Smyrni mou agapimeni

I am in this! So I can't review it. I loved the script- co written with Martin Sherman.

This film adapted from the hugely successful stage play by Mimi Denissou.

Couldn't fly out to Athens for the premiere Dec23 because of Covid restrictions.

I loved the crew.- multi lingual most of them. Thanks be.

I went to see Smyrna with great trepidation. I was worried I would get too upset. I did lose it. The movie evokes a time and place that pains me for all the hope that was Smyrna, and what the city could have become. The film is a reflection of an opportunity lost due to nationalistic and religious ideologies clashing with the lives of people, until these people were annihilated. The vision of a new Turkey did not include the storied inhabitants that were outside the mold Ataturk had cast.

All 4 of my grandparents were born in Asia Minor with 1000s year's history. All the bones of my ancestors are still there. Their bones nourish the food grown there. When you visit Turkey, in the countryside you will not see any graveyards with my family's names nor the churches where their sacraments were performed.

My father's family left Aidinio (now Aydin) thru Smyrna after my father's oldest brother, barely 18, was shot dead by regional irregulars.

I have heard and read my aunts and uncles stories and diaries. The movie is a faithful representation of the thoughts and events. My father's father was shot by the lead hand, who was Turkish, after he handed him the keys and asked him to take care of their orchard until they returned. Thankfully he lived. I know the plot is of a wealthy family from inside Smyrna, but the ethnic cleansing happened throughout Anatolia.

The port scenes made me cry because my aunt who was a toddler was lost over a gang plank and drowned in Smyrna harbor. The horrors of the port were nowhere as gruesome as what really took place.

After you see the movie, go out and learn for yourselves what took place. Although Ernest Hemingway was not present during the burning of Smyrna, he wrote for the Toronto Star and filed stories for the paper as many others have. As well as writing "On the Quai at Smyrna".

I want to thank the Producers of the movie for their courage and dedication to bringing this story forward and opening the eyes of some while others keep them tightly closed. Have no fear, open your eyes.

Smyrna is an intense movie, i can not rate the historical information but is a joy to watch. First of all its the movie with the highest budget in the history of greek production movies but don't expect Hollywood results. The whole movie is based on Mimi's family and the life of Greeks in Smyrna. Watching the movie you will notice some plot holes but the acting is spectacular and the final result above average. For me the biggest problem of the movie is the lack of consistency throughout the storyline and the unsuccessful finishing of the too many themes described. The ending seems hasty and due to this Mimi fails to deliver the family pain she is going through. To conclude Smyrna is a great emotional movie and good enough to deliver the traditions of the city and the great role of women in it.

This movie creates a lot of emotion. It kept us on our toes. It has an historical aspect to it from multiple points of view (English, Greek, American, Ottoman and Turkish), which the production does a great job of including. I am separating the Ottoman point of view from Turkish one, since Ottomans then included Greeks, Armenians, Turks, Kurds and Jews, and their point of view was completely different than all the rest as depicted in the movie (like Halil's dad and Dimitris' brother).

Nationalism is bad everywhere and atrocities did happen.

Acting was pretty good with the exception of Mimi Denisi whose acting towards the end was kind of flat.

This movie's narrative is similar to the stories my displaced grandparents would tell. My family even has the deeds of land from Smyrna. I would advise some history reading for the nationalist haters out there. A quick search would show Izmir's history. Izmir/Smyrna had a huge Greek population since its founding (2500 years ago) up to 1922. Please note to the Nationalists that this is a movie.

Lots of claims of inaccuracies but it seems that those claims are wrong according to Wikipedia: Burning_of_Smyrna. Also, the claim they Smyrna was always Turkish is not true, it was founded by Ancient Greeks according to Wikipedia: Smyrna. The movie is worth watching in its own right without having to get into politics. The set is beautiful and the story compelling. The music and discussion at the end can be skipped. Some acting was not the best but overall it was good. The costumes were on par. It really captured what it was like to live there at that time. Yes, it was told from the Greek point of view but what do expect from a Greek movie.