Zorba the Greek Wikipedia film page

Zorba the Greek (film)
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Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek poster.jpg
Original film poster

Directed by
Michael Cacoyannis
Produced by
Michael Cacoyannis
Screenplay by
Michael Cacoyannis
Based on
Zorba the Greek
 by Nikos Kazantzakis
Starring
Anthony Quinn
Alan Bates
Irene Papas
Lila Kedrova
Sotiris Moustakas
 Anna Kyriakou
Music by
Mikis Theodorakis
Cinematography
Walter Lassally
Editing by
Michael Cacoyannis
Distributed by
Twentieth Century-Fox
Release dates
December 17, 1964 (United States)

Running time
142 minutes
Country
United Kingdom
 Greece
Language
English
Greek
Budget
$783,000[1]
Box office
$9,000,000[2]
Zorba the Greek (Greek title: Αλέξης Ζορμπάς, Alexis Zorba(s))is a 1964 film based on the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. The film was directed by Cypriot Michael Cacoyannis and the title character was played by Anthony Quinn. The supporting cast includes Alan Bates, Lila Kedrova, Irene Papas, and Sotiris Moustakas.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Characters
3 Cast
4 Production
5 Reception
6 Cultural influence
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

Plot[edit]
Basil (Alan Bates) is a half-English, half-Greek writer who has been raised in Britain and bears all the hallmarks of an uptight, middle-class Englishman. He is waiting at a port in mainland Greece one day when he meets a gruff, yet enthusiastic peasant and musician named Zorba (Anthony Quinn). Basil explains to Zorba that he is traveling to a rural Cretan village where his father owns some land, with the intention of opening up a lignite mine and perhaps curing his writer's block. Zorba relates his experience with mining and convinces Basil to take him along.
When they arrive at Crete, they take a car to the village where they are greeted enthusiastically by the town's impoverished peasant community. They stay with an old, French war widow named Madame Hortense (Lila Kedrova) in her self-styled "Hotel Ritz". The ever audacious Zorba tries to persuade Basil into making a move on Madame Hortense, but when he is reluctant, Zorba instead seizes the opportunity, and they form a relationship.
Over the next few days, Basil and Zorba attempt to work the old lignite mine, but find it too unsafe and shut it down. Zorba then has an idea to use the forest opposite as a kind of logging area (although his actual plan is left ambiguous), however the land is owned by the powerful monastery of the village, so Zorba goes over there and befriends the monks by getting them drunk. Afterwards, he comes home to Basil and begins to dance in a way that mesmerizes Basil.
Meanwhile, Basil and Zorba get their first introduction to "the Widow" (Irene Papas), a young, widowed woman, who is incessantly teased by the townspeople for not remarrying, especially to a young, local boy who is madly in love with her, but whom she has spurned repeatedly. One rainy afternoon, Basil offers her his umbrella, which she reluctantly takes. Zorba suggests that she is attracted to him, but Basil, ever shy, denies this and refuses to pursue the widow.
Basil hands Zorba some money, as he sends him off to the nearby town of Chania, where Zorba is to buy cable and other supplies for the implementation of his grand plan. Zorba says goodbye to Basil and Madame Hortense, who is by now madly in love with him. While in Chania, Zorba entertains himself at a cabaret and strikes up a brief romance with a much younger dancer. In a letter to Basil, he details his exploits and indicates that he has found love. Angered by Zorba's apparent irresponsibility and the squandering of his money, Basil untruthfully tells Madame Hortense that Zorba has declared his love to her and intends to marry her upon his return – to which she is ecstatic to the point of tears. Meanwhile, the Widow returns Basil's umbrella by way of Mimithos (Sotiris Moustakas), the simple-minded village idiot.
When Zorba eventually returns with supplies and gifts, he is surprised and angered to hear about Basil's lie to Madame Hortense. He also asks Basil concerning his whereabouts the night before. That night, Basil had finally gone to the Widow's house, made love to her and spent the night. The brief encounter comes at great cost. A villager catches sight of them, and word spreads, until the young, local boy who is in love with the Widow is taunted mercilessly about it. The next morning, the villagers find his body by the sea, where he has drowned himself out of shame.
