Heil Puccini! (Captain Corelli's Mandolin (DVD))

Member Name: andrewl

Product:	Captain Corelli's Mandolin (DVD)
Date:	09/09/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beauiful locations, charismatic leads

Disadvantages: Cage's accent

Captain Corelli's Mandolin was critically savaged upon its release, which was embarrassing for me at the time as I'd seen an early preview and posted a glowing review of it online. With the benefit of hindsight, I stick to my guns for the most part. The majority of the criticism seemed to come from people who didn't like Nicolas Cage, taking the opportunity to take a pop at the actor after a run of incredibly successful films.

So while it's tempting to edit my original review heavily to make it look like one of the critical sheep, I'm presenting it more or less as it was first posted on Epinions because, well, I honestly enjoyed it.

The film is set on an idyllic Greek island, and is for the most part a flawless example of heritage cinema in the tradition of French classics like Jean de Florette and Germinal. For the first half, Cruz and Cage are competing against the breath-taking coastal vistas for the audience's attention. The crystal clear Mediterranean waters, and the dusty tracks are all conveyed perfectly, to the point where my partner for this trip commented that she is determined to retire there. More recently of course, our love for Greek islands has been rekindled by Mamma Mia, a much less appealing prospect on paper, but phenomenally successful.

According to the traditions of heritage cinema, a lot of screen time is also given to cultural events. At the beginning there is a bizarre faith healing ritual, followed by a carnival full of wacky Greek rustics getting shot in the bum by cannons. There's nothing as tacky as a pig-chasing scene, but it doesn't seem too far away, especially when Penelope Cruz starts frolicking in the bay with her betrothed, the too-annoying-to-die Madras (I may have spelled this wrong. I don't care).

It's almost with a sense of relief that war is declared and this paradise becomes tested by the arrival of Italian troops, including the eponymous Captain Corelli. And yet even the invasion perpetuates the laid-back wacky country folk image, with the stark response of the island authorities to the invading Italians. After a few hours of fun, the Nazis arrive for the inevitable war scenes. And Corelli falls in love with Cruz, as you'd probably guessed by the posters.

John Hurt is his normal quietly-dignified self as the island's doctor. He is a strangely liberal old man, encouraging Cruz to follow her heart, even if that means fraternising with the enemy.

Madras is an idiot. It's easy to see why Hurt prefers the cultured Corelli for his daughter's future husband. What is less easy to see is why Cruz is ever interested in the brainless man. Although some of his negligence with regard to his intended is ultimately explained by his illiteracy, the fact remains that he is consistently selfish and uncaring. This is best summed up by the scene in which Cruz presents him with a waistcoat she made for him, and he points out that it's uneven, a fact which Cruz had already revealed to him in an earlier scene.

Cage's character is interesting. Although Cage is a fine actor, his Italian accent recalls BBC WW2 sitcom 'Allo, 'Allo with it's dashing Italian captain. Although Corelli never actually utters the words 'Whadda mistaika da maika!', the association is always lingering in the background. Never mind. Corelli's essential decency shines through at all times, but this heroism is tempered by his selfish indifference to the war and the island's situation to begin with. 'I don't care who knows I love you', he says to Cruz at one point, but later women are being lynched for fraternising with enemy soldiers. Corelli manages to ignore the immorality of his position as invader by retreating into his music.
Whoever taught Cage to play the mandolin did a fine job. The gradual erosion of his cockiness as the danger to both him and the island grows is both convincing and compelling.

Once again, Cruz is quite simply stunning. This is very much her film, and she carries it admirably. While Cage's mugging over the bodies of his murdered men is a little distressing, Cruz's delicate features consistently convey every nuance of her character's often distressed emotional state.

Focused entirely on the island, Captain Corelli's Mandolin skirts around all other events in mainland Europe that do not directly concern the island. Therefore, the evils of Nazism have to be portrayed through contrast with the more relaxed Italian military. The Italian soldiers are always singing, the Germans are a stiff, humourless bunch socially, and brutal when seen taking military action.

The most effective contrast comes during the German invasion of the island. German troops march down the town's main street as Cruz wanders around the pavement in a near copy of the shots of the Italian troops invading at the beginning. The only difference is that the Germans march away from the camera instead of towards it. We do not see their faces. They are not human.

Ultimately, however, it is shown clearly that the war is not the end of the world. Several times, the Doctor talks about the island's history of war and earthquakes in the same breath. The earthquake towards the end seems to do more damage than even Nazi bombardment. The message? Life goes on.

Quite apart from this film's two engaging leads, this movie is interesting in its decision to dramatise an area of the war which is not often dealt with. Everyone is aware of events such as the D-Day landings, and the siege of Stalingrad. By picking a much tighter focus, in an altogether more obscure corner of the continent, Madden (and Bernieres) are able to avoid getting bogged down in the usual genre requirements of long discussions about Nazism and token shots of people being lead away to the concentration camps. This is just as well, as the cartoon representation of the Nazis would probably have annoyed me if it had occupied much more of the film. Instead, they have the opportunity to explore the more general truths about war. War to Madden is like an earthquake, something out of the individual's control. A fact of life. This is quite a bleak undercurrent, and it's just as well it's presented in such a sun-drenched environment.

Definitely worth a look.

Summary: Not nearly as bad as its reputation. I really enjoyed it.