Tagline: Life. Lust. Love. Zorba.
Zorba the Greek movie storyline. Basil is a British-Greek writer raised in Britain who bears the hallmarks of an uptight, middle-class Englishman. He is waiting at the Athens port of Piraeus on mainland Greece to catch a boat to Crete when he meets a gruff, yet enthusiastic Greek-Macedonian peasant and musician named Zorba. Basil explains to Zorba that he is traveling to a rural Cretan village where his father owns some land, with the intention of reopening a lignite mine and perhaps curing his writer’s block. Zorba relates his experience with mining and persuades 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 and courtesan named Madame Hortense in her self-styled “Hotel Ritz”. The audacious Zorba tries to persuade Basil into making a move on the much older Madame Hortense, but when he is understandably reluctant, Zorba 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 unsafe and shut it down. Zorba then has an idea to use the forest in the nearby mountains for logging, (his specific plan is left ambiguous, but it seems he thinks the timber can be used to shore up the tunnels). The land is owned by a powerful monastery, so Zorba visits and befriends the monks, 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”, a young and attractive 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, and sends him off to the large 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. 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, which makes her ecstatic to the point of tears. Meanwhile, the Widow returns Basil’s umbrella by way of Mimithos, the village idiot.
Zorba the Greek (Greek: Αλέξης Ζορμπάς, Alexis Zorba(s)) is a 1964 British-Greek comedy-drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by Cypriot Michael Cacoyannis and starring Anthony Quinn as the title character. Based on the 1946 novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis, the film’s cast includes Alan Bates, Lila Kedrova, Irene Papas, and Sotiris Moustakas.
Zorba the Greek (1964)
Directed by: Mihalis Kakogiannis
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas, Lila Kedrova, Giorgos Foundas, Sotiris Moustakas, Anna Kyriakou, Eleni Anousaki, Yorgo Voyagis, Takis Emmanuel, George P. Cosmatos, Nikos Papadakis
Screenplay by: Mihalis Kakogiannis
Cinematography by: Walter Lassally
Film Editing by: Mihalis Kakogiannis
Art Direction by: Vassilis Photopoulos
Makeup Department: Alex Archambault, Monique Archambault
Music by: Mikis Theodorakis
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: December 14, 1964 (Greece), December 17, 1964 (United States)
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