O Theos agapaei to haviari

"God Loves Caviar" is a Biography - Drama movie in which we follow the story of Ioannis Varvakis, a Greek pirate who became a successful businessman from selling caviar all over the world.

I liked this movie because it was interesting and I learned something from it since I didn't know who Ioannis Varvakis was and what he did. The direction which was made by Yannis Smaragdis was for one more time exceptional (taking into consideration the budget of the movie) and equally good with another movie of his "El Greco" of 2007. The interpretation of Sebastian Koch who played as Ioannis Varvakis was simply amazing and he did an excellent job. Some other interpretations that have to be mentioned were Marisha Triantafyllidou's who played as Maria, Juan Diego Botto's who played as Lefentarios and Catherine Deneuve's who played as Catherine the Great. Finally, I have to say that "God Loves Caviar" is an interesting movie and I highly recommend everyone to watch it.

Stunning film, which provokes a multitude of sentiments throughout its length, from laughter to cry, bliss to mild horror. Surprising, exciting and well made. Great cinematography, some beautiful shots of the Greek sea. A complex story made clear even for the ignorant (of the History behind it) to understand. The life of a hero from birth to death fits perfectly in a very carefully constructed scenario, which is in line with real events of his life and his time. And even if it's made to look like a 'fairy tale' for kids the film itself assures you it is not. Very good cast, a combination of international actors adapting difficult roles and performing them well. I felt it contains the 'theatrical stage element' as many other Greek productions do. Overall, honest with the viewer, it helps you stay a viewer enhancing your critical thought about what you are watching, giving you time to process it. And above all, the first 30 minutes give you more satisfaction than the series of The Pirates of the Caribbean all together! I would watch it again.

I will agree with tinakewy's review. The screenplay was confusing a lot. I liked the actors a lot, especially the Greeks who were very serious with their roles. They didn't look like the usual Greek actors. I also really liked the mother of Varvakis when she came down to earth to talk with him. Her expressions and her eyes were very beautiful.

I would like to mention some technical issues that I noticed. Is it possible to have Out of Focus shots? There were lots of shots like this and there weren't a screenplay reason. It was a technical mistake. Even if the budget was low, controlling Focus is a basic thing. In some cases the video editing was a bit disturbing, too. You could tell the cuts. Also, the dubbing was noticeable in some cases.

I would really like to watch a great story, a great film as a Greek. But it wasn't that great.

Thank you.

Granted the move wasn't the best I have ever seen, and could have been better. If you take everything into consideration such as the limited budget and the complexity of the topic I think they did a good job of telling a very interesting story. Being Greek myself I had a very general idea of the topic prior to watching this film. It did a decent job of giving us the basics in the limited time available. You should watch this move and then do some research on the history to get a better understanding of what place.

I think a number of people are missing the moral of the story that is that your home is always where your heart is.

I don't wont to be spoiler but watch it regardless of its short coming and I am sure you will enjoy it.

A movie very close to Varvakis life. A movie that shows that Greeks are exactly like that , we always let our Βenefactors like Varvakis to die & always act like traitors for the interest of the wealthy countries(as long as our pocket is full with money). Something that still happens today. I believe that this is what Smaragdis is trying to tell us. But unfortunately we cannot handle the truth. If Smaragdis had more funds he could make it even better. Some of the special effects (like the destruction of the Turkish fleet) could have been better. But these cost. The change between languages might sound a little confusing but it was a necessity . A big bravo for Mr Smaragdis, i enjoyed the complex of this movie much more than El-Greco.