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.
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johno-212 February 2006
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aristofanis8 January 2004This 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.
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diegorodriguez17 September 2005The tale of a Greek family living between Istambul and Athens since mid 1950's to present through the eyes of the son, beautifully crafted with well balanced acting, superb photography and spectacular music.
The tender, innocent sensuality that a dancing child love cast over the boy will make the ever lasting impression of Istambul.
The special effects help making the scenarios not only believable, but romantically described, and contains a couple of sequences absolutely impressive presenting Istambul in 1959 and Athenas, in 1964, through long trailers resembling some of the Paris sequences in Moulin Rouge (2001), for instance.
A piece of history, wrapped in the tastes, flavors and smells of spices. -
prod7414 February 2005I kept putting off seeing this film, because there was so much fuss about it, I was sure I was going to be disappointed. Well, I finally watched it last night and I was pleasantly surprised: This film is actually as good as most people say it is. At first glance it seems to be a film about food (which is not bad - hey, I love food), but turns out to be so much more. The reasons I liked it? Well, read on.
First of all, it is a way above average production for Greek film standards. Music, camera-work, photography, CGI, script,acting, everything is very well done. Some people complain about the CGI used, saying that it looks fake, that it looks more like a painting (mostly the shots of Istanbul), that it looks unrealistic. Well, they are probably right: it does look a bit unrealistic, but I think this is intentional. We see someone's memories and memories tend to be polished and larger than life.
Second, it is probably the only Greek film I've seen that, while dealing with a subject that only Greeks and Turks can really relate to, you don't have to be a Greek to enjoy it. It's easy on the eyes, it's touching, it's well written. And, amazingly, it deals with Greek-Turkish relationships without passing blame: it provides the facts but avoids passing judgment (this is actually very rare, as both Greeks and Turks tend to blame each other when these events are mentioned).
Finally, you end up feeling better (and hungry) after watching this film, which is reason enough to watch it. Highly recommended to everyone, I give this film 10 out of 10. -
geeskcat23 November 2004Here 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. -
panouli6 December 2003See 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.
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jotix1002 August 2011Fanis, an astrophysicist, has lived most of his life in Athens with his parents, after they were deported from Turkey in the 1960s. His grandfather Vasilis stayed behind. The old man, an early influence on Fanis, was the man that was instrumental in guiding him in his career and his love of cooking with the right spices. After all, Vasilis owned one of the best shops specializing in those rare spices that, according to him, were the cause of many wars.
Fanis, learning his grandfather is dying, rushes back to Istambul, the city where he first met Saime, the daughter of his mother's best friend. Even in spite their separation, they had kept in touch by the cards she sent him. The grandfather Vasilis was always planning to go to Athens for a visit, but it never happened. Fanis gets to the hospital too late, but he gets to meet Saime, now a grown up, unhappily married woman. Sparks fly as the two meet again, but Saime decides to save her marriage for the sake of her young daughter.
Tassos Boulmetis directed this nostalgic account of a fragmented family, separated by the hatred between their countries. The screenplay is sentimental as befitting a loving look at the past. A hit in Europe, but it did not find an audience in America. Georges Corraface plays the adult Fanis. The lovely Basak Koklukaya is the adult Saime. Tassos Bandi plays the grandfather. -
MikeK-420 April 2004Having 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.
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besherat27 June 2018The first scene of this incredible movie is worth the whole richness. For a long time, since I was achild, I wanted to be a male. There is only one thing that makes me happy in my feminine skin, which I felt intensely as I watched this first scene in the movie. As the mother of four children, I can say that breastfeeding is the greatest feeling for us . The beginning of the film give me a great magic, and later, emotions flowed smoothly like water. One subtle story, whose guiding line from the beginning to the end is love, will surely be pleasant to all of us. In some movie frame, we dive into the world of fairy tales, which carried us with a red umbrella. And some wonderful impression give me a walking scene in the most beautiful mosque, in the most beautiful city in the world, lace mosque in Ortakoy in Istanbul.
