In 1941, Italian forces invade the Greek island of Cephallonia; the amiable Captain Antonio Corelli (Nicolas Cage) moves in with a doctor (John Hurt) and his daughter (Penélope Cruz)… The novel was a bestseller, but this ambitious Hollywood take on it was less successful and part of the blame goes to those who made final casting decisions. Here we have an Englishman and a Spaniard portraying Greeks and an American as an Italian, all sporting fake accents that make it hard to believe their characters. A good story about individuals trapped by dire circumstances, but it fails to move.
2001-U.S.-Britain. 127 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by John Madden. Novel: Louis de Bernieres. Cast: Nicolas Cage (Antonio Corelli), Penélope Cruz (Pelagia), John Hurt (Dr. Iannis), Christian Bale, David Morrissey, Irene Papas.
Trivia: Roger Michell was allegedly the first choice to direct, but dropped out after suffering a heart attack.
