Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Rating:
Summary: A cinematic reminder of how terrible war is.
Review: Captain Corelli's mandolin was a disturbing movie. I give it props for showing how terrible war can be. It's also a love story but I thought it was more about how the Greeks and the Italians were trying to live a normal life in spite of the war that their two countries were involved in. This movie shows the effects that war can have on an individual. I'd rather not give away any of the scenes in the movie but you'll have to trust me when I tell you this movie is disturbing and sad. It was slow and boring at first but it became more and more interesting as it went on. The romance between Cage and Cruz was pretty realistic and believable. And even though I don't like Penelope Cruz very much, I thought she was competent in this movie. Cage was very good, not his best performance but not his worst. I thought Christian Bale gave the best performance in the movie. He has always been good ever since "Emperor of the sun" with John Malkovich. The actor that played Cruz's father was also very good. The best aspects about this film are it's realism in terms of the problems facing man in war, and the music. There were some very beautiful moments in the film because of the music that Corelli plays on his Mandolin. The song that he writes for Pelagia is beautiful. If you like hearing the mandolin then go see the film. And if you like a good war movie go see it also. I liked it very much, it was emotionally moving, and it had some very beautiful moments.

Rating:
Summary: Tragedy & love, drawn from history, on a sunny Greek isle!
Review: For pure entertainment, it's hard to beat a love story wrapped in a war story. As a war story, Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a failure. As a love story, it's barely there, but the combination is greater than the sum of the parts. The story is rich; it's historical, and the cinematography of a sunny Greek island will give any movie a lift.

Set in World War II, the Italian army, under the control of the Germans, occupies the Greek Island of Cephallonia. The islanders are not intimidated in the least, by the Italians. They regard them as hopeless, spineless cowards and the most pathetic excuse for soldiers. These soldiers are not real fighting men anyway. They are musicians in uniform. Despite the intrusion of the Italian occupiers, these musicians bring a love of music and an enjoyment life, where they can find it, to the war stressed town.

Penelope Cruz plays Pelagia, a medical student and daughter of the village doctor. She has a boyfriend in the village, Madras, who is involved with the Greek resistance. Nicholas Cage plays Captain Corelii, the ranking Italian officer on the island. He of course, works on charming the initially hostile Pelagia away from Madras. The romance is a little frustrating. It's stretched out over the length of the film without enough romantic, "Action, " along the way.

I've always liked Nicholas Cage. By the formulas of Hollywood, he was not perfectly cast as the Captain. His posture is awkward. He's not slick, not a classic romantic type. But the rough fit gives the film some of it's charm. Penelope Cruz doesn't seem perfectly cast either, but by some magic, she made a Penelope Cruz fan out of me. On the down side, Cage's accent is horrendous, by the way, and varies throughout the film. It doesn't hurt the film, but both Cage and Cruz seem far too old for the roles they play.

I thought the portrayal of the German officer, Captain Weber, by David Morrissey, was exceptional. He is not characterized as the stereotypical, Teutonic tyrant. With very little screen time, I felt his characterization was human, complex, sympathetic and conflicted.

Christian Bale's acting, as Madras, is also excellent. As a member of the Greek resistance and as Captain Corelli's rival for Pelagia, he has every reason to do him. Observe his non-verbal behavior.

In contrast to the Greek islander's initial view of the Italians, in the end, Captain Corelli and his band of musicians turn out to be courageous men of conviction. The musicians fight, and die, for the love of life, humanity and the love of a woman. By contrast the Germans fight and kill, for all the wrong things. And when it came to life and love, it is our German officer, so capable of life and love, who becomes the spineless coward.

How sad it was to read in the film's afterward that the German military executed thousands of Italian soldiers on Cephallonia in 1943. How sad it is that so many films today entertain people with faked violence, exaggerated a thousand fold; yet, we remain ignorant where it was a reality. By contrast, the makers of Captain Corelli's Mandolin had to minimize showing the historical violence so it would not obliterate the love story. In the movie there is just violence enough to shock and inform us.

The film was based on a historical novel of the same name, by the way. If you want to know more about the historical incident upon which the movie was based, just search on the Internet for Cephallonia. It is one of the three Ionian Islands, which also happen to be the birth place of Greek philosophy. Today, the Greeks have a shrine there for the executed Italian soldiers. The actual execution sites and places where the bodies were dumped are marked and preserved. Many Greeks and Italians pray at the sites.

