Lack of identity, poor acting, multi-language mess

Rating: 4/10 (31 August 2002)

A very poor acting and lack of identity characterises this film. Penelope Cruz avoids expressing any kind of feeling, even that of love and she keeps having that extremely serious look on her face. Nicolas Cage on the contrary expresses his feelings so intensely that he becomes unbelievable;it's like saying "look, now I am a man who's happy for no apparent reason" or "now I am horrofied by Germans' brutallity". However, Irene Pappas was unique as the Greek mother and John Hurt as Pelagia's father. I also enjoyed Emilios Chilakis in his very short appearance as the Greek guerilla: he talked in a very determined way as a man who has decided not to surrender should talk. However, even though the represantation of the specifique era was quite good, hardly as the actors try, they don't succeed in their roles of the locals (needless to say that Greeks actors are excluded). The pronunciation was a very big disadvantage: Pelagia spoke English with a Spanish pronunciation, Correli spoke English sometimes with bad italian accent, sometimes with perfect american accent; however he can also speak perfect German and he can read a text written in Greek!!! And the story goes on with that multi-language mess. Also, watching the film you can hardly believe that there is a war going on: It seems that Greece had no problems during the Occupation (by the Germans and the Italians), since Italian soldiers were here to enjoy the sun. Thank God that Germans arrive on the island and we start to remember that we are during a war. And yet, the director makes it appear as if Italians and Greeks were allies against the German enemy. People of Cephalonia fought really hard against Itallians and Germans and many of them were executed; but it seems as if Italians fought for the shake of Greeks while the later were enjoying the italian music. Besides, there was a very poor reprasantation of fight and bombing. And during that events, Pelagia found the time to fall in love with Corelli, before we could realise it: She seems more in love with Mandras than with Corelli and she has hardly exchange a complete and meaningful dialogue with him; however she can't live without him. The director actually does focus neither on war events nor on the love affair and that ruins the movie. Also, I can't avoid mentioning that I got tired of watching Pelagia walking around with a basket. I assure you that women had much more to do even in that time of '40's.
***SPOILER*** Can someone explain to me why the guerillas executed Eleni (Pelagia's friend) for simply kissing a German on the cheek and Mandras denies even his mother's request to save her, while Pelagia (who had a love affair with an Italian soldier and everybody Knows it) has their help and approval?
Finish studing Medicine in two years? That's a record!