Mihalis Kakogiannis or Michael Cacoyannis (Greek: Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης, Michalis Kakogiannis; 11 June 1922 – 25 July 2011) was a Greek Cypriot filmmaker, best known for his 1964 film Zorba the Greek. He directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film. Much of his work was rooted in classical texts, especially those of the Greek tragedian Euripides. He was nominated for an Academy Award five times, a record for any Cypriot film artist. He received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations for Zorba the Greek, and two nominations in the Foreign Language Film category for Electra and Iphigenia. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 11, 1922
- July 25, 2011 (aged 89)
- Limassol, Cyprus
- Director, writer, producer and editor
- 6 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
What are Michael Cacoyannis' films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 3
Grounded 1 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 3
Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael Cacoyannis' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Cacoyannis' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
19 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Cherry Orchard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Up, Down and Sideways (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Sweet Country (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
Iphigenia(1977)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Attila 74: The Rape of Cyprus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
The Trojan Women(1971)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Day the Fish Came Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Zorba the Greek(1964)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Electra(1962)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Wastrel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Our Last Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
A Matter of Dignity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
A Girl in Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Experts on the Football Field (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Stella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Windfall in Athens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Cyprus Is an Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)
Caesar and Cleopatra(1945)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 19 titles from 1945 to 1999.
Biggest box office
Zorba the Greek (1964)
Highest rated
Zorba the Greek (1964)
Most popular right now
The Trojan Women (1971)
Film career
- 1955Screen debut· Stella
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Michael Cacoyannis' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 6 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 79/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Michael Cacoyannis work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Cacoyannis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mikis Theodorakis shares the most, 5.
Writers
- EuripidesShared titles: Iphigenia (1977), The Trojan Women (1971), Electra (1962)See all 3 shared titles with Euripides
Actors
- Irene PapasShared titles: Iphigenia (1977), The Trojan Women (1971), Zorba the Greek (1964), Electra (1962)See all 4 shared titles with Irene Papas
- Takis EmmanuelShared titles: Zorba the Greek (1964), Electra (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Takis Emmanuel
Composers and cinematographers
- Mikis TheodorakisShared titles: Iphigenia (1977), The Story of Jacob and Joseph (1974), The Trojan Women (1971), Zorba the Greek (1964), Electra (1962)See all 5 shared titles with Mikis Theodorakis
- Walter LassallyShared titles: Zorba the Greek (1964), Electra (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Walter Lassally
