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Zone's Eye View of "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" 

Visit EZ's Red Carpet Premiere of "Captain Corelli's Mandolin"

Synopsis of movie, courtesy of Universal:

The Greek island of Cephallonia rises, forgotten and timeless, from the brilliant turquoise of the Ionian Sea, home to a people who love their land. Nature has taken liberties with Cephallonia, shaking and twisting it with furious earthquakes, but the island has responded with dignity and resilience, preserving its traditions and myths for generations...until 1941, when the war that was convulsing the world finally reached its shores.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin tells the story of a soldier in a foreign land, trapped in a war he didn't believe in. But when innocent lives were threatened, he became their only hope. 

Captain Corelli's Mandolin traces a love that begins uneasily between a conscripted officer of the occupying Italian army, Captain Antonio Corelli, portrayed by Academy Award-winner Nicolas Cage, and Pelagia a strong-willed, ambitious young Cephallonian played by Penelope Cruz. When Corelli and his company of men arrive on the unspoiled island, they think of their stay as kind of a Grecian holiday, with the war a distant radio dispatch. At first Pelagia and the other villagers resent the uninvited guests, but ultimately, the Italians' charm and passion for life wear away the divisions of nationality and circumstance. Pelagia comes to see Corelli for the man he is: full of love for life, for his music, and for her. 

Inevitably, the war crashes upon the idyllic shores of Cephallonia, forever upsetting its tranquility, for the inhabitants as well as for the comfortably garrisoned Italians. The tender connection that has grown between Antonio and Pelagia is threatened. As Captain Corelli faces the violent realities of warfare, he must confront the possibility of leaving Cephallonia and the woman he has come to love. Pelagia knows that she, too, is powerless in the face of war and must say goodbye to her lover, with no certainty that they will ever meet again. 

Now for The Zone's Eye View

By Laura Alber

After “Shakespeare In Love”, I really expected more from director John Madden. This war drama was based on a best-selling novel by Louis De Bernieres, but the movie didn’t live up to the same fame.

One of the things the movie had going for it, was the beautiful scenery of an Ionian Island, Cephallonia, Greece. The other would probably be the actual war scenes shot in this film. Very brutal, bloody and devastating.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin begins with Pelagia (Penelope Cruz) who is the daughter of the local doctor played by John Hurt. Her “intended” is about to go off to war with the Nazi’s, so they decide to have an engagement ceremony before he leaves. Christian Bale plays the fiancé, and I’m still scratching my head wondering who made that casting decision. Pelagia fully intends on taking the place of her father eventually as the local doctor.

Everything is so quiet in the town and the war seems so far away. Then they discover Hitler is planning attacks on Greece. Reinforcement troops are sent in from Italy and yes, you guessed it, Captain Corelli (Nicolas Cage) enters her small village with his troops.

Corelli’s group seems less anxious about fighting and more concerned that they get plenty of practice in their “opera club”. Yes, Cage can belt out an Aria as we’ve heard him do several times before, but as for an Italian accent…forget about it!

Pelagia and her father have been asked to allow the captain to stay with them while they are in Greece. At first Pelagria seems less than thrilled about the new houseguest. But, Cage has always had a way with the women and they quickly fall in love. Her fiancé is still at war or dead with Pelagia not hearing a word from him since he left. There are several scenes of Italians singing, drinking and partying with the women – not exactly who I’d want protecting my home!

The love story plot line is so thing and not believable at all. I had doubts about Penelope’s acting before this movie, now I’m sure of them. She is in desperate need of acting lessons. She had only two expressions throughout the entire movie-anger, and misery. That was the extent of her character.

Again, everyone’s accent was so off the mark, it was almost humorous! As we get to the actual war scenes, it’s a little easier to forget about that and other flaws though. It was a bit hard for me to believe as well, that with all the wounded men around her, this “wannabe” doctor was only concerned with  finding ONE man. She literally ran right by people in need of help.

All in all, I think the story should have just stayed in print form where it obviously did well. Then we wouldn’t have been subjected to seeing all the flaws on film. I “would” give this butchered story a 5 for the few things it had going for it, but I just have to deduct an “additional” point for Penelope Cruz, making it a 4!

(I just hope her recent “retirement” talk wasn’t just a publicity stunt!)