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Captain Corelli's Mandolin Main Cast:
Director: John Madden Rating: 3 Stars. Worth a watch. Plot Summary: The beautiful Greek island of Cephallonia is taken over by the Italians during World War 2. The locals are less than happy with this occupation! In spite of this an Italian Captain, Antonio Corelli (Nicolas Cage) wins over the heart of Pelagia (Penelope Cruz). Pelagia is the beautiful daughter of the island’s doctor (John Hurt). She finds herself in the dilemma of falling in love with the “enemy” but Corelli’s love for life and music win her over. In spite of the Italian occupation the island remains peaceful but as the war continues their love affair is threatened by the terrible reality of warfare… Review: This wartime romance is beautifully filmed and acted. You can almost feel the heat of the Mediterranean Island. However the beautiful scenery and great acting cannot turn what is basically a simple love story into an epic. The story is little more than a love story with World War 2 as a backdrop. The film does not truly reflect the horrors of warfare or the anguish that the inhabitants would experience after the occupation of their island. In particular the anguish that Pelagia would have experienced in her dilemma of falling in love with one of her countries aggressors was skimmed over. While the film does briefly portray the plight of the Greek partisans it could have developed this in more depth. There are plenty of light comic moments throughout the film and the excellent acting from Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz and John Hurt help bring the story to life. Reviewed by Niall Quinn, PremierMovieReviews |