Alexis Sorbas was a good Greek

The Greek film-maker Michalis Kakogiannis died in Athens at the age of 89 on Monday. He became famous in 1964 with his film of the novel Alexis Sorbas, which won three Oscars. The conservative daily Kathimerini praises the image of Greece that Kakogiannis communicated to the world: "The Sorbas character - however stubborn he may be - responds in a remarkable way to disasters. ... His passion is life itself. ... Even if the idea that there is a Sorbas in every Greek may sound romantic and naive, the image of Greece that Kakogiannis conveyed in his film has proved fitting in many respects. Perhaps also because he did not try to beautify or idealise the country. ... He articulated social realities and thus contributed to Greece's development. ... He crossed borders with a fundamental principle: 'If art is to be universal, it must speak the truth'."

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