Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Parable on Love and War and the Land
Review: CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN is an exceptional film and I enjoyed it very much. The love story is there but there are numerous emotional vignettes concerning the effects of the war on all concerned from Greek, Italian and German military to the Greek civilian population. These impressionable glimpses into the human psyche burdened by loyalty and duty to one's homeland overshadow the love story. War brings out feelings and ambiguities of the conscience that can never be experienced in peacetime. That is really the strength of this film. I did not read the novel. Often comparisons of films made from novels can be a burden on the viewer providing that the viewer has read the novel prior to seeing the film. In some cases a film can actually improve on an idea that the novel did not exploit to its full potential. My reaction here is just to what I viewed in the film. As I watched this film I kept getting flashes of David Lean's RYAN'S DAUGHTER. It is similar in that a love story develops between a young Irish woman and a young British officer of the army occupying her homeland during the First World War. Both films also contain very many scenes on the beach and seashore. In RYAN'S DAUGHTER the primary focus was on the love story and not the war. I suppose I mention RYAN'S DAUGHTER because when I first realized that films were a passion with me and I wanted to really know why that was, RYAN'S DAUGHTER was the film I delved into looking for answers. Often you come away with more questions than answers. What makes a film good? Perhaps that is not a legitimate question. More importantly, what is there in a film that attracts it to you? What makes it work for you? I think that a film that evokes an emotional response from you is something to take note of and perhaps cherish at some point. These are some of the thoughts that kept surfacing as I watched CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN. I can't say that CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN is a film rich in character development. However, I go back again to the several vignettes that capture little snippets of conversation or a facial expression or body movement that reveals the soul and its true feeling of displeasure and hurt by the injustices of war that buries the rational mind and loving heart. For that alone I find CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN a film very worthy of your attention. Not since SAVING PRIVATE RYAN has a war film touched that part of me. CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN is no SAVING PRIVATE RYAN but it does scrutinize and bring to the forefront another facet of the effects of that war and all wars. The DVD images are brilliantly and artistically realized making this a truly wonderful film.
Rating: 
Summary: No Sanctity!
Review: Break the mandolin now! Nicolas Cage can't play an instrument, no! I was expecting to see a stuntman's hands while playing the mandolin, but Cage does it himself. Unfortunately for the audience, he tries to woo Penelope Cruz's heart with atrocious tunes and dire melodies. Christian Bale the same man who played the "American Psycho" has an Italian accent? I can't tell, everybody's misplaced in this bread crumb of a movie. Not enough war scenes, I was distraught. Oblivious muddle.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the best!
Review: Set in the calm serene scenic beauty of Greece, this movie is a story, taking you on a journey into the past, and into the hearts of of two courageous people. Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz are simply excellent. This movie does show us that "love can move mountains," and mountains it did move.
Rating:
Summary: Big Disappointment
Review: If you're thinking of getting this film because you liked the book, DON'T BOTHER! Penelope Cruz sounds like she hasn't quite learned her lines and is reading from a script and Nicholas Cage, who in other films is quite good, made a very silly Antonio Corelli.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Perfection...
Review: Many movies move from one major event to another without consulting the in between... this movie does just the opposite. It consults the 'in between' without losing focus. It IS a love story. The love story of this particular film occurs in the midst of reality. The reality they focus on is cultural... which is a welcomed change when most movies based on this time era try to convey only war. The writers/director/actors of this movie convey every element. Creativity, emotion, compassion, romanticism, loyalty and love... the very essence of human existance. This movie is above and beyond in its portrayal of the time. It exceeded itself.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes Ben Hur look like an epic -- hugely disappointing
Review: One of the best aspects of this DVD is the comprehensive booklet it comes with, but I was shocked to read its description of the movie as an "epic". To me there seems to be no grandeur about this film besides the isle of Cephalonnia itself. The music is unmemorable, much of the acting (e.g. John Hurt) is uncommitted, and even the cinematography seems unambitious in its scale. I found myself caring nothing for the two lead characters, but perhaps I resented an American being cast as an Italian and a Hispanic cast as a Greek. This is an enormous, wasted opportunity -- no wonder author Louis de Bernieres refused to have anything to do with the movie once he realised what the production team intended. On the plus side, I cannot fault Cage for the effort put into his mandolin-playing and Cruz for the effort she put into her acting. But Cruz just doesn't strike me as a talented actress -- she seemed more convincing on the dancefloor. Me suspects this movie is headed for golden raspberryland in future years.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful film
Review: This film is beautifully shot - the island of Cephalonia is stunning, the blue sea and sky, the green of the trees, the warm colours of the buildings and the people. The story is an interesting spin on the usual WWII fare. I did not find it over-long as I was content to wallow in the visual feast that was being served up to me. The ending of the film is very moving. Other critics are right - John Hurt is terrific in this film, Nicolas Cage less so. This is an enjoyable film provided you are not expecting the heavens. I can recommend the book, however, as being more satisfying than the film.
