In Mediterraneo, the light is harsher, the dust dustier and the characters fully drawn. Also, the humour evolves naturally from each and every one of them. John Hurt, half hidden behind a white hedge of facial hair, as the doctor, gives a performance that would warm the blankets of the Women's Institute. Nicolas Cage plays against type, retaining his movie star persona, which is not the same as being convincing in the role of a man who lives for opera. Corelli's charm should radiate the freshness of a Tuscan morning.
Cage slips into uniform and smiles like a home run.
Penelope Cruz is an actress who absorbs emotion. She transcends the picture postcard perfection to hint at love's bitter cruelty. Her eyes question the very idea of happiness, as if somewhere in Pelagia's soul a dark shadow lurks. She carries this knowledge inside her, so that when disaster strikes, she is protected. Excitement is a long time coming, but when it does, debris scatters across Eden.