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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.
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Angeneer10 February 2005Politiki Kouzina created a big fuss in Greece because of its production standards, which were higher than any previous Greek movie. Although a variety of filters and effects is evident, it still lags compared to an average Hollywood production. Especially striking is the inability of the actors to dub their lines properly!
The beginning of the film is poor, using some childish gimmicks and cheesy dialogues. It later takes off when we are transferred to Istanbul. The city by itself generates a sentimental reaction in the soul of every Greek. The story though is rather silly. Some food-related metaphors are thrown in the mix here and there, but we see neither a coherent plot nor a main idea. There's a continuous effort to evoke emotions by playing the nostalgia card, although only partially in the movie is the reason of the nostalgia really established.
Corraface is annoying (and what kind of spelling is that anyway?). I never liked him and he just reaffirmed why. He's fake, plain and wooden with just a nice smile. He should better become a TV presenter. Or perhaps he cannot act when he speaks Greek, because his English speaking scenes are actually acceptable. By far, the best performances were from Michaelidis and Louizidou. Absolutely top class and the main reason I rated this movie a 7. Both being from Salonica and with an immigrant background must have helped them absorb the protagonists psyche and manners. No wonder they are both good comedians as well (a good comedian is always a good actor). Second to them, Stelios Mainas and Tamer Karadagli are doing a great job. These four guys save the movie. Tasos Bandis and Basak Koklukaya are not convincing. They could unleash much more emotion through their roles. The two kids were okay but not something special. -
TheoM212 June 2004Not 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... -
dr_araman19 April 2012A TOUCH OF SPICE:
Food plays a prominent role in bonding generations and this story of a Greek boy learning the subtle art of 'spice to please' from a tender young age, from his grandfather, is a marvelous piece. The movie is full of scenes that delight us, in spite of the political tensions in the background arising out of a nation in conflict. Istanbul in its lively roadside shops full of life and and the people who fall in love with it are shown in a well knit story that touches the heart and makes us feel sorry for the way circumstances affect those who lead normal lives by moving them far apart due to no fault of theirs. A satisfying movie, well directed and beautifully filmed. -
miriam_garcia_m27 October 2008I saw this film a couple of days ago on TV, it was highly praised by critics in Spain when it was released in theaters... I wonder why. I can only think it was the kind of snobbish and European-focused celebration some of them put against the American way of movie-making. I found the movie utterly mediocre, although brimming with good intentions I must admit. But this is not enough to make a movie even acceptable. Bad acting, ridiculous effects, sometimes even confusing storyline for a non-Greek... The movie fails to convey the depth of the relationship between the little boy and his grandfather, supposed to be the cornerstone of the story, at least it did not work for me. I can't understand why they haven't seen each other for such a long time and I can't believe that a boy 5 years old keeps the same love interest for 30 years, come on... If you want to see in film a perfect combination of love for food and personal life, check out the Mexican "Como agua para chocolate".
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I read all the comments about this movie before posting mine, and I happen to agree with a couple of them about some flaws in this movie. But I'm still giving it a 8,5/10 because it's pretty good in general. Oh and the Turkish actors are not dubbed, they're speaking English with their own voice. What's so unbelievable about that? Anyway..