Rating:
Summary: Dazzling....
Review: I will not write a review about this movie from an expert critique's stand point. Nor will I give you a summary of the plot as others have done.
I will simply tell you this: this movie touched me deeply on an emotional level.
Nicolas Cage plays an uncanny role as the compassionate and music loving captain of a small group of Italian soldiers on the Greek island. He falls in love with the beautiful Pelagia (superbly acted by Penelope Cruz) who is torn between her hidden desire for the Captain and her loyalty to her finance Mandras (Christian Bale)who ignores her to take partake in the Greek resistance. Well thats a very brief summary there...(sorry I've contradictd myself) But the rest of the movie is pure beauty and emotion.
The scenes on the actually island are breathtaking, the music by Stephen Warbick (Shakespeare in Love) simply fabulous and heartbreaking,and the acting by Cruz,Cage was perfect despite Cage's somewhat not so perfect accent. I also have to add great support by Christian bale and especially John Hurt who I thought should ve been nominated for an oscar for supporting role. I think this movie can be summed up by one tiny scene where the Italian and German soldiers along with the local Greeks are at terrace in the evening drinking and debating on war and justifying their point of view. The argument gets heated until one Italian soldiers gets up and says poignantly :
"its such a beautiful night.....I want to fall in love"
Rating: 
Summary: Elvis and Sophia
Review: No I'm just joking but Nick Cage reminds me of Elvis Presley and I just can't seem to pull him out of that vision. When he played a love swain Italian, I just couldn't get into it. He has played in too many action films and just doesn't fit that role to me. Cruz was very good in her part and she can really act a heartbroken maiden and really show deep love and emotion. I compared her to Sophia Loren, that I'm not sure of it just came to me in a flash. I think Loren is a tremendous actor so it is surely a compliment. The film's story seemed old, boy meets girl, she falls out of love with her first love and falls for the new guy. The setting was spectacular with the most beautiful blue water and green coastal mountains, like a heaven on earth. This is what really got my attention, as well as Cruz who is very pretty. The things that I liked was that it showed the tragedy that happened to the Italians when the Germans turned against them in Greece. This is history and not shown in many movies. I also liked the mandolin music and really appreciated that Nick Cage learned how to play this instrument. I also liked the dancing, it was neat to see Cruz dance. I had heard she was a dancer and you can tell by her posture she is. The movie had a scene where I think she did either the tango, marengue or who knows whatever dance it was, it was good. So those were the things that made it stand out, the theme was also good. When Nick Cage said that morality was what was really important in times of war and this was shown by Cruz's first lover finding Cage's character after being shot and bringing him back to life. Even in times of anger we need to still reach out to another who is suffering, at least for me. I think this was also something the film might have been trying to say. ...
Rating:
Summary: What were they thinking?
Review: WARNING: Plot details you might not want to know.
I'd heard the movie wasn't very good, but that the book was, so I read it first. I loved the book, although I don't think Corelli comes off looking very good in the end. Why did he give up so easily, just because he saw her holding a baby? If I were such a lover, I would not give up hope until I saw incontrovertible evidence of a living husband.
Anyway, I was curious to see what the filmmakers would do to the plot, and my expectations were low. The book has so much wonderful detail about secondary characters, they seem indispensible, but I can see how you'd have to leave that out of a 2-hour film. 2 hours just isn't enough to build up all the tension in the story. But it strays so much from the novel it's really not the same story--You get a hollywood formula instead.
My thoughts are these: 1) If you kinda like the idea of this movie, try the book. Other reviewers say the first 100 pages are hard to read, but hang in there. 2)I actually think this story could work as a musical or operetta.
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