Better Than What I Expected

Rating: 6/10 (26 August 2002)

To be honest I wasn`t expecting much from this film and seeing as it gets off to such a slow start I thought my instincts were going to be proved right , but CAPTAIN CORRELLI`S MANDOLIN soon picks up and becomes an entertaining romantic drama set against the backdrop of the Second World War. I do have a beef with the storyline though and seeing as it involves the central plot it`s quite a big beef: I found the romance between Corelli and Pelagia unconvincing . I don`t know if it`s the fault of the editing or the screen adaption ( I`ve never read the book ) but how did the romance come about ? Yeah Corelli is a likable cultured man but he`s still an Italian officer who`s taking part in the fascist occupation of Greece , he`s the enemy so why would a woman previously in love with a Greek patriot and partisan fall for him ? All this happens without any explanation and damages credibilty .