Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. A great novel, yes. A great film? Not quite.  Film critic Roger Ebert commented that the 2001 film was “a condensed version of some of the sights and sounds of the novel, without the heart, the spirit and the juicy detail.” Not exactly Oscar-winning material, eh?

The film didn’t work. That’s clear to most. But I believe that the best-selling novel should be adapted into a television series.

What makes a good TV series? A wide array of strong characters, the ‘hero’ who woos our heroine, an intriguing plot and lots of drama. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin ticks all of these boxes and many others.

One of the elements that I most love about the novel is the variety and quantity of key characters. While a lot of novels focus on one or two characters, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin has many. That might explain why it consists of a whopping seventy-two chapters! From the closeted gay Italian soldier Carlo to the kind-hearted but easily influenced Mandras, the complex characters are the true driving force of the novel.

The film did not have the time and space to showcase these characters: Carlo was demoted to the position of minor-character, and many of the other characters were diluted and weakened. This was a huge disappointment for us die-hard fans. A series, however would stand a chance of doing justice to these characters. Each episode could focus on one character until we reach the climax of the novel, where all the threads tie together and we are able to see how they all fit together.

The novel consists of many different components and stories: on the one hand, we have the happy stories of village life in Cephalonia whilst on the other, we see the brutality of warfare. A series would best depict these elements, primarily due to the length of time that it gives. Moreover, these features are perfect for fueling a gripping series.

The difficulty that our heroine Pelagia faces as she realises that her relationship with fiancé Mandras was founded on little more than attraction is certainly gripping, especially when Captain Corelli enters. Furthermore, Pelagia is Greek and Corelli, an Italian soldier, is part of the occupying forces. A big tick for drama. What more could you ask for in a series?

To any directors out there reading this – take note! Captain Corelli’s Mandolin would make a truly excellent television series that would knock most period dramas off their feet.