ZORBA THE GREEK

                                 JACK'S BACK and this time it's personal

DATE AND STATUS:  Monday, September 10th, 2012 and I'm re-injured!

Quote of today comes from  E.L. Doctorow:  "There is no longer any such thing as fiction, or nonfiction; there's only narrative."

What's going on in Jack's world?, and yours:

Hillary Clinton, (I like her, I really like her!,) still has not completely ruled out running for President in 2016. 

There were many people, including this one, who were disappointed when Hillary dropped out of the race in 2008 to join the team of President Obama, but looking ahead to 2016, there is still quite a plethora of people encouraging Hillary to run.  

 I really hope Hillary does run for President, and if so, I hope this time, her husband, Bill Clinton, doesn't interfere in her campaign so much!

It seems that the OJ Simpson Trial had some tampering.  (I knew it.)  Evidently, Christopher Darden, co-attorney for the Prosecution team, claims that Johnny Cochrane altered the lining of the glove so that it couldn't fit when the defendant put it on. 

Remember, the phrase "if it don't fit, you must acquit."  Well NOW we know why it didn't fit, and if there is any of you who still have doubt about the guilt of OJ Simpson, please call me.   I happen to have some swamp land in Florida for you to purchase!

Potential frightening news looms over Prince Harry whose gone back to Afghanistan, to fight the Taliban, and is in grave danger as El Qaeda has threatened to kidnap Prince Harry, and kill him.  I'm very surprised and astonished that the Brits have let Harry go back.

I had a perfectly wonderful day yesterday.  As previously posted,  Mac took out my stitches, the weather was co-operating, and we even had a visit in the afternoon from a good friend.  And then it all slowly went into the toilet.

I was sitting on the couch watching the movie "Back to the Future," with Michael J. Fox, and I looked down at my left knee and saw that my gash, that had had over fifty stitches put in it, had RE-OPENED!, and it looked like it did the day of the accident, I just couldn't believe it. 

Subsequently, Mac said there was no point to going back to the hospital as he said they would not put new stitches in it.  Dr. George continued and said that I was just going to have to let the injury heal itself.  Great, how long is this going to take????

Oh well, focus on the positive Jack, always focus on what's good. 

It looks like another glorious day, weather-wise, so far, there are no clouds in the sky, and one can just look at that fantastic blue horizon forever.

The 2012 Para Olympic games closed last night.  The Para Olympics were a huge hit.  I really get inspired from these athletes because they show the world "what they can do," instead of "what they can't do," and some of us who are not disabled could take a page out of their books!  (AM I pontificating again?)

Today marks the debut of talk shows for:  Katie Couric, Ricki Lake and Jeff Probst.

Can't say that Mr. Probst's talk show has any interest for me, I never liked "Survivor."  I've always liked Katie Couric, and she is a warm,friendly and competent journalist, so I will give her talk show a chance, as will I also tune into Ricki Lake's NEW talk show.

I loved Ricki's former talk show, so it will be interesting to see if she still has the chutzpah and the magic that she had in 1993 when her first talk show premiered.   I really believe that sometimes it's better to keep your original, positive memory of an experience, then going back to try it again, it isn't always a good idea, but, as they say, "nothing ventured, nothing gained," so you have to admire her moxie.

The Toronto International Film Festival(TIFF) continues, and I do wish I was there to participate in it.  I miss TIFF every year because I'm here at the lake and it is a drawback for me.  One of these years, I'm going to have to miss seven wonderful days at the lake to take in the TIFF, we'll see.

Just because I'm not in Toronto at the festival, doesn't mean I'm not staying in the loop of things. 

It looks like the film, "The Master" (even with the negative publicity of Joaquim Phoenix's strange antics)  is a huge hit, and because of the huge, huge buzz,  I'm actually going to see it at the cinema.

Phillip Thomas Anderson's "The Master" revolves around a charismatic intellectual, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who launches a religious organization following World War II.  A drifter, Joaquim Phoenix becomes his right-hand man, but as the faith begins to gain a fervent following, the drifter finds himself questioning the belief system and his mentor.  ⁽Sounds strangely similar to Ron Hubbard and the creation of Scientology.)

