Zorba The Greek [1964]

Product Details

Director : Michael Cacoyannis
Actor : Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas
Format : Black & White, PAL
Aspect Ratio : 1.85:1
Binding : DVD
EAN : 5039036020268
Product Group : DVD
Region Code : 2
Release Date : 2005-05-09
Running Time : 136minutes
Studio : 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

ASIN : B0007D5G5E

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Customer Reviews

A good film but certainly not a great one (2007-04-20)

Anthony Quinn bestrides this production like an unshaven wine-stained colossus, and whether you like the film depends to a large extent on whether you admire the outrageously extrovert and macho peasant character of Alexis Zorba - the Zorba the Greek of the title. In one of the defining roles of his career, Quinn plays the devil-may-care, close-to-nature character as if there were no tomorrow, and noisily dominates the whole film from start to finish. The main supporting role is played by Alan Bates as a largely tongue-tied and wholly ineffectual English writer, whose main purpose in the production, one suspects, is to provide a foil for Quinn's antics. Irene Papas at her most magnificently sombre plays a much lusted-after village widow, who eventually falls for the prim, introverted Bates (one of several unconvincing aspects of the proceedings, this) while Lila Kedrova plays an old French prostitute who has somehow washed up in the remote Cretan village in which the story is set (another unconvincing aspect, but never mind). In the midst of all the "happy Greek peasant with a heart of gold" versus "feeble upper class English author" routine, there occur two savage and sickening acts of criminality - the stoning and knifing to death of the widow, and the mass pillaging of the house of the French prostitute immediately following her death. Both of these are filmed with great intensity, and prompt the bizarre thought that this might have been a far better and more penetrating film if the director had somehow been able to dump the Zorba character altogether. Both incidents are portrayed in great detail and are then inexplicably dropped without further comment. The perpetrators go unpunished, no judgement is passed by the director, and one is left troubled by nagging questions of morality.Throughout, the photography is quite magnificent, and reminds us that in the hands of a master (in this case Walter Lassally), black-and-white can be every bit as impressive as colour. The 16:9 aspect ratio works well, providing a sharp and accurate image on a widescreen television.All in all a good film (though not a great one). But if you don't like the prospect of Anthony Quinn in overblown Aegean peasant mode, avoid it like the plague.

A man needs a little madness, or else... he never dares cut the rope and be free (2006-08-14)

"Zorba the Greek" is one of those magical, bittersweet movies that reminds you what living should really be about. Not existing, but LIVING. Anthony Quinn created a vibrant, lovable personality that leaps off the screen in every scene, and he rules the movie as its trickster god. Though "Zorba" reminds viewers that life can be unfair and bitter, it can also be full of joy, love, fun and simple pleasures. It's hard not to have some happy tears when this film finally ends. Stuffy, prissy, uptight Basil (Alan Bates) is journeying to Crete to take care of his inheritance, some land and mines. On the way, he meets the scruffy, earthy Alexis Zorba (Anthony Quinn), who volunteers to be Basil's all-round sidekick ("I like you... take me with you!"). Basil can't exactly say no, especially since he is as different as can be from the native Cretans. In fact, he sticks out like a sore thumb all the time. But Zorba has more than music and soup to offer. His gusto for life is all about women, wine and general joie de vivre, but he also hides secret pains in his past. And he introduces Basil to a beautiful, tragic young widow, an aging prostitute with a sad past, and the beauties of Crete itself. With Zorba to guide him, Basil finds out how to really live. The setting is the stark, primal beauty of Crete -- lots of dusty, stony roads, mountains full of gnarly trees and cruelly beautiful landscapes. It's reflected in the heartless behavior that small communities sometimes have (such as the poor widow), but it's also a backdrop against which the simple pleasures of life (through Zorba) can shine the brightest. Director/writer Michael Cacoyannis got two Oscar nominations for this movie, and it's not hard to see why. He made the dialogue quirky in a realistic way ("What kind of man are you? Don't you even like DOLPHINS?"), and let the story unfold in a natural, sometimes bittersweet way. The only problem is the way in which all the main women in the story end up. Zorba is one of those really magical movie characters -- he laughs, drinks, weeps, dances, and worries about his crazy brain. He's an impish figure like a trickster god with no real harm in him. Even a collapsing mine shaft can't keep him down -- he just walks out and curses the mountain ("I'll eat your guts!"). Alan Bates is the ideal counterpart, as a repressed, bookish little Englishmen who starts to realize that propriety is overrated. "Life is trouble. Only death is not," sums up "Zorba the Greek," an enchanting look at how to enjoy your life. It's a memorable, lovable little movie, and a deserving classic.

One of the best films ever (2006-04-07)

Quite simply one of the best films ever made, Antony Quinn is superb as Zorba and the rest of the cast too are excellent. DVD also has a biogrphy on Quinn and a two hour audio by the director on the making of the film.

Polar opposites, and a great film... (2006-02-23)

Basil (Alan Bates), a somewhat boring Englishman that also happens to be a writer, goes to Crete in order to take charge of small inheritance. In his journey to that island he meets Zorba (Anthony Quinn), a Greek that is his polar opposite. Zorba is temperamental, and acts before thinking, enjoying life at it fullest with no regard for the consequences.

Circumstances, and Zorba´s wish to earn some money, join this two men. Their interaction is something to be enjoyed as we watch “Zorba the Greek” (1964) once and again. Of course, the scenery is beautiful, and the music outstanding, but the real magic of this film is that it shows you what really good actors can do with a great script, and a director that knows what he is doing.

This film has hilarious scenes, but also others so dramatic that you will literally feel the pain of the characters. And of course, the ending is nothing less than perfect.

On the whole, I believe that this film is an excellent example of a true classic. Enjoy it.

Belen Alcat

A masterpiece (2005-06-05)

This film is my all time favourite. A true classic. I am a great lover of Greece and all things Greek and this film captures the essence of the Greek people. It makes me laugh and cry. It is a beautifully written story of happiness and tragedy. Anthony Quinn is marvellous and Alan Bates is on top form. It is a must for any collector of true classics.

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