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CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN (R)

Plot Summary: A Captain in the Italian army falls in love with a Greek woman during WWII.

Reason for the Rating: Some violence, sexuality and language.

When I went to see CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN, I was hoping to see a great romantic movie, with breathtaking cinematography; characters and plot that would draw me into the story; and a soundtrack I would need to buy as soon as we left the theater. The cinematography was incredibly beautiful, as was the soundtrack, but the characters and plot...well, that's another story.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin is set in Cephallonia, Greece in the midst of WWII. Pelagia (Penelope Cruz), is the daughter of the town doctor (John Hurt) and engaged to a local fisherman, Mandras (Christian Bale). As Greece enters the war, Mandras leaves to join the fighting, and the Italians invade Cephallonia. The Italian Captain, Antonio Corelli (Nicholas Cage), takes a room at Pelagia's house in exchange for medical supplies. And thus begins the relationship between Pelagia and Captain Corelli.

The relationship between these two characters would have been more effective if additional time had been given to the weaving and formation of their feelings for each other, ultimately drawing the audience into believing this could actually be a possibility. Instead, in one scene Palagia is pointing a gun at Antonio, angry at his carefree antics in the face of the captivity of Cephallonia, and in the next falling in love because he plays a self-composed, beautiful song entitled, you guessed it, "Pelagia." The depth of her love, which ultimately puts her life at risk, isn't convincing with what the audience is given.

Of course, it doesn't help that Nicholas Cage is far from convincing as an Italian, and that accents of the characters are often difficult to understand.. 

While the movie is definitely about love and war, it also speaks to the wounds we suffer through life. Palagia's father, Dr. Iannis, is the narrator to the story and has wonderful insight, using the destruction caused by earthquakes as a picture of the wounds our hearts suffer. His conclusion is, "We should not ask why we are wounded, only if the wound can be healed. If there is a wound, we must try to heal it. If the gods have chosen that we should survive, it will be for a reason."

In this light, the movie is excellent, and makes its point very well. Still, due to violence and brief nudity, this movie is probably appropriate only for adults and mature teens

FamilyFans.com Recommends: If your teenager wants to see this one, go along to the show with him or her, and discuss it afterward.

After the Show…If members of your family choose to view this movie, use these questions to spark discussion about it afterward:

-- What message do you think the writer was trying to convey in CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN?

-- When have you seen God's hand in difficult circumstances? Explain.

-- What do you think it would be like to have "the enemy" living in your house? How do you think Palagia felt?

-- BONUS Q! Can you do a better Italian accent than Nicholas Cage? J

Jill Wuellner

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