To me, this movie is perfection.

Powerful

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Anthony Quinn's Zorba became a point of reference, in fact I'm writing this review 54 years after its first release. He is everything and more. Alan Bates is outstanding walking that very thin line but totally committed to that duality that makes him so human, so real. Lila Kedrova won an Oscar for her performance, deservedly so. Simone Signoret had been offered the part and she was the one who suggested Lila Kedrova to the director, Michael Cacoyanis. I love that story. Zorba has also the power of Irene Papas who makes her silent calling absolutely riveting and the contagious Mikis Theodorakis's score all together in a beautiful, savage, compelling film that doesn't show any signs of aging

This is a great movie and especially Anthony Quinn's performance is so inspiring. The only reason I didn't rate it a 10 is because I urge people to read the book - which is a 10. Seriously, 'Zorba the Greek' is in my opinion one of the greatest books ever written. I have read it several times and every few years I read it again (especially if I travel to Greece). It has such an abundance of wisdom, energy, love of life, unforgettable characters and great story-telling. A must! It is no wonder the airport in Heraklion - the capital city of Crete, is named after the author - Nikos Kazantzakis. What the book lacks and the movie has is the simply delightful musical score. Travel to Crete and to this day you will hear it being played in many a Taverna. It, along with Quinn's performance - are immortal.

Uptight writer Englishman Basil (Alan Bates) is waiting out a storm in Piraeus as he is approached by flamboyant Zorba (Anthony Quinn). Zorba wants Basil to take him on his trip to Crete where Basil's father left him some lands. Zorba was previously a miner and Basil tries to reopen the mine. The village is impoverished and the mine is too dangerous. They stay with the flighty older flirt Madame Hortense (Lila Kedrova). Zobra has an idea to log the mountain while Basil falls for the ostracized Widow (Irene Papas).That music is infectious. It pumps up the joy every time it's played. That's how I feel about Quinn's Zorba. He is a force of nature and full of life. He's also a very deep character and one of the great performances of all times. The widow's story is crazy scary and her climatic scene is so compelling. In fact, it's so fearful that I don't necessarily blame Basil. Everybody wants to be Zorba but sadly, most of us are more like Basil.

This movie is not for everyone. Many people may not understand it. I am from Greece and although I am very young and I have never experienced similar incidents, I have seen old Greek movies and I have listened many stories from my grandparents and parents.Yes that was the life in our villages years ago, when people were spontaneous, simple but also reckless and furious. Things changed, I don't know in a bad or in a good way because maybe now we are more ''civilized'' (if someone can define that word) but many things are lost.Anyway when this movie ended, I had a smile in my face and an optimism... It shows life as it is with ups and downs, with happiness and sadness. Even if there was a little madness, that's life and all we can do after all... is dance...