Not too bad, but still a disappointment

Rating: Null/10 (11 December 2001)

What can I say... I have read the book, and the movie is totally unconvincing. Some people said it was too long, but I found it short - better said, not detailed enough. There are connections between characters which are not explained at all - if I had not read the book first I would not have understood why some things happened the way they did. The good points: the characters (taken individually, unfortunately) are ok, the music is good, and the cinematography is simply outstanding - this is what pushes the movie above average. The bad points: the relationships between the characters (minus the one between Pelagia and dr. Iannis, which is all right) are shallow, the depiction of war is unrealistic, like the Italians were on vacation and not stationed there, and, most of all...
***POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD*** ... the ending. Instead of the bitter-sweet romance ending in the book, which made me cry and laugh at the same time, we have a stereotype ending, plain and without any savor. Overall, I give it a 6 out of 10. Too bad, it could have been great.