Un ciel épicé

Here are some reasons why I profoundly enjoyed this film: I like movies where you get to know people - people you like, that you remember, that you keep with you. I also like it when the guy in the uniform is NOT the hero, but here it's even better - the guy in the uniform is wrong, but not quite all bad... I like when the Turks don't get all the blame. I like it when the Greeks don't get all the blame. I like spices and stars and complicated smells and honest, complex people and I like dreamers and slowly, carefully told tales about human people.

If they don't seem very good reasons, please consider that the whole is much, much more than the sum of the parts.

And by the way... I am proof you that you don't need to have any Greek ancestors to be moved by this movie.

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.

Having strong bonds with the story behind this movie I have to say that it is one if not the best Greek movie I have watched in my life. It touches sensitively on subjects that by many can be considered wrong to talk about and presents them in the nicest way without diverting from the history. The political turmoil as well as the relationships of people living in Polis (Istanbul) are highlighted and the key figures although play minor role in the events that happen around them still steal the interest by presenting how simple yet "rich" in taste their life was. Coming from a family that was as well deported (using a modest word here for what really happened) from home lands, the movie touched me in so many ways. I think it deserves a 10/10 and is highly recommended.. not only for the Greeks that can relate to the story but for anyone who can appreciate a good story.

One of the BEST films (Foreign or English-speaking) that I have seen in the last decade! Hollywood take note, this is one Oscar-worthy Greek film with breathtaking cinematography, beautiful music, a clever screenplay and a great cast. In a nostalgic way, it will remind the moviegoer that both food and life require 'a touch of spice' to achieve that extra flavor. A heart-warming yet bittersweet story about a special bond that forms between a grandfather/mentor and his grandson, when he was a little boy, which lingers throughout his life as a teenager and, finally, as an adult ... with a mix of politics during those times. And the pretty young girl, who dances for him ... It will make you laugh; it will make you cry and, most likely, you will also leave the cinema wishing it did not end.

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.