This film based on a Spanish best-seller is a wonderful, exotic drama, with too many distinctive elements to mention them all here. So, what's with the rating? The average rating is 7, but an actual rating of 5 is shown. If anything, someone with a personal grudge has stuffed the ballots against this crowd pleasing film. I first saw it here 5 years ago at our International Film Festival, where it played to a packed house, and was an audience favorite. The same acclaim in its native Spain and Latin America had preceded it. Otherwise, it would not have been chosen for our Festival, which features a small and careful selection of the best Hispanic Films not in general release in the US. Anyway, the movie has now been available on PAL video for years, and is one of the most memorable romantic dramas you will ever see, with several unique touches, you are unlikely to forget. The novel use of two endings by the director is one of them. The movie ends with a more popular (with test audiences) ending, different from the novel. The director then shows us again the last scene, ending the film as the novel ended. This gives audience a choice of endings, and makes you think about how original material is frequently altered in films, to make them more commercial. This additional food for thought is the last stroke of genius the director offers us. Don't miss it.
Review of La pasión turca