While I have enjoyed Mr. Anderson's previous films of "Magnolia," and "Boogie Nights," as there are always great performances in them, I am on guard for some of the bizarre events, that the director and writer enjoys putting in his films, remember the frogs falling in "Magnolia."

 I'm not sure if I'll go and see "Cloud Atlas" which has an amazing cast of Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, and Jim Broadbent, all of whom are academy award winners.  The film got a very bad review, but, I'll  likely see it as that is a very impressive cast, and I like to decide whether or not I enjoy a movie for myself.

However, the film I want to see most of all is Ben Afflecks "Argo."   "Argo" premiered to rave reviews at the Telluride Film Festival last month, and its favourable reception at TIFF means that the film will likely land at least a few Oscar nominations in 2013.

  "Argo" revolves around six American diplomats who were smuggled out of Iran during the 1980 hostage crisis by disguising them as a Canadian film crew.

I remember this event so well.  When it happened, I was vacationing in Hawaii, and whenever anyone there found out that I was Canadian, they thanked me profusely, and a few even offered to buy me a drink.  We, Canadians, don't often get appreciation from our neighbours to the south.

Well, after talking about some movies that I haven't seen, it's time to talk about a film I did see, "ZORBA THE GREEK!"

The film revolves around British writer Basil (Alan Bates) who is on his way towards Crete, and in particular, to the beach house which his parents owned until their deaths so that he can re-launch an abandoned mine and gather his thoughts once more.

On the way, Basil meets Alexis Zorba ( Anthony Quinn) an eccentric if not crazy multi-labourer, and womanizer, who practically sells himself to Basil and pleads to go with him.   The young Anglo-Greek  (a little more than a smirking straight-man,) is slightly wary, easily pushed around, but reluctantly agrees, and they go off to Crete.

 Zorba introduces Basil to the highs and lows, and to the lust and the greed as well as the extremes of the Greek culture, as well as meeting a courtesan in Madame Hortense (Lila Kedrova, a wrinkled and tacky relic of a once successful coquette) whom Zorba flirts around with, and a widow (Irene Papas) whom Basil would later have an ill-fated fling.   The experience would change Basil forever at first for the worse, but ultimately for the better. 

IF ever the abundance of life force in man has been poured forth on the screen, and, goodness knows, many efforts to do so have been made over the years, it is done in the brilliant performance given by Anthony Quinn.  fellow who takes on Zorba (or is taken on by him) to help in restoring an old lignite mine, inherited from his father, on the island of Crete.

The film is simply a balls-out power surge of energy which is totally about living life to the fullest and accepting life regardless of its flaws and failures. Zorba seems to be that spokesman for that anthem, and it’s Zorba whom constitutes the main pillar in which this film stands.

 

There are certain parts of the film that suffer because of that, one of them being that the film is probably too long,and certain parts are pretty slow and there are several scenes, notably the relationship between Basil and the widow and the aftermath of their fling which may polarize some viewers.

There are also incidents when the meanness and ignorance of the people of Crete surge up like a flow of molten lava to confront Zorba's cheerfulness and strength. 

One incident is when the fierce and angry people rise up in vengeance to destroy a lonely widow who has dared bestow her favor on Zorba's timid friend.  The other occurs when the old women, the old ghouls, strip bare the room. and then the house in which Zorba's aged mistress has just died in his comforting arms.

These are sequences that the director has staged with such intense reality, as he has the whole of the picture, that they fairly paralyze the senses for brief spells. Zorba, too, staggers momentarily at such bestial displays.  But he quickly recovers from them, as he does from the ultimate collapse of the crazy cable railway he has constructed for bringing the logs down out of the hills. 

When the pressures pile up too much within him, either of joy or of sorrow, Zorba's solution is to go into his wild, defiant dance.  ZORBA, MUST DANCE!!