The boy's father holds a funeral which all the villagers attend. The widow attempts to come inconspicuously, but is blocked from entering the church. She is eventually trapped in the courtyard, where she is beaten and stoned by the villagers, who hold her responsible for the young boy's suicide. Basil, meek and fearful of intervening, tells Mimithos to quickly fetch Zorba. Zorba arrives just as a villager, a friend of the boy, tries to pull a knife and kill the widow. Zorba overpowers the much younger man and disarms him. Thinking that the situation is now under control, Zorba asks the Widow to follow him and turns his back. At that moment, the dead boy's father pulls his knife and cuts the widow's throat. She dies instantly, as the villagers shuffle away apathetically, whisking the father away. Only Basil, Zorba and Mimithos show any emotion at her murder. Basil proclaims his inability to intervene whereupon Zorba laments the futility of death.
On a rainy day, Basil and Zorba come home and find Madame Hortense waiting for them. She expresses anger at Zorba for making no progress on the wedding. Zorba conjures up a story that he has ordered a white satin wedding dress, lined with pearls and adorned with real gold. Madame Hortense pulls out two golden rings she had made and proposes their immediate engagement. Zorba tries to delay, but eventually agrees and goes along with gusto, to Basil's surprise.
A while later, Madame Hortense who apparently has contracted pneumonia, is seen on her deathbed. Zorba stays by her side, along with Basil. Meanwhile, word gets round that "the foreigner" is dying, and that since she has no heirs, the State will take all her possessions and money. The desperately poor villagers crowd around her hotel, impatiently waiting for her demise so they can steal her belongings. As two old ladies enter her room and gaze expectantly at her, other women try to enter, but Zorba manages to fight them off. In an instant of her death, the women re-enter Madame Hortense's bedroom en masse to steal her most valued possessions. Zorba leaves with a sigh, as the hotel is ransacked and stripped bare by the shrieking and excited villagers. When Zorba returns to Madame Hortense's bedroom, the entire room is stripped bare apart from her bed (where she lies) and the bird in her birdcage. Zorba takes the birdcage with him.
Finally, Zorba's elaborate contraption to transport timber down the hill is complete. A festive ceremony is held, and all the villagers have turned out to see it. After a blessing from the local priests, Zorba gives the signal to start by firing a rifle in the air. A log comes hurtling down the zip line at a worrying pace, destroying the log itself and slightly damaging part of the contraption. Zorba remains unconcerned and gives orders for a second log. This one also speeds down and shoots straight into the sea. By now the villagers and priests have become fearful and run for cover. Zorba remains unfazed and orders a third log, which accelerates down with such violence that it dislodges the entire contraption, destroying everything the men had worked for. The villagers flee, leaving only Basil and Zorba behind.
Basil and Zorba sit by the shore to eat a rack of lamb for lunch. Zorba pretends to tell the future from the lamb shank, saying that he foresees a great journey to a big city. He then asks Basil directly when he plans to leave, and Basil replies that he will leave in a few days. Zorba declares his sadness about Basil's now imminent return to England and tells Basil that he is missing madness. Basil asks Zorba to teach him how to dance. Zorba teaches him the sirtaki and Basil begins to laugh hysterically at the catastrophic contraption. The story ends with both men enthusiastically dancing the sirtaki on the beach.
Characters[edit]
Alexis Zorba (Αλέξης Ζορμπάς), a fictionalized version of the mine worker, George Zorbas (Γιώργης Ζορμπάς 1867–1942).[3]
Cast[edit]
Anthony Quinn as Alexis Zorba
Alan Bates as Basil
Irene Papas as Widow
Lila Kedrova as Madame Hortense
Sotiris Moustakas as Mimithos
Anna Kyriakou as Soul
Eleni Anousaki as Lola
Yorgo Voyagis as Pavlo (as George Voyadjis)
Takis Emmanuel as Manolakas
Giorgos Fountas as Mavrandoni (as George Foundas)
Pia Lindström as Peasant Girl (scenes deleted)
George P. Cosmatos as Acne Faced Boy
Production[edit]
Simone Signoret began filming the role of Madame Hortense; Lila Kedrova replaced her early in the production.[4]
The film was shot on location on the Greek island of Crete. Specific places featured include the town of Chania, the Apokoronas region and the Akrotiri peninsula. The famous scene in which Quinn's character dances the Sirtaki was shot on the beach of the village of Stavros.
Reception[edit]
The film was a commercial smash. Produced on a budget of only $783,000,[1] it grossed $9 million at the U.S. box office,[2] earning $4.4 million in U.S. theatrical rentals.[5] At the worldwide box office, the film earned $9.4 million in rentals.[1] It was the 19th highest grossing film of 1964.
The film won three Academy Awards.