Politiki Kouzina has the utmost political message ever: Politics is bulls**t, and it's only useful for tearing people and nations apart! I was really touched by the line "Turks are sending us away as Greeks, and Greeks are receiving us as Turks". I know that pretty well, because the situation with the Bulgarian Turks is pretty much the same and it was a very popular issue in the 90's. "Bulgarians hate us for we're Turks, and Turks address us as Bulgarians". I guess that's the way it goes, as much as it pains anyone with a heart. You have no problems with the place you're living in, you hardly consider yourself a foreigner at all, and all of a sudden someone says you have to "go home". And where the hell is that? A place you go to hear you're from some place else is home just because you come from the same race with its occupants? Doubtful.. This movie delivers the reality behind the Turco-Greek political tension without going into too much depth, and staying loyal to the facts. Moreover, it delivers them without hurting anyone, just the reality as it is. Did the whole Cyprus thing begin because of the evil Greeks or the evil Turks? Probably neither. As a Turkish proverb says "The wet burns along with the dry". Some nasty people decide to destroy peace, and the innocent ones who have the mental capacity to love everyone without checking their passport are the ones who get hurt. Politiki Kouzina depicts this issue oh so very perfectly! You don't need to be Turkish or Greek to enjoy the movie, but you really have to be one of those to get the feeling as it's supposed to be delivered. I can relate to the issue better than an average Turk or Greek, and less than a Greek who's been deported from Turkey or vice versa. My mother was brought up in a neighbourhood of Greeks and Jews. Her friends still send cards and call from Greece and Israel, and some still in Turkey. OK, Turkey and Israel never had problems, but this shows Turkey and Greece could very well overcome their problems too. I've been in Greece, loved the people. I've heard the same several times from Greeks visiting Turkey. What's it that people can't share then? I believe the director of this flick is also one with this sentiment, and fascists of both sides would be utterly disappointed by the movie. Istanbul or Konstantinopolis, Izmir or Smyrna.. Big deal? But it was a big deal for some people, so big that they couldn't even allow innocent children's sweet love to stay intact.
As for the cinematography and such, it's quite alright except for a few minor flaws. Many Turks have been acted by Greeks, that's so very obvious with the accent. Maybe that's a problem only to the Turkish audience, but it doesn't take an IQ of 500 to figure this movie was also meant for Turkish audiences. It can't be THAT hard to find someone who can speak both advanced Greek and basic Turkish, or vice versa. The acting by ALL the cast is really good. My favourite is the head actor, whom I've seen on Peppermint before and was impressed by. The kids are also doing great.
An exceptional story does not always suffice to make a good film, but this one seems to have added enough of the other ingredients to make it as interesting as the plot line would suggest. Recommended to everyone, and extra recommended to Turks and Greeks. -
georgem423 January 2004I just watched the film for the second time in two days and loved it. Initialy, you may be forgiven of thinking that the film is a testament to nostalgia, love, and the preocupation of the Greeks with good food. Nevertheless, although cooking is the main theme of the film, halfway through you realize that there is a serious story behind the gastronomy.
The production, computer graphics and sound could be better but that doesn't really matter. Cinema is about the whole product and in this case it is superb. Good casting with some splendid performances, great cinematography, excellent direction, great music. If that's not enough for you, the film communicates a fine and simple philosophy about life, the universe and everything - one that we used to identify with but sadly we are rapidly moving away from it.
I hope the film is distributed outside Greece. I wouldn't be surprised if it won a few international awards. -
p_radulescu23 June 2011I love Greek cuisine, I love it enormously and I remember the great brunches I used to have at a Greek restaurant in Clarendon, one of the towns from Arlington County. The tables were full of all kind of good stuff, dolmades, eggplant salad (baba ghanoush, if you know the term, though the Greek name is different) and backed eggplant, stuffed peppers, taramosalata and tzatziki, fasolatha and gigandes plaki, souvlaki and keftedakia, and moussaka, cheese of all ways and salami, black and green olives, fish prepared in many ways, and many, many other dishes. That restaurant is no more, but there are other nice Greek restaurants in the DC area.
All this stuff is also in the Turkish cuisine, both are very similar (and they have a strong resemblance with the cuisine of all other Balkan countries, Romania included, and also with all countries in Mid Orient).
Which is the best of them? There is only one answer: you'll find it in Istanbul. It's Politiki Kouzina, the term has double meaning. Politiki Kouzina is the Cuisine of the Polis, because the Great City of Constantine, Constantinopolis, is unique: it is THE City, THE Polis. Politiki Kouzina means also political cuisine, as the relations between Greeks and Turks have always been so complicated that everything there has a strong political dimension.