Rating:
Summary: Good movie ... if you have not read the book
Review: If this movie had been an original screenplay, I would think it brilliant, lovely, and wonderful. However, I read the book first (which I absolutely adored) so the story was set in my mind. The movie cut so many scenes that I thought were completely necessary to the plot, and added silly Hollywood scenes in their place. The film relegated major characters in the book (like Carlo Guerccio) to one or two lines in the film. In my opinion, this was a big mistake by the screen writers.

Cage and Cruz played their respective parts well in this film. Cage was funny and quirky like Corelli's character is described in the book, and Cruz honed in on Pelagia's quiet, reserved nature. Christian Bale looked surprisingly Greek in the movie, playing Pelagia's fiancé, Mandras. Although his character in the novel was the complete opposite in the filml, he played the part well. Dr. Iannis was intelligent, kind, and loving, and his character in the film translated the same way.

In conclusion, the movie is good and beautiful, but it pales in the light of the novel. Read the book!

Rating:
Summary: oh puh-lease!
Review: Maybe I have no business reviewing this movie. I had a good inclination that I wouldn't like it, but I watched it anyway. I've been wrong before, but this movie never even made me think twice about my final analysis: skip it.

First and foremost, I'm bothered by the logistics. The film takes place on a lovely Greek island that is occupied by Italians during WWII. Penelope Cruz portrays an attractive young Greek woman; Nicholas Cage a reluctant Italian soldier who just happens to be quartered at the home Pelagia (Cruz) shares with her physician father. Forgive me, but I was extrememly distracted by the fact that EVERYONE spoke English. The locals sit around reading Greek newspapers while they twitter on in English and listen to English news on the radio. Nobody--the Italians, the Greeks, the Germans who showed up now and then--had any trouble communicating. Good grief! The writers and director of this film didn't even try to pull off any communication barriers with the characters in this film--and Cruz didn't even try to shed her Spanish accent.

I didn't read the book, but it was immediately obvious that this would be a love-triangle movie. Sure enough . . . it was. There are few surprises here, folks, and not even good acting to balance it out. The dialogue is contrived and silly, especially Cage's over-the-top sense of humor. His honking laughter in this film doesn't become him.

This film would have been beautiful if it had been produced by Italians or Greeks--that way they could cast native speakers and the petty language issue would go away. I would much rather watch a sub-titled foreign flick than sit through the likes of this again.

Rating:
Summary: War time romance
Review: In the beautiful setting of a Greek island, this movie tells of the ravages of war. It takes place during WWII, when Italy and Germany are allies and the Italians are invading the island in retribution for a defeat in Albania. They are benevolent captors and attempt to make friends with the Greeks, who are decidedly cool towards them. Penelope Cruz is the daughter of a doctor, who is engaged to a young man on the island. When he goes off to war, the separation changes their relationship irrevocably. She and Italian Captain Corelli, played by Nicolas Cage, inevitably fall in love, but the war eventually separates them. Cruz gives a strong performance, as does John Hurt who plays her father. Cage's performance is less inspiring and his Italian accent is uneven and unconvincing. It also stretches belief to see his men burst into song in perfect harmony at every opportunity. All in all, however, this is an entertaining movie which is beautifully filmed.

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous Greek island plays host to turgid movie
Review: I have read that the film version of Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a disappointment to fans of the novel. I can't comment on that because I didn't read the book. I can say that it is a disappointment as a movie.

The movie begins in 1940 on the spectacularly beautiful Greek island of Kefallonia. The winds of war are sweeping across Europe. Italy, allied with Nazi Germany, has begun an invasion of Greece. The residents are somewhat philosophical about this because, over its long history, the island has suffered numerous invasions, as well as devastating earthquakes.

The story is narrated by Dr. Iannis [John Hurt], a lifelong resident. He has seen to it that his beautiful and intelligent young daughter, Pelagia [Penelope Cruz], has received a good education. She is in love with Mandras [Christian Bale], a local fisherman. Her father knows that Mandras will never be Pelagia's equal, but his protestations do not stop the couple from getting engaged.

