CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN

Based on the novel by Louis De Bernieres

Produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Kevin Loader, Mark Huffam

Directed by: John Madden

Screenplay by: Shawn Slovo

Cast: Nicholas Cage as (Captain Antonio Corelli)

 Penelope Cruz as (Pelagia)

 Christian Bale (Mandras)

John Hurt (Dr. Iannis)

with

David Morrissey, Irene Pappas and Charles Dance.

Film Location: Kefalonia Greece.

Film Set: The village of Sami where the production company built their interpretation of the main town of Argostoli

before the catastrophic 1953 earthquakes hit.

 Expected Release Date: June, 2001

It is 1941 and Captain Antonio Corelli a sophisticated, handsome Italian officer, is posted to the idyllic and beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia, as part of the occupying forces, to command the garrison captured by the Italian fleet.  The arrival of the Italian army is greeted with disdain from the spirited islanders particularly the village doctor Iannis and his beautiful daughter Pelagia. 

Corelli is initially billeted at the Doctor's house and gradually falls in love with Pelagia. Even though Pelagia is betrothed to the local fisherman Mandras, who is away fighting with the Greek army in Albania.

Despite their feelings for one another, they are forced to direct their political and personal allegiance against the backdrop of World War II.

Initially Pelagia rejects Corelli's advances, but when Mandras returns from the war a shattered man, she has to recognise that she has fallen for the Italian officer, through his mandolin playing and  sense of humour. For Corelli and his operatic soldiers the occupation seems more like a summer holiday,

Pelagia goes to explain her situation to Mandras' mother Drosoula, but instead meets Mandras, who announces he is to leave the village and join the partisans. His sense of hatred towards the occupying Italian and German forces grows, and his feelings towards Pelagia become more bitter.

The affair soon becomes heated and many a quiet hour is snatched away between the two. Even when Italy surrenders to the Allies there is a brief moment of jubilation on the island, until the Germans take over and massacre thousands of the Italian troops.

The Italians join forces with the Greek partisans and fight bravely, but the German air and firepower, and arrival of reinforcements mean that they are quickly overwhelmed. Corelli and his men are put before a firing squad, Corelli miraculously survives when one of his men, Carlo, saves him from the bullets.

Dr. Iannis and Pelagia operate on Corelli, and Pelagia nurses him back to health, though he is no longer the same man. Guilty and repressed, he cannot find the innocence of his old love for her. Instead, he makes contact with Mandras and asks him to locate Weber a German officer he and his soldiers befriended in better days on the island. Corelli kills his German friend in an attempt to revenge his men.

Corelli then leaves the island after a desperate farewell from Pelagia, saying he can never show love again. She is heartbroken. With Corelli gone, Mandras assaults Pelagia, Drousoula banishes her son from the island.

Life continues for Pelagia and her father until, a few years after the war, Corelli sends a recording of his mandolin music dedicated to Pelagia. Iannis decides to write to Corelli, but as he is finishing the letter a massive earthquake destroys the island.

Both becoming older and neither having remarried, after many years Corelli returns. He and Pelagia are reunited and begin a new journey of re-discovering their love.

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