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Captain Corelli's Mandolin [2001]
from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm
starring Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, John Hurt, Christian Bale, Irene Papas
directed by John Madden

Features:

• PAL
• Widescreen

Editorial Review:

While Captain Corelli's Mandolin may frustrate admirers of Louis de Bernières' densely detailed novel, it proves Shakespeare in Love director John Madden is a worthy craftsman of literary films. It's a tastefully old-fashioned adaptation, preserving the novel's flavour while focusing on its love story set against the turbulence of World War II. Set on the Greek island of Cephallonia, the drama begins in 1940 with occupation by Italian troops, awkwardly allied with the Nazis and preferring hedonistic friendliness over military intimidation. That attitude is most generously embodied by Captain Corelli (Nicolas Cage), who is instantly drawn to the Greek beauty Pelagia (Penélope Cruz) despite her engagement to Mandras (Christian Bale), a resistance fighter whose absence leaves Pelagia needy for affection. Mandras's eventual return--and the inevitable attack by German bombers and ground troops--threaten to stain this Greek-Italian romance with deeply tragic bloodshed.

Accompanied by pensive serenades from the captain's cherished mandolin, the film charts the unlikely attraction of Corelli and Pelagia, whose wizened physician father (splendidly played by John Hurt) fears for the worst. Their love is uneasy (and Cage's miscasting doesn't help), but the island's beguiling atmosphere is as seductive to them as it is to the viewer, thus making the outbreak of violence--and a climactic earthquake--jarringly traumatic. Emphasising nobility in war and the many definitions of love, the story's wartime context intensifies the film's admirable depth of emotion. Faults will be found by anyone who's looking for them, but Captain Corelli's Mandolin remains a sensuous, richly layered film that die-hard romantics will find hard to resist.--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• It hurt
  I will try not to be too negative.
  I found it painful to watch this movie , I mad ethe incredible mistake of reading the book 2 years before I saw the movie and I was slighty worried about the cast but my cocerns turned into nightmares as the caracterisation was totally woeful , john Hurt can be saved with a mildly credible accent and some decent acting.
  Kefallonia is a beatifil Island with glorious sunsets and multiple colours to make any cinematographis enterprise shine but the director (... more info

• Decent film...If you have not read the book.
  Just to re-iterate those which have reviewed before myself - DON'T WATCH THE FILM IF YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK. Not only will its almost blatant disregard to the book by Louis De Berniéres annoy you (it barely potrays pivotal moments), but also - if like me you can't watch a film without pointing out every single inconsistency with its book - you will spend most of your time shouting: "That shouldn't be there that happened earlier/later!" or "(S)He never says that!".
  The excellent book really does... more info

• This film is a crime against literature
  Judged on its own, this movie is an empty piece of fluff. However, judged against the novel which, at best, VERY loosely "inspired" it, it is frankly criminal. All those involved in the film should be deeply ashamed of themselves. As I watched, my disappointment gradually turned into a deep soul-destroying horror, particularly at the ending, which chewed up, swallowed, and excreted the final chapters of the novel in a great steaming pile of celluloid nonsense. The ending was not only unrecognizable, it... more info

• Terrible, just terrible.
  This film is awful. It's kitsch, it's hammy, it adds a layer of Hollywood-style sentimentality which is entirely out of place, and Nicolas Cage is disastrously mis-cast as Captain Corelli. He portrays him as a charmless muppet who nobody in their right mind would fall in love with. No - avoid this film at all costs and stick with the book.

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