Zorba The Greek (film) - Cultural Influence

Cultural Influence

The dance at the end of the film, choreographed by Giorgos Provias, formerly known as "Zorba's dance" and later called Sirtaki, has become a popular cliché of Greek dance.

Zorba the Greek was adapted into a 1968 Broadway musical named Zorba. The play starred Herschel Bernardi: then, the show returned in 1983, with Anthony Quinn and Lila Kedrova reprising the film roles they did. It opened to big box office and good reviews, plus 362 performances, more than the original show.

The film's music by Mikis Theodorakis, especially the main song, Zorbas, is well known in popular culture. For example, the song has been used at Yankee Stadium for years to incite crowd participation during a potential rally by the home team.

A short film made in Scotland in 1999, Billy and Zorba, is about a man who believes he is Zorba the Greek.

The film has also been referenced in two of actress Nia Vardalos' films. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the family-owned restaurant her character works at is called Dancing Zorba's; this is also seen in the short-lived 2003 show My Big Fat Greek Life. In My Life In Ruins, Vardalos' character Georgia expresses contempt for the film because of the Greek's love of dancing and Anthony Quinn.

A web browser flash game akin to Dance Dance Revolution was created by Pippin Barr, wherein the player competes with Zorba by taking turns performing Zorba's dance, trying to out-dance each other.