Captain Corelli - 3725 Words

CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN TEACHERS’ NOTES This study guide is aimed primarily at students of English Literature, who are studying Louis de Bernià ¨res’s novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin in the second year of Advanced GCSE studies but will be useful for any students wishing to look at the way in which a novel is adapted for the screen. The guide focuses on the following areas: From novel to screen: Narrative adaptation Characters Representation of nationalities Representation of war Music Language Humour FILM SYNOPSIS Captain Corelli’s Mandolin traces a love that begins uneasily between a conscripted officer of the occupying Italian army, Captain Antonio Corelli (Nicolas Cage), and Pelagia, a strong-willed, ambitious young†¦show more content†¦It is completely virgin, it produces overwhelming clarity of focus, it has heroic strength and brilliance. It exposes colours in their original prelapsarian state, as though straight from the imagination of God in His youngest days, when He still believed that all was good. The dark green of the pines is unfathomably and retreatingly deep, the ocean viewed from the top of a cliff is platonic in its presentation of azure and turquoise, emerald, viridian, and lapis lazuli. . . Once the eyes have adjusted to the extreme vestal chastity of this light, the light of any other place is miserable and dank by comparison... [pages 6/7] à ¤ à ¤ à ¤ What aspects of this description are highlighted in the opening scenes of the film? What filmic techniques are used to achieve this? Consider the type of camera shots we see, how the camera moves, what lighting has been used, what sounds we hear and the speed of the editing - how quickly does the film change from shot to shot? How does the film use landscape to reflect the development of the themes of love and war? How does the settings assist the reading of the story as a) a tale of war b) a tale of love c) a tale of a nation 4 CHARACTERS When adapting an epic novel such as Captain Corelli’s Mandolin for the screen it is important to focus on certain facets of the narrative and character in order to give the story coherence. As a filmmaker John Madden wanted to bring out the full dramatic potential of theShow MoreRelated Triumph of Good in Captain Corellis Mandolin Essay919 Words   |  4 PagesTriumph of Good in Captain Corellis Mandolin  Ã‚   Despite a backdrop of war, many characters in Captain Corellis Mandolin are essentially good. This goodness in many characters overcomes the difficulties within relationships and the difficulties posed by war. De Bernià ¨res shows the triumphant nature of this goodness through his characters as they interact and develop relationships with one another. The island of Cephallonia has been able to survive through a history full of invasions. ItsRead More Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Essay873 Words   |  4 Pages Captain Corelli’s Mandolin S U M M A R Y It is 1941, and a young Italian officer, Captain Antonio Corelli,arrives on the beautiful Greek island of Cephallonia as part of an occupying force. He is billeted in the house of the local doctor, Iannis and his daughter Pelagia. He quickly wins the heart of Pelagia through his humour and his sensitivity, not to mention his stunning ability on the mandolin. But Pelagia is engaged to Mandras, a local fisherman who is away fighting with the Greek armyRead MoreTechniques Louis de Bernià ¨res Uses to Portray the Effects of the War971 Words   |  4 Pageslanguages instead of translating names of places and people gave even more sense of reality and the reader felt more in touch with the characters and with the story being narrated. However, another technique Louis de Bernià ¨res used when writing Captain Corelli ´s Mandolin that really struck me, was the diary of a homosexual, Carlo Guercio. This can be described as the human part of the war. It just talks about the feelings and experiences of a soldier. What Carlo talks about is touching, moreoverRead MoreThe Two Sides to Every Greek: Hellene vs. Romoi1844 Words   |  8 Pageslive with the Romoi (290). The word Romoi actually means Roman. Considering the conflicts between ancient Romans and Greeks, it seems fitting that the Greeks would regard the negative of the two Greek personalities as Romoi. While speaking with Corelli, Dr. Iannis states, The Romoi are people very like your Fascists...they are improvisers, they seek power and money, they arent rational because they act on intuition and instinct, so they make a mess of everything (290). The Romoi only obey the