World War II · Film · 2001
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
On the Greek island of Cephalonia, a music-loving Italian artillery captain billeted in the doctor's house falls for the doctor's daughter, whose fiancé has gone to fight on the mainland, until Italy's surrender turns the Germans against their former allies.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 2 places.
Stop 1: Argostoli, Cephalonia
The Italian garrison arrives, and Captain Corelli, lodged in the doctor's house, slowly wins over the proud Pelagia with his mandolin.
Stop 2: Cephalonia
Key location
After the armistice, the Italians refuse to give up their guns and fight the Germans, with terrible consequences for Corelli's battery.
What really happened
Italy invaded Greece in October 1940 and was held back in the mountains of Epirus and Albania until Germany intervened in April 1941. Cephalonia was then garrisoned by the Italian 33rd Acqui Division, with a small German contingent. When Italy announced its armistice on 8 September 1943, the Germans demanded that the division hand over its weapons; after days of negotiation its men chose to resist.
Fighting from 15 to 22 September ended with the division's surrender, and German troops then executed thousands of Italian prisoners, officers first, in one of the worst war crimes committed against surrendering soldiers; estimates of the dead range from about 2,000 to over 5,000. The film softens Louis de Bernières' novel, especially its portrait of the Greek communist partisans.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- Captain Corelli's Mandolin
- Directed by
- John Madden
- Countries
- United Kingdom, United States, France
- Languages
- English, Italian, Greek, German
- Released
- 2001
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Mediterranean & Africa
- Themes
- Romance
- True story
