Michael Cacoyannis's powerful film starring Anthony Quinn garnered seven Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. On the Greek isle of Crete, Basil (Alan Bates), a shy, inhibited writer from England is befriended by Zorba, a boisterous, gregarious peasant with an astonishing love for life. When Zorba agrees to work at Basil's recently inherited abandoned mine, it is the beginning of a lesson for the young man as he gradually moves from an observer of the world to a participant. This acclaimed classic co-stars Irene Papas and Lila Kedrova in an Oscar-winning performance.