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Captain Corelli's Mandolin Details

2001 Certificate 15
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 10,743 members

In keeping with Hollywood's time-honoured tradition of turning celebrated novels into cinematic spectacles, director John Madden brings Louis de Berniere's acclaimed 1994 work, CORELLI'S MANDOLIN, to life. Set on the Greek island of Cephalonia in 1940, the film tells the story of the beautiful Pelagia (Penelope Cruz), who lives .. Read more

Starring Nicolas Cage, John Hurt, Christian Bale, Irene Papas
Director John Madden
Genres Drama, Romance

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Captain Corelli's Mandolin

In keeping with Hollywood's time-honoured tradition of turning celebrated novels into cinematic spectacles, director John Madden brings Louis de Berniere's acclaimed 1994 work, CORELLI'S MANDOLIN, to life. Set on the Greek island of Cephalonia in 1940, the film tells the story of the beautiful Pelagia (Penelope Cruz), who lives with her father, Dr. Iannis (John Hurt) and is engaged to local fisherman, Mandras (Christian Bale). When Mandras leaves the island to fight for his country, Pelagia is left behind to worry and wait for a letter, which never arrives. In the meantime, the Italian army occupies Cephalonia, and Pelagia and Dr. Iannis receive a new visitor into their home. Captain Antonio Corelli (Nicolas Cage), a romantic opera lover with a passion for playing the mandolin, annoys Pelagia with his free-spirited personality, but it is this exact charm that eventually wins her heart. Soon, the two are head-over-heels in love. Mandras's return adds friction to the situation, but when the Germans sweep in and begin to senselessly murder the town's locals, Captain Corelli and Mandras must place their differences aside in order to preserve the island. Exquisitely photographed by cinematographer John Toll, Madden's film boasts impassioned performances by Hurt and legendary actress, Irene Papas.

Starring Nicolas Cage, John Hurt, Christian Bale, Irene Papas, David Morrissey, Patrick Malahide
Director John Madden
Studio WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 2 hrs 7 mins
Certificate Certificate 15
Genres Drama, Romance
Language DVD: English
Hearing-impaired English
Subtitles DVD: English
Released DVD: 25 Mar 2002
Production year: 2001
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (6) of Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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  • 2 stars out of 5

    Playing fast and loose with a much-loved novel is not a crime in itself, but Louis de Bernières's surprise bestseller about a Nazi- and Italian-occupied Greek island during the Second World War was so much more than the picture-postcard love story depicted here. Director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) and cinematographer John Toll (Braveheart) certainly fashion a sumptuous holiday brochure out of Cephalonia, but much of the credit for that must go to the island itself. Meanwhile, a sanitised version of the multilayered book (minus the homosexual subplot that actually makes dramatic sense of one strand of the story) plays out like a carnival of dodgy accents. Nicolas Cage's mandolin-plucking Italian is a cartoon, and the overrated Penélope Cruz plays doctor's daughter Pelagia as a sort of Spanish-Greek. (Were no Greek actresses famous or beautiful enough?) Only John Hurt walks away with dignity intact.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • "...The movie shimmers with a bluish-gold luminescence reflected from the turquoise waters of the Ionian sea....A glorious ode to the sun-baked island on which it was filmed..."

    • New York Times
    • Posted 11 Mar 2005

  • Most helpful member's review of Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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  • 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Another of John Madden's well-crafted films

    I had heard that this came under some criticism when released so, unburdened by having read the book (I'm never sure why a film has to be exactly like the book its based on - the 2 media are so dissimilar), I thought I'd have a look. Despite being set in wartime, it was a gently moving film that not only built on the 'will they, won't they fall in love' routine but also the 'will they, won't they actually survive'! Scenically beautiful and with the battle scenes accurate but restrained (but why do shell bursts have to have a red flame/oily black smoke component?) the love story gently evolved - its slow pace redolent of the years that elapsed. Penelope Cruz was the epitome of how a woman can suddenly become so beautiful with just a smile and a look, Nicolas Cage was all contentment and passion and John Hurt sage-like and wise as Cruz's father. It was through the movie that I recognised some of the music tones and it was only at the final credits did I realise that, of course, it was another John Madden film - beautifully crafted, superbly directed and well acted.

      • Bob Harrold from Stotfold
      • Posted 10 Mar 2005 10:31

  • Most recent members' review of Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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  • 4 out of 5 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 2 stars

    I quite enjoyed the film, but...

    As an adaption of a book, rather than expressly written for film, the film faced difficulty in fleshing out the rich relationships between the non-principals in the time available.

    Resolving the problem by not even trying, it concentrated with some success on the Hurt/Cage/Cruz relationship. Hurt and Cruz brought magic to their characters which served only to emphasise Cage’s weaknesses, mostly his tendency to overstate his character and fail to capture it’s whimsical, Italian essence. David Morrissey also looked and sounded uncomfortable in his role (why do they always cast him in this way?)

    Despite these aberrations, I quite enjoyed the film, and loved its Hurt/Cruz strengths but felt short-changed by the ending, which took the easy way out.

    Maybe the story’s emotions were just too difficult to deal with on film? Can’t help wondering how much better a job French film makers would have done with the story.

      • NormanB from West Yorkshire
      • Posted 17 Nov 2003 09:54

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871
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713
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1,640
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1,612
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2,074
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1,225
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657
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604
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      • In keeping with Hollywood's time-honoured tradition of turning celebrated novels into cinematic spectacles, director John Madden brings Louis de Berniere's acclaimed 1994 work, CORELLI'S MANDOLIN, to ...