Mediterraneo (film)
Encyclopedia
Mediterraneo is an Italian
film that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
in 1991. The film is set during World War II
, and regards a group of Italian soldiers who become stranded on a Greek
island and are left behind by the war. The filming took place on the island of Kastellórizo.
against the Allies in World War II
, a small group of misfit Italian soldiers is sent to a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea
for four months of lookout duty. The soldiers include a lieutenant who likes art, a macho sergeant, a farmer accompanied by his beloved donkey Silvana, and other quirky people. They are not very good soldiers, but a cross section of average, independent men.
The soldiers anticipate attack from outside and on the island and take all sorts of inept precautions. They find a small town with no people. They see bombing on the horizon and realize that the ship that would pick them up has been destroyed. Then mysteriously, people reappear in the village: the villagers say they hid because the Germans had taken all the men. They have decided to accommodate the Italians.
It isn't long before everyone's sunny nature appears. The Italian soldiers are absorbed into the life, heat and landscape of the idyllic island.
The local priest asks the lieutenant, a Sunday painter, to restore the murals in his church. Two soldiers, who are brothers, befriend a lovely young woman, a shepherdess, who believes that three is the perfect number for an affair of pure sexual fun. The sergeant takes up folk dancing and the shyest of the soldiers falls profoundly in love with the island's single, very overworked, prostitute.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
film that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
in 1991. The film is set during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and regards a group of Italian soldiers who become stranded on a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
island and are left behind by the war. The filming took place on the island of Kastellórizo.
Plot
In 1941, one year after Italy joined GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
against the Allies in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a small group of misfit Italian soldiers is sent to a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
for four months of lookout duty. The soldiers include a lieutenant who likes art, a macho sergeant, a farmer accompanied by his beloved donkey Silvana, and other quirky people. They are not very good soldiers, but a cross section of average, independent men.
The soldiers anticipate attack from outside and on the island and take all sorts of inept precautions. They find a small town with no people. They see bombing on the horizon and realize that the ship that would pick them up has been destroyed. Then mysteriously, people reappear in the village: the villagers say they hid because the Germans had taken all the men. They have decided to accommodate the Italians.
It isn't long before everyone's sunny nature appears. The Italian soldiers are absorbed into the life, heat and landscape of the idyllic island.
The local priest asks the lieutenant, a Sunday painter, to restore the murals in his church. Two soldiers, who are brothers, befriend a lovely young woman, a shepherdess, who believes that three is the perfect number for an affair of pure sexual fun. The sergeant takes up folk dancing and the shyest of the soldiers falls profoundly in love with the island's single, very overworked, prostitute.
Cast
- Diego AbatantuonoDiego AbatantuonoDiego Abatantuono is an Italian cinema and theatre actor, as well screenwriter.-Biography and career:Abatantuono was born in a popular quarter of the city to a father of Pugliese origin and a mother from Como...
as Sgt. Nicola Lo Russo - Claudio BigagliClaudio BigagliClaudio Bigagli is an Italian actor. He has appeared in 43 films and television shows since 1976. He starred in Fiorile, which was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...
as Lt. Raffaele Montini - Giuseppe Cederna as Pvt. Antonio Farina
- Claudio Bisio as Pvt. Corrado Noventa
- Luigi Alberti as Pvt. Eliseo Strazzabosco
- Ugo Conti as Pvt. Luciano Colasanti
- Memo Dini as Pvt. Libero Munaron
- Vasco Mirandola as Pvt. Felice Munaron
- Vana Barba as Vassilissa