Mediterraneo

It was a very good Italian film I've seen along with Cinema paradiso and Barnabo delle Mongtagne. On the island they forget everything, just enjoy peace and simple jolly life. 30years later,a few people left the island come back, because they couldn't adjust themselves in the world. Only place to return to was the island. On watching the film, I was quite saddened, because our life is like a dessert where Utopia is nothing but a mirage. Director's words "I'd like to dedicate this film to people who want to run away" says all. Very memorable film!!!

Honestly I don't know how this movie could have been translated into English or other languages, since I'm referring to the original, Italian, version of it. I never expected any American so-called critic to full understand what European, and specifically southern-European movies can be about, since we never based the quality of a movie on the amount of car chases, shooting, explosions, well polished (but fake) dialogues and so on. Our cinema is far less shiny but more down-to-Earth. The director, through the words of the character of Lt. Farina, in the very beginning of the movie starts telling a story, which could have been truly happened that way. Why? Because in Italian movies actors act like normal everyday people is. So it appears pretty credible what happened in the movie, between acts of humanity, friendship, inner struggles. Of Course there are typical elements of Italian culture throughout the plot, as the soccer matches, the highly informal language, the warm friendship, and of course to whom is totally unaware of Italian culture, these can appear as childish and pretty silly. But if you look deeply into that, if you leave all prejudices aside, you will discover a beautiful postcard which paints a wonderful small Greek island, in which Italian and Greek people (re)discover their common cultural origins. With the WW2 as background (but there are no fights at all). All in all, reading about American reviews about this movie, in which the writers looked at this movie with a smile of superiority, it reminded me about the part in which the two British sailors came to rescue the marooned soldiers, point at them with a sort of disgust and justify their feelings with: "Italians".

A squad of Italian soldiers arrives to occupy a remote Greek island during WW2, but soon goes native as the immediacy of the war slowly recedes from their island paradise. I enjoyed this film immensely. I hope this is only available in the original Italian with subtitles. The dialog among the soldiers is so quintessentially Italian and funny, that a dubbed version would lose almost everything in translation. The locations are terrific, the plot development is subtle but never boring, and it's a joy to watch a film that encourages you to lean forward and savor it, rather than one that pins you in your seat with technology and effects.

Italian cinematography always had interesting and beside all great movies. "Mediterraneo" is definitely one of them with strong antiwar message. A movie that Americans cannot make cause they haven't experienced wars like the ones that were led on European ground.

Story starts when Italian ship leaves a handful of soldiers in a little Greek island during World War II. Italian soldiers must hold that island by any cost. Island seems to be deserted and when their sheep gets destroyed by enemies, soldiers must find a way to live on that island. Soon they found out that the island is not deserted when Greeks came out of their hiding places in the mountains. All of the inhabitants are women, children and old men, so soldiers began to relax and finally live their lives.

Gabriele Salvatores made a movie situated during a war without any war scene, presenting the Greek island as heaven on Earth for those untypical soldiers. All of them have their dreams and desires, but as time pasts by, only one soldier always tries to leave at all cost (he wants to come home to his wife). Antonio Farina falls in love with prostitute Vassilissa (gorgeus Vanna Barba) and they even stopped counting days on that island, so they don't know what is happening in the war or in outside world. This island present oasis, imaginary world where everyone is happy. Like some sort of utopia.

So from the first to last scene Salvatores directs this movie with no mistakes, cause he had great scenario, actors and he found beautiful location in Greece. I specially liked Diego Abatantuono in role of Nicola Lorusso, but I must also mention Claudio Bigagli and Giuseppe Cederna. Every single person who worked on this drama with elements of comedy created a movie that we all can watch whenever we want to escape from to real world. But is there a place like this on Earth? Yes, I think there are plenty of places like this, but we have to look for them cause nothing good comes easy.

I think IMDb explains the plot best: An Italian ship leaves a handful of soldiers in a little island; their mission is to spot enemy ships and to hold the island in case of attack. The village of the island seems abandoned and there isn't a single enemy in sight, so the soldiers begin to relax a little. Actually, the island isn't deserted and when the Greeks understand that those Italians are harmless, they came out of their hiding places in the mountains and continue their peaceful lives. Soon the soldiers discover that being left behind in a God-forgotten Greek island isn't such a bad thing, after all...

The film won the Oscar for Best Foreign film in 1991 and I'm pretty sure this wasn't the best foreign film of that year, but I can understand why it won. The film captures something I think many people can relate to or understand...escape. These soldiers find an escape from the war. Which is something anybody who has been in a war can relate to. And, the film also captures the freedom these men have. For the moment they're at the island they can also escape from their everyday responsibilities and do what they like best. That's something most people want. For instance, the lieutenant enjoys painting and at the island he gets the opportunity to paint the church. Instead of fighting a war or worrying about how to pay the bills he is doing what he enjoys best, painting. The film may not be the best foreign film of 1991, but it is a very warm-hearted film that you will enjoy.

3 (***) out of (****)