Hey folks, Harry here with a look at CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN... a film that is destined to be pushed for OSCARS at the end of this year, and if it isn't absolutely solid, then we'll all be thinking of it in like terms with CHOCOLAT.... Well it is months and months and months from release, but here's a look at the flick...
Harry and Co.
A colleague of mine over here at the BBC in London went to see a 'final' cut of John Madden's Captain Corelli's Mandolin last night at BAFTA.
It's gonna be a while before general release, (if the news that it's being held back for consideration in next years various awards ceremonies has any validity.) so I obviously grilled this guy to find out what he thought.
Interestingly there was also a Q&A with Mr Madden and the writer of the screenplay afterwards.
This is all second hand so please forgive the lack of detail. The general consensus was that this is a good, solid romantic drama which looks absolutely stunning and has reassuringly sound performance from Cage and Cruz.
Doubts were cast on the usually dependable John Hurt and Christian Bale playing the father and boyfriedn respectively. It was felt that they were too obviously trying to be GREEK.
As is inevitable for a novel with as many layers as Capt Corelli, much has been cut for the screen and apparently some members of the BAFTA audience expressed concern at the absence/minor presence of the Gay character who is so vital to the novel.
It was also mentioned that the scenes of conflict (apparently made with the assistance of the Greek army) are particularly well done and quite '..hard..' and '...uncompromising...'.
My colleague, who has a healthy amount of cynicism when it comes to the movies, got the impression that the movie was trying just a little too hard for the English Patient and Chocolat crown of EuroAmerican classy romantic drama. That said, he felt it would probably clean up with everyone that enjoys those kind of movies.
He finished by saying that John Madden was extremely amicable having just come out of the cutting room. (All shots finished only the credits remained to be completed, apparently.) and answered questions with charm. (And that that ws not quite the case with the screenwriter!)
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