Mediterraneo (1991)

In WW2, an Italian Army unit of misfits occupies an isolated non-strategic Greek island for the duration of the war.

Director:

Gabriele Salvatores

Writer:

Enzo Monteleone

Stars:

Diego Abatantuono, Claudio Bigagli, Giuseppe Cederna

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Diego Abatantuono	...	Nicola Lorusso
Claudio Bigagli	...	Raffaele Montini
Giuseppe Cederna	...	Antonio Farina
Claudio Bisio	...	Corrado Noventa
Gigio Alberti	...	Eliseo Strazzabosco (as Luigi Alberti)
Ugo Conti	...	Luciano Colasanti
Memo Dini	...	Libero Munaron
Vasco Mirandola	...	Felice Munaron
Vana Barba	...	Vassilissa
Luigi Montini	...	Pope
Irene Grazioli	...	Iazu
Antonio Catania	...	Carmelo LaRosa

Storyline

Greek Sea, World War II. An Italian ship leaves a handful of soldiers on 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. Things change when their ship is hit and destroyed by the enemy, and the soldiers find themselves abandoned there. Actually, the island isn't deserted and when the Greeks understand that those Italians are harmless, they come 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...

---

Plot Keywords:

nostalgia | donkey | escapism | painting | church | 

---

Taglines:

On a magical Greek island a soldier is about to discover that it is better to make love instead of war [Australian theatrical]

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, language and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel revealed on The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986) to have walked out of this movie after a private screening. When the movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, even so, they vowed to not watch the movie again.

---

Quotes

Nonzo - the turkish sailor: Italians... Turks... One face, one race!

---

Connections

Referenced in La crociata dei buffoni - The Last Summer (2014)

User Reviews

Beautiful antiwar movie

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.

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian English Greek Turkish

Release Date:

31 January 1991 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Mediterráneo

Filming Locations:

Kastellorizo Island, Dodecannese, Greece

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,532,791

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,532,791

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.M.A. Film, Penta Film, Silvio Berlusconi Communications

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 86 min (international) 102 min (Blu-ray)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1