Penelope Cruz Movie:

Editorial Review:
With this lavish follow-up to Shakespeare in Love, director John Madden proves himself a worthy craftsman of literary films, and while Captain Corelli's Mandolin may frustrate admirers of Louis de Bernières's densely detailed novel, it's a tastefully old-fashioned adaptation, preserving the novel's flavor 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. Emphasizing 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

Captain Corelli's Mandolin [Region 2] Reviews:
Couldn't view the movie
2009-12-19 - Received the DVD and got about 20 minutes into the movie and the DVD stopped working; had to send it back to Amazon for a refund.

If You've Read the Book, You'll Dislike the Movie . . .
2009-09-28 - For purists, nothing is more aggravating than to anticipate a movie of a beloved piece of literature, only to discover the villains are transformed into heroes, the heroes are made the buffoons and, in the interest of adding insult to injury? The screenwriters have completely changed the ending.

Such was my experience with "Captain Corelli's Mandolin".

Had I never read the book, had I never invested time and energy into following the author's train of thought, had I walked blindly into a viewing of this work with no preparation whatsoever, I still would have had issues with costume inaccuracies, lack of historical context, and all-too-convenient plot twists.

But I HAD read the book, so my list of grievances was far larger. The political framework of the Mediterranean theater of WWII was completely absent. The realization that what is beautiful can die and become evil is ripped away by the ennobling of a quite ignoble character. The symbolization of a particular gramophone was lost. One of the most poignant, heartbreaking unrequited love stories ever written is absent from the film, relegating the passionate self-sacrificing soldier into little more than a walk-on role, and the tragedy of a lifetime spent . . . waiting . . . was just . . . gone.

In speaking to those who had never experienced the brilliance of the original work, they enjoyed the film in a late-summer date-night sort of way . . .

It was as if . . . if you can imagine it . . . a "Hallmark Movie of the Week" version of "Gone With The Wind" had been made and marketed, pretending to be as good as the original. A sad recommendation for what could have been an epic piece of film.

Captain's Corelli Mandolin
2009-08-10 - The item delivered by Amazon is very fine. The film is a bit of a "soft drink" with respect to the reality.
Captain Corelli was still alive a couple of years ago, he was in Florence (Tuscany). I guess he was wondering around with a mandolin on his shoulders (especially along military parades). In that event, about 8500-9500 Italian troops were executed by Germans/Nazis because they refused to surrend, and in the end they run out of ammonitions.
If I remember rigth, officers (many were young guys) were shoot one by one. This is remembered as the "Massacre of Cephalonia". I wish that such a tragedy would have been represented by a more highly profiled film.

Surprisingly Good
2009-04-07 - I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, although when I got it I wasn't sure about it. As a war film it is extremely well-done, with the period uniforms and equipment true to the era. The plot was believable and the romantic plot was first rate. Only a couple of things kept me from giving it 5 stars.

Great But Not the Book: So What?
2009-03-27 - i love this film and i love the book. they're different; so what? ... btw, John Hurt (one of *best* actors alive) is by no means wizened. Penelope Cruz was also excellent (see her in "Don't Move"!) Nick Cage was also very good, except that the accent thing was overdone at times... nice to see Irene Pappas as well.