By EWAN McDONALD
(Herald rating: * *)
Name this movie: Two people from different backgrounds fall in love. Unfortunately the Second World War gets in the way. Is it:
(a) Pearl Harbor
(b) Enemy At The Gates
(c) The English Patient
(d) Life Is Beautiful?
Pelagia (Penelope Cruz) is the daughter of a Greek island's GP, Dr
Iannis (John Hurt). Raised and educated by her father, she is smarter than the other village women, and he is disappointed when she falls for the muscular and handsome Mandras (Christian Bale).
Mandras enlists in the Greek Army to fight for freedom, ships out, and in the best-selling novel by Louis de Bernieres, has harrowing adventures during the war. The movie avoids this little bit of unpleasantness by all but writing him out.
The Italian captain, Corelli (Nicolas Cage) arrives with his invasion force, a handful of soldiers who sing opera and spend a lot of time at the beach with friendly prostitutes. Cliches? Never.
Slowly Pelagia falls in love with Corelli, never minding her engagement to Mandras, her dislike of foreigners and her father's anger. The Italians try to follow Mussolini's lead by surrendering and the Germans respond. The two Greeks risk their lives to hide Corelli in their house but thankfully we are spared the tension and fear because the movie trips through this little bit of drama, too.
So what are we left with? Two wooden actors skipping through a Mills and Boon rewrite of the Reader's Digest condensed version of the book.
* DVD features: movie (127 mins); audio commentary by John Madden, director; making-of feature; Russell Watson music video; trailers.
* Rental video, DVD: Today