I watched yesterday a Greek movie from 2003, Politiki Kouzina (the English title is A Touch of Spice): a movie about politics and about cuisine. Greeks who used to live in Istanbul and have been forced to leave for Greece, due to the complicated political contentious between the two countries. They moved to Greece and remained nostalgic for their lost Polis, and a way to keep their distinct identity was Politiki Kouzina: the dishes they went on preparing exactly like in Istanbul. The same spices, in the same proportions, giving the same flavors. Their touch of spice, their Constantinopolitan touch.
A movie calling in mind Cinema Paradiso, full of nostalgia. I have read the reviews to this movie. Most of them were enthusiastic. I'm sorry to say I did not appreciate very much the realization. When you tell its story it sounds great, while the movie itself seemed to me artistically flawed. Maybe too one-sided politically (though very decent), maybe somehow irresolute, like not knowing what turn to take in the unfolding of the plot, maybe some solutions in the plot suffer from lack of consistency.
I am sorry to say that because I am fascinated by Istanbul: I haven't had the occasion to go there so far, it's one of my dearest dreams. And where A Touch of Spice definitely succeeds is in communicating a superb love for the Great City, for the Polis. if I were to choose one scene from the movie, this will be the one in which the father is suddenly telling his love for "the most beautiful city in the world." It's one of those scenes that will remain in my memory for ever! This movie, for all its flaws, deserve to be watched for this scene. Three personages are gathered at the table (where else?) in their apartment in Athens. They have been forced to leave Istanbul many years ago, their souls still belong there. -
Koersel20 May 2006This movie starts out lovely, but when the location moves to Istanbul the language switches from Greek to English. "So what?" I hear you think. "I don't understand Greek anyway". Me neither, but that's not the point. Firstly, the actors their English is very bad, yet they have to utter quite complicated lines. But even that isn't what ruins it. It's the ridiculously bad voice-dubbing! And what's even worse is that it's completely out of sync! Even a Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movie had better dubbing than this. If the movie would have been Greek all the way to the end, it would score an 8+ for sure, but now...even a 6 is a bit too much! What a waste...
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nous17 July 2004This movie explores a painful chapter of the recent Greek history; that of the Greeks of 'Polis' (Konstantinoupolis/Istabul) and their suffering because of the political turbulence that dominated Greek-Turkish relations of the 20th century.
The whole movie seems to be an allegory and addresses things through the particular cooking habits (and abilities) of the Greeks of Polis. It has it all: sweetness, bitterness, love, pain. The main actors perform very well but this is not the case for a couple of the supporting ones. The music is discrete and effective and serves its purpose very well in the nostalgic atmosphere.
In any case, the movie achieves to evoke strong emotions and does not deviate from its course for a happy ending. Highly recommended! -
This is an amazing film in terms of well thought pictures, humorous details, and dream-reality mixture of its content. I laughed a lot! The story is of a Greek family having to leave Istanbul in 1960s, and the little son longing for his girlfriend and Istanbul. It is based on the displacement of characters and their way of finding identity through cooking. Spices in cooking are very important because they have the power to affect relationships between people who cook and eat the food. The film is arranged into three parts: appetizers-the part the little boy is in Istanbul, main course-the migration to Greece, and desserts-the boy became a lecturer and returns to Istanbul to find his grandfather on his death bed. Since most of the film is a fantasy world full of symbolic details, I wasn't sure if the historical details were distorted to emphasize the sentimentality. For example, you see a royal sign at the back of the immigration officers in Istanbul in 1960s. But then Turkey is a republic! There is no record of Greeks deported in those years, escorted by soldiers (neither in official history books, nor in unofficial histories, novels...). But this theme gives the film its sentimentality, so I assumed it was a filmic tool of the director's. I loved the scenes of the city and the camera views capturing the intimacy of interiors, although the image of Istanbul is given from a male foreigner point of view, with Orientalist features (dancing female figure, mosques, spice bazaar with no indication of modern metropolis)and preference of the old name of the city, 'Constantinopolis', instead of its name since 1923, 'Istanbul'.
