Cacoyannis Zorba The Greek

How do aspects of mise-en-scene shape our understanding of and response to the characters in the death sequence of Cacoyannis’ Zorba the Greek?

In this essay, the above question will be addressed by drawing on the visual code mise-en-scene, with reference to costume and setting and touching upon others such as performance and cinematography. The choice of Zorba the Greek as the film under scrutiny was picked because the scene in question centres around the murder of a young widow. It is arguably one of the most powerful and emotional scenes in the film and should provoke a strong reaction from the audience, especially women, because it amplifies issues of gender inequality in society. The time frame for this sequence of film is taken from
This is classical English attire and reinforces the idea that although he attends church and lives amongst the locals he is definitely an outsider. Alexis Zorba is also dressed differently to his fellow and traditional countrymen. He wears a creased suit and is unshaven which suggests that he is unbothered about appearances and that he holds a non conformist view about the traditional society in which he lives. Both Basil and Zorba differ sharply in apparel and this may reflect their different attitudes and philosophies about life. These attitudes emulate two God’s in Ancient Greek mythology: Dionysus and Apollo. The latter was reflective, passive and restrained whereas the former was unreflective, passionate and impetuous. Zorba and Basil exude these qualities throughout the film and they are reflected during the scene. For example, when the widow is encircled by the local men Basil tries hard to push his way to the front but is unsuccessful. The actor, Alan Bates, turns his back on the action and theatrically looks away at this point, his eyes darting wildly as he brings his hand to his mouth and bites it in an exaggerated gesture. This can be seen to signify a guilty and anxious state of mind, owing to his restrained nature and inability to put a stop to the distress of the widow. As the scene develops his attire becomes more tousled; his top button undone, tie askew
She is at her most vulnerable now and her fate is in the hands of her tormentors. This provides uncomfortable viewing for the audience as it is difficult to see a woman being treated this way, especially as she is being abused by men with other women in attendance. Symbolically, women should signify innocence and personify a virtue such as justice. Yet, we can see that there is no empathy from them at all with the widow. In fact, in one shot the local women use their costume to cover their face to shield them from what is happening, as though they are ashamed. However, on closer inspection their eyes are peering over the top of their scarves leading the audience to believe that they are scrutinising and enjoying the events which are taking place below. Close up shots of male villagers are punctuated through the sequence and are used to emphasise their desire to see the widow humiliated and in their minds to bring her to justice for giving in to a foreigners sexual demands and not their own. These shots attempt to reinforce the suffering of the widow and create a dislike for the cruel and dispassionate