alr

Zorba the Greek

Screening on Film
Directed by Michael Cacoyannis.
With Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Lila Kedrova.
Greece/US, 1964, 35mm, black & white, 146 min.

This accomplished screen version of novel by Nikos Kazantzakis gave Quinn the role of a lifetime. Set in Crete, the story follows the adventures of the fun-loving Zorba, who takes a reserved Britisher (Bates) under his wing and instructs him in his earthy philosophy of life. Lila Kedrova won an Oscar for her supporting role as an aging courtesan who dwells in the past, as did cinematographer Walter Lassally. This lusty paean to personal freedom and love of tradition derives an extra measure of forcefulness from the memorable score by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.

Part of film series

Read more

Hellenic Encounters

Current and upcoming film series

Read more

The Reincarnations of Delphine Seyrig

Read more

Rosine Mbakam, 2025 McMillan-Stewart Fellow

Read more

The Illusory Tableaux of Georges Méliès

Read more

Activism and Post-Activism. Korean Documentary Cinema, 1981-2022

Read more

Fables of the Reconstruction. Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias

Read more

Ben Rivers, Back to the Land

Read more

Harvard Undergraduate Cinematheque

Read more

Make Way for Tomorrow. Carson Lund’s Eephus

Read more

Jessica Sarah Rinland’s Collective Monologue