Award.[6]
Result
Winner
Best Picture Nominated Mihalis Kakogiannis
Winner was Jack Warner – My Fair Lady
Best Director Nominated Mihalis Kakogiannis
Winner was George Cukor – My Fair Lady
Best Actor Nominated Anthony Quinn
Winner was Rex Harrison – My Fair Lady
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium Nominated Mihalis Kakogiannis
Winner was Edward Anhalt – Becket
Best Supporting Actress Won Lila Kedrova
Best Art Direction (Black-and-White) Won Vassilis Photopoulos
Best Cinematography (Black-and-White) Won Walter Lassally
The film has an 83% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[7] On both sides of the Atlantic, the film was applauded and Anthony Quinn came in for the best reviews. He was loved as Zorba, along with the other stars, including Greek born Irene Papas, who worked with Quinn on The Guns of Navarone.
Cultural influence[edit]
The dance at the end of the film, choreographed by Giorgos Provias, formerly known as "Zorba's dance" and later called Sirtaki, has become a popular cliché of Greek dance.
Zorba the Greek was adapted into a 1968 Broadway musical named Zorba. The play starred Herschel Bernardi: then, the show returned in 1983, with Anthony Quinn and Lila Kedrova reprising the film roles they did. It opened to big box office and good reviews, plus 362 performances, more than the original show.
The film's music by Mikis Theodorakis, especially the main song, Zorbas, is well known in popular culture. For example, the song has been used at Yankee Stadium for years to incite crowd participation during a potential rally by the home team.[citation needed] A remake of Zorbas by John Murphy and David Hughes was used during the climax shootout-scene in the 1998 Guy Richie film, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.[8]
A short film made in Scotland in 1999, Billy and Zorba, is about a man who believes he is Zorba the Greek.
The film has also been referenced in two of actress Nia Vardalos' films. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the family-owned restaurant her character works at is called Dancing Zorba's; this is also seen in the short-lived 2003 show My Big Fat Greek Life. In My Life In Ruins, Vardalos' character Georgia expresses contempt for the film because of the Greek's love of dancing and Anthony Quinn.
A web browser flash game akin to Dance Dance Revolution was created by Pippin Barr, wherein the player competes with Zorba by taking turns performing Zorba's dance, trying to out-dance each other.[9]
See also[edit]
Zorbas, the theme song of the film by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Box Office Information for Zorba the Greek. IMDb. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Box Office Information for Zorba the Greek. The Numbers. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
3.Jump up ^ Thomas R. Lindlof, Hollywood under siege
4.Jump up ^ Osborne, Robert (1994). 65 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. London: Abbeville Press. p. 180. ISBN 1-55859-715-8.
5.Jump up ^ Solomon, Aubrey. Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series). Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 1989. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. p. 229. See also "Big Rental Pictures of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p. 6
6.Jump up ^ "NY Times: Zorba the Greek". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
7.Jump up ^ http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/zorba_the_greek/
8.Jump up ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6-NHK-GzwU
9.Jump up ^ http://www.pippinbarr.com/games/zorba/Zorba.html
External links[edit]
Zorba the Greek at the American Film Institute Catalog
Zorba the Greek at the Internet Movie Database
Zorba the Greek (film) at allmovie
Zorba the Greek (film) at the TCM Movie Database
Zorba the Greek at Rotten Tomatoes


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The films of Michael Cacoyannis


Windfall in Athens ·
 Stella ·
 A Girl in Black ·
 A Matter of Dignity ·
 Our Last Spring ·
 The Wastrel ·
 Electra ·
 Zorba the Greek ·
 The Day the Fish Came Out ·
 The Trojan Women ·
 Attilas '74 ·
 Iphigenia ·
 Sweet Country ·
 Up, Down and Sideways ·
 The Cherry Orchard
 

 


Categories: 1964 films
Black-and-white films
1964 in Greece
Films based on plays
Adaptations of works by Nikos Kazantzakis
British films
Greek films
British drama films
English-language films
Greek-language films
20th Century Fox films
Films based on novels
Films directed by Michael Cacoyannis
Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winning performance
Films set in Crete
Films set in Greece
Films shot in Greece
Films whose art director won the Best Art Direction Academy Award
Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award





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