Zimt und Koriander

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 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.

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.

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.

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.