MICHAEL CACOYANNIS
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB
Original title: Alexis Zorbas
USA/United Kingdom/Greece, 1964. Twentieth Century Fox. Screenplay by Mihalis Kakogiannis, based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. Cinematography by Walter Lassally. Produced by Mihalis Kakogiannis. Music by Mikis Theodorakis. Production Design by Vassilis Photopoulos. Costume Design by Anna Stavropoulou. Film Editing by Mihalis Kakogiannis. Academy Awards 1964. Golden Globe Awards 1964. National Board of Review Awards 1964.
After a young Englishman (Alan Bates) learns that he has a small inheritance on the Greek island of Crete, he travels there to see what life has in store for him. What he ends up encountering is the worldly, zesty Zorba (Anthony Quinn), who lives life to the fullest and has a credo for just about every situation. Bates’s world starts to change as he encounters the society in a tiny village that is so unlike his own more modern existence, an experience that grows negative when he gets involved with a local widow (Irene Papas). Beautiful photography of a very beautiful Greece highlights this exciting and fascinating story based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis (The Last Temptation of Christ).
