He is best known for his 1964 film adaptation of ‘Zorba the Greek'.
But
Cypriot filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis hates being complimented for the work, which won three Oscars in 1965.“Yes, I hate it when they keep mentioning me as the director of ‘Zorba the Greek,' ” he told an interviewer recently. “But it can't be helped and I ignore it.”
He makes it clear that he does not want to go down in the film industry's history books as a “one-movie man”.
Cacoyannis has directed many other noteworthy films.
A retrospective of the films will be held at the Sixth International Film Festival of Thrissur (IFFT), to begin on March 25.
They include ‘The Trojan Women', ‘Iphigenia', ‘The Cherry Orchard' and ‘Sweet Country'.
Much of his work has been inspired by classical texts, especially those of the Greek tragedian Euripides. The early Cacoyannis films are said to carry “the spiritual heritage of Italian neo-realism”.
Critics argue that is difficult to adapt Chekhov's work, especially ‘The Cherry Orchard', for the screen. “They always say that,” Cacoyannis countered. “But they forget that some of the most successful films have been adaptations of plays,” he says.
by K. Santhosh
source: THE HINDU
