A Touch of Spice

See this film. You don't have to be Greek or Turkish to be touched. Do not expect a complicated scenario. It's a simple story that moves between funny and dramatic to touch sensitive chordes of your sentiments. Not boring. Gives you a better mood than when you enter the theatre. Eat well before viewing.

This movie has become the biggest box office hit in Greece ever with more than one million tickets already sold. So the money spent were well spent. It is about the "Polis" (Constantinoupolis) the City. The polis, namely Istanbul, has its images, sounds, smells and of course its unbelievable cuizine. Greeks and Turks long for it and cannot live away from it. Cought in political turbulence, the Greeks of Istanbul are deported to mainland Greece bringing with them the art of cooking that awakens memories of a past long gone. A will for reconciliation prevails when the deported child returns to Istanbul many years later. It is worth watching for some delightful stage design and beautiful music as well as for turning on ones appetite. Some of the missed opportunities of this film include mediocre acting from some of the characters and the very few takes from Istanbul that should have been more.

People before me have already written about the movie, its technical structure, historical facts, etc. I don't have so much to add to them. It is a good movie. Congratulations to everyone who had a place in the production. Performances of Turkish artists are pretty good. Tamer Karadagli showed that he can do better than he did in some TV series. Anyway, that's another story.

As some other people said, you don't need to be a Turk or Greek to enjoy this movie. Even though such bitter-sweet, somehow mellow movies are not my kind of movies, I loved this movie.

This movie is a humanist answer to all those Turk, Greek, English and American politicians and strategists who wanted to create hate between two nations.

And... We, Turks and Greeks, need more movies like that.

Not since Cinema Paradiso have I seen a movie that put me through such an emotional roller coaster. I was laughing in one scene while the tears had still not dried up from the previous one. A cinematic masterpiece. A proof of the power of the human spirit and that of childhood innocence and purity that is often preserved in some adults.

The film is largely based on the real life experiences of the writer and director. This is the furthest from a commercial film in that it does not follow a canned script recipe. On the other hand, the quality of the production is outstanding: the CG sequences of Istanbul and Athens, crane and steady-cam shots...

I saw this back at the 2005 Palm Springs International Film Festival and of the 14 films I saw then I ranked this as high as #5. I really enjoyed this film and so did the audience. Actor George Corraface was on hand to introduce the film. There is a beautiful artistic style to this film that immediately is as flavorful as it's title. Wonderful cinematography, staging and set design to this movie. A great story with interesting characters and some tasteful humor thrown in as well. This was Greece's biggest ever domestic box office feature and it's broad appeal transcended well to an American audience. You'll enjoy the entrée, main course and dessert of A Touch of Spice. I rate it an 8.0 of a scale of 10 and would highly recommend it.