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Movies / Upcoming / 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

US Box Office: $25,261,240

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 source; Australian critics are listed first)
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As a glossy romance in dangerous times, this has all the classic elements and does a reasonably good job of marshalling people and events to its heart-wrenching finale.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
08/24/01
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a wonder Corelli doesn't bring his gondola and striped shirt with him from Italy.

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
09/09/01
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

The last half of the movie is undeniably gripping, creating a powerful love story for mature film-lovers.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
08/18/01
Brian Webster
Brian Webster
Apollo Guide

Insomniacs take heart: The soothing sounds of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin are an invitation to snooze away a couple of hours.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
08/16/01
David Germain
David Germain
Associated Press

Very little about Mandolin is not in some way disappointing.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
08/16/01
Bob Longino
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

While he may be Italian-American in ethnic origin, he ain't no Italian -- Cage looks like an American, acts like an American, and speaks like an American, even in his fleeting attempts to use an accent.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
08/27/01
Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Austin Chronicle

"Captain Corelli's Mandolin" fails to achieve its goals

Full Review Source: Baseline.Hollywood.com | comment Comment
12/04/01
Ted Murphy
Ted Murphy
Baseline.Hollywood.com

In its own right the film works superbly.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/16/01
George Perry
George Perry
BBC

Cage fumbles through the scenes with an Itralian accent reminiscent of his Moonstruck days.

Full Review Source: BeatBoxBetty.com | comment Comment
08/16/01
BeatBoxBetty.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A film afraid to let down any part of an audience...often alienates the audience that would have embraced it; this is Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Full Review Source: Blunt Review | comment Comment
08/20/01
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Blunt Review

Captain Corelli's Mandolin doesn't so much strike a lot of sour notes as fail to strike the right ones.

comment Comment
08/17/01
Jay Carr
Jay Carr
Boston Globe

Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a classic case of a mainstream Hollywood movie biting off more history than it can chew.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
08/17/01
Michael Tunison
Michael Tunison
Boxoffice Magazine

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 adapters of Louis de Bernieres' complicated and troubling novel Corelli's Mandolin have cut away most of what made the book unique.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
08/17/01
Lawrence Toppman
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer

What we get is kind of a condensed version of some of the sights and sounds of the novel, without the heart, the spirit and the juicy detail.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
08/17/01
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even though it doesn't measure up to its superb source, Captain Corelli's Mandolin is still a richer and more worthwhile entertainment than most of this summer's dumbed-down releases.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
08/16/01
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

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

Not as good as it might have been but better than the negative press it has received, which has unfairly doomed it to severe losses at the box office.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
11/27/01
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

La novela, disponible en cualquier librería, es una gran realización; desgraciadamente al llevarla a los 24 cuadros por segundo, perdió mucha de su fuerza.

Full Review Source: Cinenganos | comment Comment
06/08/02
Luis Martinez
Luis Martinez
Cinenganos

Beautifully filmed and smartly told, Mandolin delights with unexpected plot twists and polished performances from John Hurt as the curmudgeonly pop and Christian Bale as the jilted fiance.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
08/17/01
Jackie Potts
Jackie Potts
Citysearch
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 >> >|
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Latest News for Captain Corelli's Mandolin

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