I have been wanting to see the movie ever since I read the book maybe a year ago. The wish came true a couple of days ago, at Hyderabad. The medium (film) is able to capture some of the book's greatness, but not all.
I will attempt to explain. The book relies on a lot of philosophical dialogues which are interspersed at regular intervals into the story, a simple enough tale of a man on a mission confronted by an ebullient, irrepressible Greek and their contrasting approaches to life. One, a dull, academic type, and Zorba, anything but.
Anthony Quinn does a marvelous job of acting the title role, and brings liveliness to his role. His scenes of doing the dance at unexpected times are some of the best, including the last scene. But the impact that the dialogues had in the book are somewhat muted in the film. May not be anyone's fault, but the impact is less.
The photography of what looks like Greece is really nice and different from the New-Yorkish sets that one is used to in films old and new. The characters of the widow and Bouboulina as she is called fondly by Zorba (she owns the small hotel where Zorba and his boss stay), are sketched well, by the actresses. Some scenes are brutal, true to the book. And the santouri (santoor?) played by Zorba brings a unique flavour to it all, like in the book.
On the whole, a good film, though the book is worth dying for.
I will attempt to explain. The book relies on a lot of philosophical dialogues which are interspersed at regular intervals into the story, a simple enough tale of a man on a mission confronted by an ebullient, irrepressible Greek and their contrasting approaches to life. One, a dull, academic type, and Zorba, anything but.
Anthony Quinn does a marvelous job of acting the title role, and brings liveliness to his role. His scenes of doing the dance at unexpected times are some of the best, including the last scene. But the impact that the dialogues had in the book are somewhat muted in the film. May not be anyone's fault, but the impact is less.
The photography of what looks like Greece is really nice and different from the New-Yorkish sets that one is used to in films old and new. The characters of the widow and Bouboulina as she is called fondly by Zorba (she owns the small hotel where Zorba and his boss stay), are sketched well, by the actresses. Some scenes are brutal, true to the book. And the santouri (santoor?) played by Zorba brings a unique flavour to it all, like in the book.
On the whole, a good film, though the book is worth dying for.
2 comments:
Title sounds like something I would order in a restaurant..will try to do so in a library
Moussaka is one of my favorites in the restaurant.
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