Mediterraneo **** (1991, Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Bigagli, Giuseppe Cederna, Claudio Bisio, Gigio Alberti, Ugo Conti) – Classic Movie Review 3087

Director Gabriele Salvatores’s charming, easy-going 1991 Italian movie, dedicated to ‘all those who are running away’, is a highly appealing piece of film-making that won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 1992.

Based on an autobiographical book called Armanta Sagapo (I Love You Army), written by Italian sergeant Armanta Sagapo, it is a World War Two tale of eight misfit Italian soldiers and a donkey who arrive on a remote Greek island in 1941 to guard it for Benito Mussolini. However, they are forgotten and abandoned, and so they are able to begin to enjoy a blissful wartime idyll.

Even if it’s perhaps not got quite enough in the way of real guts, deep intelligence or great sense of adventure, the situation and characters and performances are extremely charismatic and involving. It stars Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Bigagli, Giuseppe Cederna, Claudio Bisio, Gigio Alberti, Memo Dini, Vasco Mirandola, Vanna Barba, Irene Grazioli, Antonio Catania, Luigi Montini and Ugo Conti.

Though Vincenzo ‘Enzo’ Monteleone’s screenplay does tend to be thin and obvious, with a simple-minded sense of humour, the sweet story with its lack of violence and tough drama makes a welcome change in a war film, and the picture-postcard views filmed on Kastellorizo island are gorgeous.

Like a cut-price package tour for those who are running away, it takes you to another, better place and is a far, far better film than the similarly themed Captain Corelli’s Mandolin 10 years later.

One of the producers is Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3087

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Giuseppe Cederna.