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Iustinian1 April 2005People 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. -
aristofanis11 November 2003Politiki kouzina is a movie about the cuisine of the Polis and its people. The Polis (City) is no other than Constantinoupolis (Istanbul): "it was called the Polis because it was the most beautiful city of the world!" as exclaims the father of the protagonist. The film actually revolves around the attachment that people have to this city which goes beyond nationality or time period. The City has to do with images, sounds but also with smells and taste! When people leave it, they carry with them their memories from it through stories, customs and the art of cooking.
This movie has become a box office hit in Greece because of it's grand production for the standards in the country and because of it's appealing subject matter that deals with sensitive memories from recent history and...food!
The story is told through the innocent memories of a child, that mix fear, trauma and humor quite eloquently. The film achieves not to provoke while shedding light to a time long gone at a very personal and humane level.
While stage design and special effects are made beautifully, the film is let down somewhat by mediocre acting, inappropriate takes/angles, and to my opinion the middle portion (Fanis' childhood in Athens) is too long compared to the scenes in the Polis that I expected to see more of.
These lost opportunities deprive it from being excellent. I give a 7/10. -
When i first saw the Movie, it was completely in Greek, so i wasn't able to understand it entirely since my Greek is a little bit "rusted" ;) But i saw that it was excellently made, and was overwhelmed when i saw "Tamer Karadagil".
So it had my interest. After seeing it in the cinema, in German, it conquered also my heart. Such a fantastic movie about Love, Politiks, Meals, Old Men, Astronomy, Gastronomy, and the enduring pain of homesickness even after so many years.
Without spoiling: The acting of Fanis Father (Ieroklis Michaelidis) is so beyond fantastic, that you wish the whole movie was made again from his perspective! A great contribution to the Turkish-Greek relations, and hopefully it will finally find its ways to the Turkish cinemas, as far as i know it wasn't shown there yet. It surprises me by the way, that it came nearly 2 years after the premiere into German theaters. Why so extremely delayed? And why in some Countrys even not? For example Turkey ;)
Great thanks to my Greek neighbors for this great movie. And by the way good luck in 4th of June in Istanbul ;) (WM Qualification 2006). -
good but nothing special.. it's more interesting if you're Greek. the story is not bad but seen too many times.. the little kid who grows next to an important father/grandfather figure (seen beautifully in "nuovo cinema Paradiso" ) the ambiance here is not the cinema but the kitchen. it has some political points to it but unfortunately they cannot be understood if you're not Greek or Turkish-will help to see this movie with a Greek friend! the scene with the tanks i.e. will not be understood by someone that knows nothing of Greece during the 60s and 70s for example..
the first half of the movie is better, the second one gets boring.. the relationship of a 5 year old boy with a Turkish girl which lasts after 30 years(!) is not convincing at all.. computer graphics at the change of scenes should be avoided-they don't look real at all and it's a pity for the film..
Ieroklis Michaelidis (Savas Iakovides) delivers a wonderful performance and so does Tassos Vandis (Grandpa Vassilis) and the boy Markos Osse (little Fanis); i'd expect more of Georges Corraface (Fanis Iakovides)-he doesn't seem to fully enter to his role..
good original score too! it's a good film but for a limited audience.. -
kayabay6 April 2007A wonderful movie that perfectly tells about the drama of Greek-Turkish relations, which two nations are "one" as people and apart-ed by "politics". The same extra-ordinary cousin, the spice and warm-hearted people forced to be away from each other in time with the eager politicians still trying to preserve the distance.
Very good cinematography, colors & shots mixed with a beautiful music and people on a historic number of decades which gets your eyes wet.
I would prefer all the conversations to be in their original languages and no English allowed though.
One more movie on one of the most beautiful cities of the world, Istanbul, and with two of the greatest neighbors in heart, Greek and Turkish people.