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Reviews

by Susan

"A Piece of Eden" is a tender, funny, film about the virtues of family unity, love of the land, and respect for one's self. At the very heart of the film is Giuseppe Tredici (Andreas Katsulas), the patriarch of the family Tredici, which translates to "Thirteen". Though laboring under an amply manifested family curse, Giuseppe never loses hope. He retains at all times, and instills in his sons, an innate love and respect for kin and Nature. Even if Nature, on some frivolous whim, decides to send his entire flock over the nearest Corsican cliff, Giuseppe holds no grudge. He even embraces the curse with which his line has been burdened. Given the opportunity to choose a new name for his new life in America, he holds fast to his unfortunate surname for the simple reason that it is his.

Though tempted away from the family orchards by the lure of modern city life, Giuseppe's grandsons learn, in the end, that cosmopolitan glamour and the promise of wealth count for little without the bonds of family.

While Andreas Katsulas' screen time is by no means ample in this film, the presence of his character is felt throughout it. He lends Giuseppi such gentle warmth and charm that it seems almost inconceivable that he could ever have been type cast as a "bad guy". That sad fact only goes to demonstrate, once again, how consistently this marvelous actor's talent has been under-used by the stereotype-ridden minds of Hollywood. It took the independent vision of a true filmmaker to see his warm humanity and comedic aptitude, and utilize it to enrich and bring to life a wonderful story.

"A Piece of Eden" is a little gem of a film. Visually beautiful and inviting, it speaks to one's soul of the Lost Garden we all hold within us. But it is the people of this garden, it's residents and caretakers, who are the real story of Eden.

Director John Hancock has assembled a stunning troupe of suberb character actors in this tale of family life and strife, "A Piece of Eden". From the grandfather, Giuseppe Tredici (Andreas Katsulas), through his son Franco (Robert Breuler) and grandson Bob (Marc Grapey) we see a family in transition, trying to hold on to its love of the land and need to move their business forward.

The Tredici family has a long history of being cursed in its native Corsica. When an earthquake causes his flock of sheep to stampede over a cliff Guiseppe decides to try to change his family's bad luck and moves them to Chicago. Although he finds a good job, he realizes, through his son Franco, that the land is where their family belongs and buys a small orchard in Indiana. In time, their orchard grows and expands and they become successful in their new adopted land.

After Franco is injured, Bob, the first Tredici born in America, comes back to help his family, leaving his failing talent agency in New York. Old resentments between Franco and Bob resurface, as do new problems with Franco's brother and his son.

John Hancock expertly weaves the lives of these characters to show a rich tapestry of life within this family. Marc Grapey and Rebecca Harrell (Happy Buchanan) have a natural on-screen chemistry that make them believable from their first scene.

"A Piece of Eden" is a sweet tale that the whole family can watch together, and more than once. Through Hancock's deft handling of this story and its characters we can each see aspects of our own families through the Tredicis. His ability to pick up on the subtleties of situations only helps us to understand and appreciate what these people are going through. And "A Piece of Eden" shows us that no matter what happens with the Tredicis they, like many of us, find ways to strengthen the one bond that holds them together - the bond of family.

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This page last updated October 14, 2000

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