One warm, bright day the Italian troops arrive. It's not a violent event, since the island has no army. Among the Italians is the dashing but gentle Capt. Antonio Corelli [Nicholas Cage], who has never aimed a gun at anyone in his life and who would rather be singing and playing his mandolin. He winds up being bivouacked in the Dr.Iannis and Pelagria's home. He is attracted to her, but she at first does not respond. She sees him only as part of an invading force. Later, though, she begins to view him differently. He is the equal she has unknowingly been waiting for. A classic love triangle begins to emerge, and the war that so far has been relatively benign will soon become malignant for both the islanders and the Italians.

Regular readers know that the war movie is not my favorite kind. Of the ones I've liked, the majority center around the effects of war on civilian populations. Captain Corelli's Mandolin could have been one I enjoyed. The movie is as much about love and the ability of life to thrive in even the harshest settings than it is about war.

A couple of things work against it. One is the script. Even though I didn't read the book, it's as though the movie is a compressed version of it. It's director, John Madden, has made some fine movies, including Shakespeare in Love and Mrs. Brown. Here, he has made editing choices that, while keeping the movie from running three hours, make the story feel choppy. The story advances months and even years without much warning.

The other problem is the casting of the main roles. Cage is a fine actor. Though he is most closely associated with action adventure films, he has also shown talent in romantic roles in movies like Moonstruck and City of Angels. Still, he's not quite soulful or peaceful enough to play Corelli, a most reluctant warrior, convincingly. I have seen Penelope Cruz in several movies she made in her native Spain, and she was quite good. I have yet to be impressed by a performance of hers in an English language flick. She needs to work on getting down the nuances of the language, not just its words. Also, it's disconcerting to hear her Greek character speaking English in a heavy Spanish accent.

The star of this movie is Kefallonia itself. If the plot doesn't hold your interest, there's always the scenery to look at. Some people have said that the village in the movie looks uncannily like the one in the book. There's an easy explanation for it. All of the buildings were constructed for it. The area where it was filmed was leveled by an earthquake in 1953 and never rebuilt.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Plan to watch this on your computer...
Review: Unless you download their anti-theft software. This software also gets info from your computer (spy bots) and sends it to heaven knows where. You cannot watch the DVD on your computer unless you agree to load the software. I resent that I have to load spy software to watch a movie. This is a Universal Studios DVD. If all of them start doing this, and they may, my computer would be full of otherwise useless software. Also, there is no notice on the cover telling you this, so you aren't given the option not to buy.

Rating:
Summary: Worth seeing
Review: This movie has everything - romance, action, well-developed characters, human interest and some wonderful locations. I enjoyed this movie apart from one thing: Casting Cage in the leading role was a big mistake, in my opinion. I'm not trying to take anything away from Cage's acting ability here - he is great in some parts, such as in "Face Off" and "The Rock" but he is about as convincing as an Italian lover as Austin Powers would be! It is painful, almost, watching Cage try to be Italian. In one of the early scenes Cage is conducting his men singing the Anvil Chorus while they shave, with huge and overdne gestures. All I can see when he does this is Cage as the madman in the Halleluja Chorus scene in "Face Off"! Ditto when he laughs wildly and says "Quick, get a gun" when the father breaks the curfew. It just doesn't wash, somehow. However, that said, as the film progresses, Cage does seem to become more comfortable in the part and therefore more convincing.

Rating:
Summary: READ THE BOOK!
Review: After seeing this movie I was COMPLETELY upset at how thoroughly the directer managed to ruin a beautiful story. This movie does not come remotely close to doing justice to the book itself. This story is so "Hollywood-ized" they add sex where it is completely unnecessary, romanticize a story about life, war, and TRUE LOVE, and the screenwriters completely change the story line around! I was most offended when one of the most noble characters of the book, Carlo Guercio, was competely downplayed to the point where I had no emotion towards the movie character at all. The book, Corelli's Mandolin, is a beautifully written story that made me laugh and cry all at the same time. I felt smarter just reading it because De Bernieres uses a plethora of vocabulary words that rarely appear in everyday conversation. The story is about life itself, and it is full of lessons that a person can apply to make themself a better person. DONT SEE THIS MOVIE!!!! READ THE BOOK! I guarantee, it is completely worth the time.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie. Great Scenaries.
Review: This is a very heart warming movie. Nicolas Cage's accent sounds funny though. Penela Cruz is fantastic in this movie. I usually don't like war movies and lovie-dovie movies, but this movie is quite good. The settings and location where this is made is very beautiful. Penela should win an Oscar for this. After this, I am forever a Penela fan.