MovieChat Forums > Alexis Zorbas (1964) Discussion > Oh man, this wasn't the feel-good film i...

Oh man, this wasn't the feel-good film it seemed to be [spoiler]

posted 14 years ago by Brennan-8
6 replies | jump to latest

I've been hearing about this classic film for years, and got the impression that it would be about a lively, passionate Greek showing a shy Brit how to live and enjoy life. And sure, it does have that element. But - like another poster a few threads down - the brutal murder of the young widow, and the two main characters' rather muted response to it, just sank the film for me. Alan Bates' character should have felt some kind of guilt and horror at what happened to her, and one would think he'd have a continuing anger toward the villagers, as the beggar man does. But Basil and Zorba just have a shrugging, "well, tough luck for her" attitude and go on.

[–] LordBillofMcNeal 14 years ago

I think you missed the point of the film. It's a film that examines how people overcome tragedy and despair. They were upset over the widow's death but they handled it the way they do. No over the top acting. Alan Bates' character was introverted and Zorba deals with it as he always does. That's what makes the ending more powerful, Alan Bates finally lets it out.

You lost today, kid. But that doesn't mean you have to like it.

[–] zephyr-123 13 years ago

I gotta agree with the OP. My mother had the album for this movie when I was a kid. She had a handful of albums and played them over and over. This was the 70's. I just saw this movie for the first time a few years ago. The soundtrack is kickin' but the movie is a bit depressing to me and I found their easy time getting over the widow's death very shallow.

"You think you know, what you are, what's to come--You haven't even begun." BtVS

[–] GunsGirlsCars 13 years ago

The whole movie was "Greek Comedy" in force! How the village reacted to the killing...and witnessing the Zorba's failed attempt at modern engineering belies a tremendous account how "Dancing on the shore" just rids sadness to the dark hole of Human nature? It's life only Zorba could live with. The writer getting it in the end... Laughing for the sake of laughing! Oh the dance 80)

[–] radagastdk 12 years ago

Same here! I got totally caught by surprise. I didn't really expect a feel good movie but the way it is handled in the movie is brutal. There is no time for mourning, anger, disbelief etc - a few minutes later (in movie time) everything is forgotten and the scene with the french woman kicks in. I do see the view by one of the other poster 'LordBillofMcNeal' but still, I would have preferred a short clip of one of the actors throwing a rock at a wall or something.

[–] IMDB_Vits 9 years ago

It is a feel-good film overall. Did you skip the ending?

[–] Owlwise (1535) 7 months ago

Perhaps that's because we're used to feel-good films where every tragedy is overcome in time for the happy ending. But that can sometimes turn into a willful denial of tragedy. Zorba's creed of embracing life means embracing all of it, the rapture and the anguish, because the two are intertwined so deeply & so powerfully that you can't have one without the other. You can't expect to get only the good without the bad as well. And that means accepting both as being inevitable while you're alive.