Antonius Block Anthony Quinn really makes Nikos Kazantzakis' character of Zorba come to life, turning in a fantastic performance, and conveying Zorba's philosophy of living life to the full, of dancing and laughing in not just moments of joy or success, but also those of tragedy or failure. The book is a masterpiece, and while the movie doesn't (or perhaps can't) get quite as deep, Michael Cacoyannis (producer/director/screenwriter) certainly does it justice, shooting on location in Crete, capturing beautiful images and an authenticity in his film, and letting Quinn shine. We're given a wonderful philosophy in this gruff character who eschews pretense, book learning, rational analysis, religion, and nationalism. He is at once both hedonistic and simple, and also profound and deep, having gone beyond all theories and frameworks while living his life with a kind of purity. Zorba grabs us from the beginning, asking an Englishman (Alan Bates) "Will no man ever do something without a 'why?' Just like that, for the hell of it?" as they await their ferry, and then quickly sizing him up by saying "You think too much, that is your trouble. Clever people and grocers, they weigh everything." There is a challenge to rationality and convention here, and while the Englishman hires Zorba, it's clear that Zorba will be the one doing the mentoring, on how to live. A part of this is in nudging him into pursuing women, which Zorba does with relish. Aside from his ribald moments, there are others which are pretty risqué, including an old widow (Lila Kedrova) recalling an evening she spent with four admirals, and making it clear they all had sex together after a champagne bath. There are two very disturbing scenes in the film, one of which is when a young woman (Irene Papas) a man has killed himself over is surrounded by the townsfolk, stoned, and then killed. It's truly horrifying, and even if we can 'accept' it as an honest portrayal of old-world culture (though she's not guilty of anything!), the fact that her death means nothing to the two principal characters, the Englishman especially, doesn't seem genuine. Regardless, it's very difficult to watch. Later, the instant an old woman dies, her home is ransacked and looted, in another ugly mob scene. It's as if Cacoyannis is emphasizing how primitive Crete is, and juxtaposing this with Zorba's primitive (though enlightened) philosophy. This is consistent with Kazantzakis' writing in the novel, as well as in 'Freedom or Death'. There is a ruggedness in the people, as rugged as Crete itself, and if you're sensitive to that or behavior which is far from politically correct, you may not like the film as much.A couple more quotes: On aging: "They say that age kills the fire inside of a man, that he hears death coming. He opens the door and says, 'Come in. Give me rest.' That is a pack of old damn lies! I've got enough fight in me to devour the world. So I fight."On being irrational: "A man needs a little madness, or else he never dares cut the rope and be free."On war: I have done things for my country that would make your hair stand. I have killed, burned villages, raped women. And why? Because they were Turks or Bulgarians. That's the rotten damn fool I was. Now I look at a man, any man, and I say, 'He is good. He is bad.' What do I care if he's Greek or Turk? As I get older, I swear by the bread I eat. I even stop asking that. Good or bad, what is the difference? They all end up the same way...food for worms."

coda_william It must have been the 60's . the plot makes no sense. the characters are ridiculous. the violence is inexplicable. there are some good lines, ex" are you married? wife, children, house, everything. the whole catastrophe," but many trite ones.Good local color. I thought there was a scene of Zorba dancing with a beautiful woman. I must have been high.

pietclausen I remember 1964 like yesterday, but it seems that I too have outgrown movies of this period. I had never seen this movie but know that it was loved by many. The opportunity arose for me to watch it in 2017 and I eagerly sat down to experience this missing link with the past.What a let down. Has the world changed that much that I consider this to be a complete disaster, let alone a comedy? Fair enough I have never been to Crete or Greece, but I do love Greek music. For this reason my rating is a notch higher then what I would otherwise have given it, but for the rest it was a big boring, non inspiring, wasteful, stretched out rumble on the island, devoid of any possible reality to life in those days.Perhaps I miss the point, but I certainly did not enjoy the movie at all.

jghbrown This movie came out when I was just 15. Although I heard and enjoyed the music many times in various places I always assumed that it might have been a boring flick about peasants dancing on a beach. Browsing about in IMDb one day I read the storyline, decided it might be worth seeing it and ordered the DVD version.Having read a number of glowing reviews I started watching it with anticipation. Zorba appears quite early on in the movie and straight away I found him irritating. Had I been Basil he'd have been given the brush-off pretty quickly. I've travelled quite a bit and I've come across many Zorba-like characters. Somewhat larger than life, full of grandiose gestures, familiar to the point almost of rudeness, oozing out lies and charm. A lovable rogue? Maybe, but how much of him is genuine and how much something he is capable of concocting in a moment? A man too, who admits he has raped and killed. You should be aware - and this movie actually illustrates it rather well - that associating with such characters will likely be your ruin.But, never mind, you can always dance! As of 2013 the Greeks are not dancing. Instead they are hurling stones and insults at their governing institutions, as the pack of cards they built up around them collapses. Perhaps in the past there have been too many Zorbas and not enough people who don't tell lies, won't steal your money or foist their crazy ideas upon you.So was it a boring movie about peasants dancing on a beach? Boring (with some notable exceptions, such as the truly horrific moment when the widow is brutally murdered), yes. But not peasants. Madmen. Quite, quite mad.