Zorba the Greek του Μιχάλη Κακογιάννη και Βίος και πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά του Νίκου Καζαντζάκη: μια σύγκριση υπό τη σκιά της πρόσληψης του καζαντζακικού έργου

Abstract

The present study is a systematic comparison between the film Zorba the Greek, by Michalis Kakogiannis, and the novel Life and Deeds of Alexis Zorbas, by Nikos Kazantzakis, intending to assess the impact of the film on the perception of the novel. The comparative standpoint of the study aims not so much at an evaluation of the film narrative as at a co-examination of the script vis-a-vis the novel plot, given that the script was written by director himself. The comparison of the film with the novel covers six sections. The first section refers to the change of author's nationality (a Greek in the novel, a British-Greek in the movie). The second section argues that the bipolar character of the novel, as well as its autobiographical and intellectual dimensions are missing in the film. The third section elaborates on the entirely different ending in the movie and in the novel. In the fourth section the question whether Zorbas is a representative Greek figure in the film and the novel is examined. The fifth section focuses on the elements of the film, which serve as a popularization of the novel. The last section examines how the two works represent the image of the Cretans as a community. The outcome of the study is that the film has significantly contributed to the misreading of the novel.