It's got no balls

Rating: Null/10 (23 August 2001)

This does contain a Spoiler or two, so be warned!
Having read and enjoyed the novel by Louis de Bernieres so much, I looked forward to the movie adaptation with glee. John Madden's previous effort, Shakespeare in Love, was brilliant. I didn't see any reason why this film could be bad. I was woefully mistaken.
This film has no guts. Where it lacks appears to be mainly in the screenplay. It doesn't follow through with some of the grimmer themes of the book. It seems not to want to offend anyone.
The Nazis are toned down considerably. Instead of shooting Italians by treachery, the Italian troops give them good reason to by going against the treaty made by the generals of the respective sides. The communists, another set of villians that appear in the book, aren't even mentioned. The character that becomes involved with communist partisans, Mandras (Christian Bale), who is the other love interest of Pelagia (Penelope Cruz). He doesn't become the villian he is in the book, and his toned-down character becomes merely an ignorant oafish guy. There's no reason for Pelagia to turn away from him--his character doesn't change or develop into something reprehensible. There's no good reason for Pelagia to fall out of love with him. Or rather, the reasons given in the film are too wimpy and toned down.
The worst offense is the elimination of Carlo Guerico as a main character. I guess my husband is correct when he states that Hollywood can never portray a homosexual man as a strong, heroic role model. Carlo becomes merely a vehicle for Corelli's survival, the ineptness of which is compounded by it being revealed by the character ten minutes beforehand. There isn't even a surprise there!
The acting was less than inspired. It seemed as if everyone was going through the motions. There was no joy in this movie, and no sorrow either.
This movie could have been so much more, and it's hard for me to get around that. I mourn for the film that might have been.