Zorba the Greek (1964)
December 14, 1964Release Date
Zorba the Greek (1964)
December 14, 1964Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently Zorba the Greek is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Apple TV, Vudu, Microsoft Store, AMC on Demand, DIRECTV
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
This Movie Is About.
Media.
Details.
Release DateDecember 14, 1964
Original NameΑλέξης Ζορμπάς
StatusReleased
Running Time2h 22m
Content RatingNR
Budget$783,000
Box Office$9,000,000
Filming LocationsGreece
Genres
Wiki.
Zorba the Greek (Greek: Αλέξης Ζορμπάς, Alexis Zorbas) is a 1964 drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by Greek Cypriot filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis. It stars Anthony Quinn as Zorba, an earthy and boisterous Cretan peasant, and Alan Bates as the buttoned-up young intellectual he befriends. The cast also includes Lila Kedrova, Irene Papas, and Sotiris Moustakas. The musical score was composed by Mikis Theodorakis. The film is based on the 1946 novel The Life And Times Of Alexis Zorba by Nikos Kazantzakis. Though the film has elements of comedy, and Kazatzakis's anti-hero Zorba has been generally understood as a 'life-affirming' personality (faithfully reproduced in Cacoyannis's screenplay). It features a gruesome femicide, and Zorba's cynical, egotistical and manipulative personality combined with his determined optimism is explicitly shown to be a response to, and in defiance of, the cruelties and vicissitudes of life.
Produced in Greece for under $1 million, Zorba was a considerable critical and commercial success, grossing over nine times its production budget at the U.S. box office alone. At the 37th Academy Awards, the film won awards for Best Supporting Actress (Kedrova), Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. Other nominations included Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Anthony Quinn, whose performance has been cited as one of the most iconic in film history, and which spawned the folk dance known as the sirtaki. The film and its source novel were later adapted into a Tony-winning stage musical, in which Cacoyannis, Quinn, and Kedrova all participated.