Great, but don't expect the novel

Rating: 8/10 (24 April 2001)

In Britain, you can guarantee that there's always someone on the Tube reading the novel Captain Corelli's Mandolin. You can also guarantee that anyone who has read it will say, 'How can they make it into a film?' I also thought that, but was not disappointed. Set on the island of Cephalonia, CCM basically tells the love story between Pelagia (Penny Cruz) and Captain Antonio Corelli (Cage), set against the unfolding story of WW2. It changes elements of the book (as it had to), but for the good and is shot intelligently, sympathetically and beautifully, with some marvellous performances - John Hurt being a notable. OK, so it doesn't tell the book word for word and it distorts some of the original history, but it looks wonderful, is engaging and very emotional. Go see, even if you do think, 'They'll never make it as well as the book.'