User Reviews

Mediterraneo is a treat to watch. A feast not limited to the eyes, it reminds me somehow of "Babette's Feast". The two movies have, in my opinion, much the same chemistry, though altogether different physics.

The movie is replete with life and beauty. It is blessed with the rhythm of an enthralling sea, the almost ripple-free life of a village like town, the heat of day and the quiet of night. And above all this is house-full of noises, noises made by people, young people, at war and in love.

What really touched me about this film was the fact that every body apparently gets what he had missed. The letter-writer does get a chance to escape. Cpatain busies himself in decorating the local church. Lorusso is happy with his extrovert style of life. And so is Farina, only he is introvert. Likewise, other men find ways to satisfy themselves. Last and probably the least, the followers of Saint Balthasar, make their own contribution towards fun, chaos and misery that other more self-important members of this no-mission task force are going through. It is fantastic to see how these tense woe-befallen war-laden become gradually satisfied with themselves and at ease with their surroundings. Whom, other than themselves were they ever at war with?

Again, it is wonderful to watch them both anxious and worried simultaneously, at the very prospect of retuning to "peace and quiet" of home, i.e., when the man in the helicopter brings the news of lost causes and changed times. A new world order awaits them on the other shore, to which they are later obliged to migrate, only to suffer ridicule, confusion and disillusionment.

Only one man stays behind. Antonio Farina, who with his humble beginnings and meager infatuations showed no promise at all in the outset, yet in the long run, emerges as the most powerful, most memorable character of them all. From Italy's point of view, he is a run-away. From island's point of view he is the one who stayed. Madly in love with the ex-prostitute of town, he hides himself in one of the barrels used for storing olives. For one spare moment, he resembles the Baron-in-the-trees, Italo Calvino's hero in the second part of his "Our Ancestors" trilogy.

All this happens during the course of this film. And yet there always is this almost magical aura of nothing happening at all, and a foreboding of what is going to happen, something wicked coming this way.

But there is more to this movie than what first meets the eye.

With its simplicity aimed at nothing in particular, "Mediterraneo" manages to achieve more than many films laden with heavy messages. The film raises difficult questions in an easy manner, more like a curious youth rather than an adult raging with anger. Like the see itself, it knows a deep lot which it lets us steal a glimpse of only to fathom at what wonders and monsters lie beneath surface.

The film becomes all the more effective in spite of and due to its fuzziness. "Mediterrraneo" blurs the boundaries of war and peace, plays with the concepts of comradeship and loyalty, blends "us" with "them", reveals "certains" to be mere perhaps, compares being to nothingness. This film has the magic to transcend space and time. It has fuzzy logic at the core of its magical wand.

Memorabilia:

Barbecue party, where they merrily eat their enemy: chicken shot to kill in one-sided combat.

Recitations of Greek poetry in the heat of the night.

Surprise! To discover behind curtain of white sheets, a whole town, alive and kicking. They find their Oz without ever going over rainbow.

The local whore files complaint for being out of job.

Wedding ceremony held in the local church, renovated by the invaders.

With utmost solemnity, Lorusso's "bodyguard" declares his eternal love for none other than Lorusso himself.

The Finale: Three ex-compatriots sitting around a table in Farina's hotel. Their peeling and cutting vegetables in harmony is reminiscent of their polishing and mending their guns together in an inglorious past, not so far away.

The message at the end of this film states that it is dedicated "to all of those who are running away" - as at least three of the main characters in the film ultimately do. As such, it could not be greater escapism for all of us watching; the only way would be to travel to Greece ourselves!

Mediterraneo is one of those films that can only make its audience think, laugh, reflect on deeper questions despite the fact that the actual storyline therein is quite simplistic indeed. A number of Italian soldiers, stranded on a Greek island, miss out on the end of World War II - such is the premise here and, just like that, this could have been quite the run-of-the-mill umpteenth boring war film, if done in a certain more marketable way... But it was done the European way: exploring the thoughts, aspirations, even a hint of the souls of these soldiers, rather than their militaristic exploits. And it was done in a lyrical way, even, I dare say! This movie delves into what every single soldier truly aspires to, even in the midst of war - and that is peace and love of course. And where better than a paradisaical Greek island to find such a thing, hmm?

Even if time does not allow for much exploration, the ensemble cast is well-defined and each soldier is given such endearing personality traits through the characters as they were written as much as through the fine performances by each and everyone in the cast. They are funny, witty and oh-so-Italiano, while the ladies they meet on the island are voluptuous and strong, and oh-so-Greek too...! Beyond boundaries and borders, we are all the same and this film underlines that in many ways.

There is another phrase that will stay with you after all this, if you are either nationality or belong to any other in the vicinity of the Mediterranean sea; and it is "one race, one face." Or the later, amusing version of it, as the second-in-command makes it up as he is indulging in all the good food that is so plentiful there: "one race, one stomach."

The scenery is stunning, the music is haunting - I cannot say enough (or more than has already been said) about the intrinsic qualities of this production. It is a feast for all the sense - and for the soul as well.

Above all, the entire exercise reminds us of this, too: life is so short. Enjoy it while you can. Find that place where you can finally stop running away.

Gabriele Salvatores "Mediterraneo" won the best foreign film at the Oscars and its hard to believe that the Academy didn't have another film to vote for. Not that this isn't a decent film, it is. It definitely has its heart in the right place and actually has a hard statement to make about post war Italy. Eight Italian soldiers in 1941 are sent to a Greek island to make sure its not invaded (Again) but after a while their ship is destroyed and it appears that they are stranded and abandoned by the country that they're fighting for. Eventually the men blend in and grow a real fondness for the land. One of the soldiers marries a local prostitute. Another admits his love for another soldier and a talented and bright officer is asked to paint the inside of the church ala' Michelangelo. ****SPOILER ALERT**** After a few years a British ship shows up to take them home but the soldier who married the prostitute decides to remain behind. Very simple story told in a very beautiful scenic location that is essential to the film. The location has to be beautiful so that we get a sense of not wanting to leave. Its here that the soldiers can relax a bit and reflect on what they're purpose in life is. They also add cynical comments on their own country and how it has turned their back on them. These are the moments that make up for the simple nature of the storytelling. I have to admit that at the beginning of the film I thought I was watching a comedy on the "Travel Channel". But slowly the film begins to make its little statements and ultimately it becomes reminiscent of "Cinema Paradiso". Nice little film that is well photographed but did it really deserve the Oscar?