Captain Corelli's Mandolin (film)
Encyclopedia
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a 2001 film directed by John Madden
and based on the novel of the same name by Louis de Bernières
. It stars Nicolas Cage
and Penélope Cruz
.
, and who trains his battery of men - who have never fired a shot - in choral singing, initially alienates a number of the villagers, including Pelagia. The daughter of the village doctor, Pelagia is an educated and strong-willed woman, and while at first offended by the Italian soldier's behaviour, she slowly warms to his certain charm as they are forced to share her father's home when the doctor agrees to put him up in exchange for medical supplies.
When Pelagia's fiance, Mandras, a local fisherman, heads off to war on the mainland, the friendship between Antonio and Pelagia grows. Her beauty and intelligence have captured his heart and his fondness for the village's vibrant community causes him to question his reasons for fighting. Antonio and his battery of musical troops become part of the lives of the villagers, but the moment is fleeting. As the war grows closer, Antonio and Pelagia are forced to choose between their allegiances and the love they feel for one another - a love which must overcome tremendous odds, and endure the inevitable sacrifice which accompanies devotion.
The Italian government surrenders to the Allies, and the Italian troops happily prepare to go home. However, their erstwhile allies the Germans insist on disarming the Italians, intemperately and violently. The Greeks are exposed to the brutal incoming Germans, and arrange with the Italians to use their arms in a brief and futile resistance. For this, the German High Command has thousands of the Italian troops shot as traitors
. Corelli survives when one of his soldiers throws himself across him, and Mandras takes him to Pelagia and the doctor to recover, and then to a boat to escape the island.
Pelagia discovers that Mandras did not reply to her letters because he is illiterate, and they part. In 1947, Pelagia receives a parcel from Italy containing a record of the tune Corelli wrote for her, but no note. An earthquake destroys much of the village and the doctor's house, but island life continues, and eventually Corelli returns to Pelagia.
with the consensus: "The cinematography is gorgeous, but the movie plays it fast and loose with history and the novel it was adapted from. Mostly, the movie fails because the romance between the leads strains credulity and the story is largely uninvolving." Penelope Cruz's performance earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress (also for Blow
and Vanilla Sky
).
John Madden (director)
John Philip Madden is an English director of theatre, film, television, and radio.- Biography :Madden was educated at Clifton College. He was in the same house as friend and fellow director Roger Michell. He began his career in British independent films, and graduated from the University of...
and based on the novel of the same name by Louis de Bernières
Louis de Bernières
Louis de Bernières is a British novelist most famous for his fourth novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a promotion in Granta magazine...
. It stars Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
and Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
.
Plot
The bucolic beauty of Greece's Ionian islands has been invaded by Italy, bringing a large Italian garrison and a few Germans to the tranquil island of Cephallonia, which immediately surrenders. Captain Antonio Corelli, a Greek-speaking officer of the infantry division 'Acqui' with an irrepressibly jovial personality and a passion for the mandolinMandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, and who trains his battery of men - who have never fired a shot - in choral singing, initially alienates a number of the villagers, including Pelagia. The daughter of the village doctor, Pelagia is an educated and strong-willed woman, and while at first offended by the Italian soldier's behaviour, she slowly warms to his certain charm as they are forced to share her father's home when the doctor agrees to put him up in exchange for medical supplies.
When Pelagia's fiance, Mandras, a local fisherman, heads off to war on the mainland, the friendship between Antonio and Pelagia grows. Her beauty and intelligence have captured his heart and his fondness for the village's vibrant community causes him to question his reasons for fighting. Antonio and his battery of musical troops become part of the lives of the villagers, but the moment is fleeting. As the war grows closer, Antonio and Pelagia are forced to choose between their allegiances and the love they feel for one another - a love which must overcome tremendous odds, and endure the inevitable sacrifice which accompanies devotion.
The Italian government surrenders to the Allies, and the Italian troops happily prepare to go home. However, their erstwhile allies the Germans insist on disarming the Italians, intemperately and violently. The Greeks are exposed to the brutal incoming Germans, and arrange with the Italians to use their arms in a brief and futile resistance. For this, the German High Command has thousands of the Italian troops shot as traitors
Massacre of the Acqui Division
The Massacre of the Acqui Division , also known as the Cephalonia Massacre , was the mass execution of the men of the Italian 33rd Acqui Infantry Division by the Germans on the island of Kefalonia, Greece, in September 1943, following the Italian armistice during the Second World War. About 5000...
