Zorba the Greek (1964)

In preparation for a podcast on every best supporting actress winner (Lela Kedrova as Madam Hortense won the1964 award), I took in some films that claimed this award.

Similar to the way we might react to an indie or foreign film, there’s an utterly different feel of this film in comparison to films of this era. Even someone who doesn’t go to films watching out for cinematography and editing will be struck by this film immediately. The close-ups, the granular nature of the footage, the escapist score that becomes a character in the film in its own right.

The film stars Alan Bates as a reserved Englishman who goes to the island of Crete where he meets Anthony Quinn as a gregarious, Englishman who has a charm that immediately jumps out at you. This film would not have been made if for Anthony Quinn’s persistence at securing the money to make things happen, because he saw something in this script and thought it could be his best part. How intriguing it might have been to see this part on paper, and see what Quinn saw when he first read the source material.

Which brings us to the film’s other big star, which Quinn was responsible for as well. Simone Signoret was set to star but dropped out because she felt she just couldn’t get it down. They needed someone who stood out for their patheticness. Quinn felt production was in danger of shutting down and none of…