. The townsfolk kill Papas in retaliation in a bizarre tribal scene. Madame Hortense also grows ill and dies, despite Zorba's ministrations. The final straw is when Zorba's plan for transporting lumber to the old mine goes bust.

Basil is ruined and Zorba decides to dance. Joining Zorba on the beach, Basil asks him to show him how to dance. Delightedly, Zorba obliges. Interestingly, Quinn had a broken foot when this sequence was filmed, however, what you see on the film still qualifies as great dancing in my view.

Tremendous black and white cinematography and sparkling Greek mandolin music brings Quinn's lively performance to perfection. Tremendous moments of tragedy and comedy played with skill make this movie a must see for all movie lovers.

Zorba won three academy awards, Lila Kedrova for Best Supporting Actress, Best Art/Set Direction, and Best Cinematography.

See this film, boss!






Recommended: Yes