Rating summary
Movie | | 4.5 |
Video | | 4.5 |
Audio | | 4.0 |
Extras | | 4.0 |
Overall | | 4.5 |
Zorba the Greek Blu-ray Movie Review
It's all Greek to him.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 7, 2013
Life is what you do
While you’re waiting to die.
When John Kander and Fred Ebb decided to follow up their massive Broadway success with
Cabaret by musicalizing the unlikely source of Nikos Kazantzakis'
Zorba the
Greek, they opened their sung version with the above sentiment. There’s an inherent melancholy, not to mention
downright
morbidity, in that brief sentence, and in fact when the film version’s iconic Zorba, Anthony Quinn, took
over the role in
the musical for a 1980s Broadway revival (Herschel Bernardi had played Zorba in its relatively brief original Broadway
run),
lyricist Fred Ebb may have had second thoughts about the depressive aspect of that formulation, for he slightly
tweaked his lyric to read:
Life is what you do
‘Til the moment you die.
That second iteration might be more
a propos for the larger than life character of Alexis Zorba (Anthony
Quinn), but the first version may in fact be a better summary of at least some of the supporting characters who
inhabited Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel, one which evidently first appeared in Greek in 1946 but wasn't translated into
English
until the early fifties, as well as the film version which followed close to two decades later. It’s actually
one of the supreme ironies of Kander and Ebb’s career that their
Zorba was accused of being “too dark” for a
musical—this, after
Cabaret, which was hardly an all singing, all dancing laugh fest. But there’s little doubt that
the source material for
Zorba, in fact rather like the Christopher Isherwood stories which inspired
Cabaret, had a morose element that made a musical a hard sell. So, why then does the film version of
Zorba the Greek, despite threading the same roiling needle that the musical obviously did, often sing so
effortlessly when the theatrical experience
designed to sing merely faltered?
In some ways, it’s perhaps easy to understand why Kander and Ebb developed
Zorba as their follow up to
Cabaret, for the two entities share some unexpected similarities. Both posit uptight, possibly sexually
repressed,
young writers coming into a foreign land and dealing with an eccentric “local” (whether native or not) who helps teach
the
writer how to let go and live. There are of course a gaggle of other colorful supporting characters, including the
common
element in both pieces of an
unusual elderly woman running either a boarding house or hotel. But this is where
perhaps the two properties’ commonalities end, and that in turn can be traced to their disparate sources. Though
ostensibly a novelist, Christopher Isherwood was perhaps more of a journalist and raconteur, one who melded his
private
experiences, notably his life as a gay man, into several of his pieces. Nikos Kazantzakis, on the other hand, was much
more of a
philosopher, even a poet, one concerned with larger issues of humanity and even ontological and
epistemological questions than the average novelist. (Kazantzakis sprang to international fame not so much for
Zorba
the Greek, but for his scholarly translations of
The Odyssey. Kazantzakis also wrote the source novel from
which Martin Scorsese crafted the notoriously controversial
The Last Temptation of Christ.)
Michael Cacoyannis, who produced, directed and wrote the screen version of
Zorba the Greek, was, like
Kazantzakis himself, a man with rather serious underpinnings that often informed his supposedly
“popular” entertainments. Also like Kazantzakis, Cacoyannis made international waves with some of his translations,
notably some Shakespeare classics which Cacoyannis translated into Greek. Both Kazantzakis and Cacoyannis had an
overweening interest in classical writing, whether that be plays or pure literature, and that interest informs, albeit
rather subtly at times,
Zorba the Greek in both its novel and film versions. (Interestingly, Kander and Ebb
sought to modernize one of the most famous tropes of classical theater—namely the Greek Chorus—for their musical
version of
Zorba, but that was one element which seemed to actually
distance the audience from the
story, rather than drawing them into it.)
Our entrée into the world of Zorba and the residents of Crete is Basil (Alan Bates), who in Kazantzakis’ original
conception was Greek himself, but who in Cacoyannis’ film adaptation becomes half-Greek, half-British (perhaps, as
commentator Demetrios Liappas mentions, to overcome language issues). Basil fancies himself an author, though he
admits he
hasn’t written anything for months, but he’s coming to Crete to reactivate a mine on lands his family has owned for
generations. While he waits in a torrential downpour to board the ship for Crete, he is more or less accosted by Zorba,
who has evidently been scoping the young man out. Zorba puts himself forth as an expert in whatever Basil may need,
including mining. Perhaps against his initial inclinations, Basil agrees to take Zorba on as an employee. What actually
occurs, however, is that Zorba ends up acting as a mentor and virtual tourguide for Basil as the young expat attempts
to come to terms with early 20th century village life on an already isolated island.
