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Movies / On DVD / Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)

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Reviews Counted:114

Fresh:33

Rotten:81

Average Rating:4.4/10

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.

Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Academy Award (R) winner Nicolas Cage (City of Angels) and Penelope Cruz (All About My Mother) star in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, an epic tale about the enduring hope of love and the devastating... Academy Award (R) winner Nicolas Cage (City of Angels) and Penelope Cruz (All About My Mother) star in Captain Corelli's Mandolin, an epic tale about the enduring hope of love and the devastating brutality of war, set amid the Italian occupation of Greece during World War II.

The idyllic beauty of Greece's Mediterranean coast has been invaded by Italy, bringing legions of soldiers to the once tranquil island of Cephallonia. Captain Antonio Corelli (Cage), an officer with an irrepressibly jovial personality and passion for the mandolin, initially alienates a number of the villagers, including Pelagia (Cruz). The daughter of the village doctor, Pelagia is an educated and strong-willed woman, and while at first offended by the Italian soldier's behavior, she slowly warms to his certain charms as they are forced to share her father's home.

When Pelagia's fiancee, a local fisherman, heads off to war, the friendship between Antonio and Pelagia grows even stronger. 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 becomes a part of the lives of the villagers, but the moment is fleeting. As the war grows ever closer, Antonio and Pelagia are forced to choose between their allegiance to their countries and the love they feel for one another-a love which must overcome tremendous odds, and endure the inevitable sacrifice which accompanies eternal devotion. -- © 2001 Universal Pictures [More]

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, Christian Bale, John Hurt

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz, Christian Bale, John Hurt, David Morrissey, Irene Pappas

Director: John Madden

Director: John Madden
Screenwriter: Shawn Slovo
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Kevin Loader, Mark Huffam
Composer: Stephen Warbeck
Studio: Universal Pictures

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Reviews for Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz are ill-matched, and the range of heavy accents is distracting.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/19/08
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film's perfectly watchable, but it's never more than that.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Gorgeous to look at and well-played, it's definitely watchable, yet strangely uninvolving.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
10/30/02
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

Obviously, the novel's sprawling, multi-strand structure has been streamlined here, but Madden and screenwriter Slovo have included so much subtext that it's still a remarkably complex film.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Fans will argue it's not as good as the book, but John Madden has delivered a pretty mooch around rustic, tranquil Cephallonia.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/14/01
Angie Errigo
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What a droopy, disappointing film this is.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/10/01
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I would love to know what kind of emotions were running through those who took part in the Cephalonia romances, and this movie doesn't help me much.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
07/23/01
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

In its own right the film works superbly.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/16/01
George Perry
George Perry
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers | comment Comment
10/18/08
Gary Brown
Gary Brown
Houston Community Newspapers

Strikes too many false notes on the dramatic side to add up to a satisfying emotional experience.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
08/07/08
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the year's most embarrassing big-budget miscalculations.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Zap2it.com | comment Comment
02/25/04
Clark Bender
Clark Bender
Zap2it.com

A romance as spectacular as this novel is, it still has a difficult job making the leap to the screen.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Jim Shelby
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly

...Touching and at the same time brutal, brimming with the emotional conflict that surges within its characters.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

A lot of talent was squandered on this incoherent grab bag of war-movie moments.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

A historical drama that simply fails to make convincing human connections.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
10/10/02
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

Here's a film with all the right ingredients which somehow manages to taste bland as a hell.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

The stunning look of this film took my breath away and overcame its shortcomings for me.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/02/02
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Yet another WWII love triangle that suffers from bad acting, but looks great!

Full Review Source: Supercala.com | comment Comment
07/09/02
Paul Salfen
Paul Salfen
Supercala.com

...feels as if it has been manufactured in a chop shop of former Oscar winners and nauseating Miramax 'prestige' puff pieces.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Weekly | comment Comment
06/21/02
Sean Burns
Sean Burns
Philadelphia Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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June 05, 2001: Initial test screenings failed to induce awe. Universal, hoping for an Oscar contender, bumped the film from its spring release so that Madden could recut it. Opens in new window
More...

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