Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (movie review)


In the age-old tradition of storytelling, Louis de Bernieres weaves a tale of love amidst the threat of violence and senseless brutality. Captain Antonio Corelli, with a company of green Italian soldiers, occupies an idealic Greek island (Cephallonia) upon orders from Mussolini. Since the islanders don’t put up a fight and the war rages on elsewhere, Corelli busies his men by organizing them into an operatic chorale.
 With a duffle bag in hand and a mandolin slung over his shoulder, the Captain lands on the doorstep of the local doctor and demands that he be allowed to set up his headquarters there. Under the suspicious eye of the doctor’s beautiful daughter, the doctor and the captain come to an agreement. Thus begins a tenuous relationship between the three of them that witnesses the many contradictions that inevitably accompany war. Set against the backdrop of rock and sea, director John Madden directs heavyweights Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz, John Hurt, and Christian Bale, in this visually-stunning film that explores the themes of cultural diversity, new love, old allegiances, heartbreak, and redemption.

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