The rest of the film plays out as Zorba and Basil attempt (unsuccessfully) to reinvigorate Basil’s mine and then move on
to other pursuits, not the least of which are two females. The townspeople have suggested that the two men stay at
the fancifully named Hotel Ritz, run by a French émigré named Madame Hortense (Lila Kedrova, an Oscar winner for this
role). Madame Hortense is a flighty woman somewhat addled by memories, a kind of modern version of
The
Madwoman of Chaillot. Zorba, lusty male that he is, of course takes an immediate shine to her, though through
some subterfuge on Basil’s part, Hortense comes to believe that Zorba’s attentions aren’t
purely carnal.
Basil, on the other hand, is immediately attracted to an intense widow (Irene Papas) who is the subject of much village
gossip, especially since a younger male obviously has eyes for her, but she refuses to return his amorous glances. Both
of these romances cartwheel toward rather sad conclusions, in fact tragic ones in at least one case—another reason
that the musical version had a hard time matching
Cabaret’s success.
Literary critics were thrown for a loop when
Zorba the Greek was translated into English, not knowing quite
what to make of such an odd, irascible focal character. Some of that confusion is ameliorated in Cacoyannis’ screenplay,
which is fully brought to life by Quinn in one of his most commanding performances (clear eyed analysts may rightly
argue that Quinn deserved the Best Actor Oscar that year much more than Rex Harrison’s amusing, but hardly
challenging, turn as Henry Higgins in
My Fair
Lady). Quinn, himself a lifeforce of significant energy, makes Zorba an unforgettable character, one who helps
to make the film’s relentless emphasis on life, even as death abounds, perfectly understandable.
Zorba the Greek Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Zorba the Greek is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment with a largely flawless
AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Walter Lassally's Oscar winning black and white photography is nicely rendered
here, with a beautifully filmic appearance that maintains both the crystal clear fine detail of extreme close-ups, as well as
the admittedly softer establishing shots of Crete (much of the film was shot on location). Blacks are true and deep and the
film's rather wide array of grays are also very well represented. There are just a couple of niggling concerns here, mostly to
do with the stability of the image. There's some clear, if minor, motion judder in some panning shots (especially in the first
scenes of the film). Otherwise, though, this is a stellar high definition presentation of a classic film.
Zorba the Greek Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Zorba the Greek's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track may be relatively narrow and shallow, but it's quite
boisterous if taken on its own terms. Dialogue is always cleanly presented, and Mikis Theodorakis' fantastically evocative
score sounds very lively. Theodorakis' theme became a rather unlikely hit for The Tijuana Brass, of all ensembles.
Zorba the Greek Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Commentary by Director Michael Cacoyannis and Demetrios Liappas. This is a near perfect commentary
by Liappas, an historian and Kazantzakis scholar, and Cacoyannis. Liappas gives us incredible background on the author
and Zorba the Greek (including the real life character upon whom Zorba was based), while Cacoyannis goes into
quite some detail on the shoot of this film as well as his long and illustrious career. Fascinating from start to finish.
- Biography: Anthony Quinn "A Lust for Life" (480i; 44:17) is a typically exhaustive Biography episode
that makes for a great
companion piece with Cacoyannis' memories of working with Quinn contained in the commentary track.
- Alternate Intro (480i; 4:08) may in fact blend in better with Kazantkakis' philosophical and religious leanings,
but it would have
made for one bizarre opening.
- Fox Movietone News (480i; 6:31) contains some fascinating footage (without sound) of Quinn and the cast on
set.
- Trailers and TV Spot (480i; 4:48)
Zorba the Greek Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Quinn, Kedrova and Cacoyannis all reteamed for the revival of the musical Zorba in the 1980s, one of a very few
times when a remount has run longer than the original Broadway version. And while I personally would argue that the
musical is much better than it's largely been given credit for being, there's simply no substitute for this unbelievably
touching and beautifully performed film. There's tragedy abounding in Zorba the Greek, especially in the film's third
act, but there's rarely been such a life affirming statement made in the annals of cinema. This Blu-ray looks and sounds
superb, and comes stocked with excellent supplements. Highly recommended.