This is the weakness of the picture, as a dramatic exercise, that is.  It lacks a significant conflict to prove its dominant character.  Zorba is powerful and provocative, but nobody gets in his way.  Nothing provides competition, except mob rule for a moment, and the hand of death.

The message of the film is somewhat bloated and jumbled but there’s enough going so it can make its point. Thankfully the goods outweigh the bads here, and there are many of them.  The music by Mikis Theodorakis has immediately become one of my favorite scores of all time.

The cinematography by Walter Lassally is great, with several beautiful aerial shots as well as some noteworthy hand-held camerawork, notably in the hilarious ship scene where the ship in which Basil and Zorba are traveling in is being rocked by a storm.

Cacoyannis’s direction is also spot-on, and is effective on most parts in the movie, though his screenplay needed some polishing.

Irene Papas, wow, the dame from Greece, who was hot in her heydays for sure. and who played Electra in Mr. Nikkos Cacoyannis's memorable film of the "Euripides" play, is dark and intense as the widow, but she, too, is soon got out of the way.  Several other Greek actors are exciting but transient as people of Crete.

Alan Bates does well in the film too though he’s no match for Quinn although he gets quite a competition from Lila Kedrova whom matches Quinn’s steps almost every step of the way.

The main backbone in this film, however, is Anthony Quinn, whom gives an equally lusty, larger-than-life performance that should’ve won him the academy award but lost to Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady."

Quinn's dance sequences are simply amazing, true, he isn’t exactly Fred Astaire, but just watch when he starts his dance by hitting the table three times, and the intensity in his eyes will give you a chill on your back for sure,  and he’s the one that carries the film’s weight on his shoulders and does a remarkable job with it.  Anthony Quinn's unforgettable portrait of colourfulness and vitality justifies the film!  

In the end, "ZORBA THE GREEK" is a very solid piece of work despite the fact its gathering a little bit of dust.  Regardless though, it’s a well made fable which gives out an interesting overview of life according to the Greek perspective. Who knows? Maybe in the end of the day, when our troubles have beaten us into deep do-da, sometimes it’s better to simply dance your troubles away and move on with your life.

In one huge and bold portrayal of a rugged and weather-worn old Greek of uncertain age and origin, indefinite station and career, but of unmistakable self-possession and human authority, Mr. Quinn presents us with a picture of man as he might be in the world were not so much with us and civilization had not forced us into molds.

Quinn's Zorba, in this tempestuous picture, possesses all the energies and urges of the great ones of history and myth.  He is Adam in the Garden of Eden, Odysseus on the windy plains of Troy.  He is a little bit of Nijinsky and a good bit of Tom Jones.

                                    UPCOMING MOVIES FOR REVIEW:

"Elmer Gantry." Both Burt Lancaster and Shirley Jones received academy award nominations for their work here. I want to see if they deserved them, you know how the Academy can be.

"Blow Dry." For no other reason that when I saw the title of this movie in the television guide, it intrigued me.

"Thief." This film stars James Caan and is reported to be one of Mr. Caan's personal favourites. Well, now it is time for us to decide if we want this movie to make our favourites list.

"The Maltese Falcon."  I've avoided seeing Humphrey Bogart and Peter Lorre in this story of murder and intrigue for far too long, (I'm supposed to be a film buff!)  Please note, that the time for me to see this movie has been changed to November to coincide with my salute to Mr. Humphrey Bogart.


"The Dark Knight."  I thought I should view a relatively-recent film. As a child of ten, I loved "Batman," and this film  offers, Heath Ledger, who won an academy award, posthumously, as the joker.  I'm really looking forward to this one!

"Big Night."  I have been frequently asked if I've seen this film which quite a lot of people seem to enjoy, I think it's time I'm able to tell people YES, I'VE SEEN IT!!!!!

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."  I am a huge Marilyn Monroe fan, and years ago I did see this film, I must have, but the fact that I can't remember it qualifies it to be seen by this viewer and sometimes critic.

FILMS COMING SOON:  Exodus, The Sand Pebbles, Giant, Monkey Business, The Slut At Four' O'clock, can't wait to see all of them!!