. Corelli survives when one of his soldiers throws himself across him, and Mandras takes him to Pelagia and the doctor to recover, and then to a boat to escape the island.
Pelagia discovers that Mandras did not reply to her letters because he is illiterate, and they part. In 1947, Pelagia receives a parcel from Italy containing a record of the tune Corelli wrote for her, but no note. An earthquake destroys much of the village and the doctor's house, but island life continues, and eventually Corelli returns to Pelagia.
Time Line
| 1940 | October 28 | Italy invades Greece |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | April 6 | Germany invades Greece |
| June 1 | The Axis forces occupy all of Greece | |
| 2 year time span | ||
| 1943 | September 3 | Italy and the Allied forces sign an armistice |
| September 15 | The German Luftwaffe bombards the Italian positions with Stuka dive-bombers | |
| 10 year time span | ||
| 1953 | August 12 | The Great 1953 Ionian Earthquake 1953 Ionian Earthquake The Great 1953 Ionian Earthquake struck the southern Ionian Islands in Greece on August 12, 1953. In mid-August 1953, beginning on 8 August there were over 113 recorded earthquakes in the region between Kefalonia and Zakynthos, but the most destructive was the earthquake of August 12th... occurs |
Cast and roles
- Nicolas CageNicolas CageNicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
- Captain Antonio Corelli - Penélope CruzPenélope CruzPenélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
- Pelagia - John HurtJohn HurtJohn Vincent Hurt, CBE is an English actor, known for his leading roles as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, Winston Smith in Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mr. Braddock in The Hit, Stephen Ward in Scandal, Quentin Crisp in The Naked Civil Servant and An Englishman in New York...
- Dr. Iannis - Christian BaleChristian BaleChristian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
- Mandras - Irene PapasIrene PapasIrene Papas is a Greek actress and occasional singer, who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years.-Life:...
- Drosoula - David MorrisseyDavid MorrisseyDavid Mark Morrissey is an English actor and director. Morrissey grew up in the Kensington and Knotty Ash areas of Liverpool, and learned to act at the city's Everyman Youth Theatre. At the age of 18, he was cast in the television series One Summer , which won him recognition throughout the country...
- Captain Gunther Weber - Piero Maggio - Carlo
- Gerasimos Skiadaressis - Mr. Stamatis
- Aspasia Kralli - Mrs. Stamatis
- Michael Yannatos - Kokolios
- Dimitris Kaberidis - Father Arsenios
- Pietro Sarubbi - Velisarios, The Strongman
- Viki Maragaki - Eleni, Pelagia's Friend
- Joanna-Daria Adraktas - Young Lemoni
- Ira Tavlaridis - Older Lemoni
- Katerina Didaskalu - Lemoni's Mother
- Emilios Chilakis - Dimitris
- Andrew Simos - Extra/Stuntman
Box office
The film opened at #6 at the U.S. Box office, raking in $7,209,345 USD in its opening weekend. It brought in only $25.5 million domestically but brought in an additional $36.6 million overseas to a total of $62.1 million worldwide, bringing its $57 million budget back.Reception
The film was panned by critics on its release, and disappointed fans by deviating somewhat from the plot of the novel, with many of the book's tragic episodes softened. It maintains a 29% rating according to Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
with the consensus: "The cinematography is gorgeous, but the movie plays it fast and loose with history and the novel it was adapted from. Mostly, the movie fails because the romance between the leads strains credulity and the story is largely uninvolving." Penelope Cruz's performance earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress (also for Blow
Blow (film)
Blow is a 2001 biopic about the American cocaine smuggler George Jung, directed by Ted Demme. David McKenna and Nick Cassavetes adapted Bruce Porter's 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All for the screenplay. It is based on the real...
and Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed, co-produced and co-written by Cameron Crowe. The film is an English-language remake of the 1997 Spanish movie Abre los ojos , the screenplay for which was written by Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil...
).