In Love and War (2001)

Based on Eric Newby's autobiographical story of his wartime experiences in Italy, 'In Love and War' is a tale of how a young English soldier meets and falls in love with a lovely young Italian woman, Wanda, in a small Italian town in the Apennines. The movie is a wonderful evocation of life in the Italian mountains at a time of huge social upheaval, when Italy abandoned the war against the Allies and the German moved in to take over. Eric becomes a prisoner of war, is injured yet escapes, then is recaptured again. Wanda is the kind of woman that would make every red-blooded male move to Italy, and Eric is the kind of man every woman would fall for. And of course there's a tearful and joyous ending. Best of all, it's a true story!

I happened across this presentation quite by accident and was pleasantly surprised. The story, set in wartime, is sweet and romantic and made even more interesting because it is true. The young British actor who played Eric Newby really impressed me...he has leading man potential and I hope to see more of him. Tall, lanky and angular with an expressive, wide-eyed, boyish appeal, he was convincing in both the comic moments, the romantic scenes, and the tenser escape scenes. He plays a British soldier, escaped from a POW camp in Italy. His escape is hampered by a foot injury. While his injury is healing, with the help of the local villagers, he hides from the Nazis, learns some Italian phrases (these scenes were particularly amusing) and falls in love. The movie will eventually be offered by Hallmark as part of their video collection.

When a serious war diary is brought to the screen, the adaptation requires serious attention to character development through dialogue and acting. The plot is, for the most part, given. In "In Love and War," John Mortimer does the adapting. He is a genius at comedy writing, especially through his "Rumpole of the Bailey" stories. In this latest work, the story is very entertaining, but it misses through unrealistic dialogue and inadequate character development through the acting.

"In Love and War" is a simple feel-good TV-film, and should be viewed as such.(Possible spoiler)It is the story of a WWII British soldier, Newby, captured with his commando by the Italians and imprisoned in a former orphanage. As the Italians surrender to the Allies, the commando is freed, and attempts to flee. However, the Germans arrive and the commando is captured again. Only Newby, injured, remains at large. The rest of the film recounts how he is hidden and protected by the Partisans, and his survival.(End of spoiler)Based on a true story, "In Love and War" is a refreshingly straightforward film. Half comedy, half romance, the story is simple and unambiguous. The 'atmosfera' is warm and sunny, and the various stereotypes (the desperately unorganized or romantic Italians, the serious stern-looking Germans and the phlegmatic and pragmatic British), although unoriginal, are still humorous. Nicola Piovani's musical score also adds to the Mediterranean flavour.Although it is far from being a "Tea With Mussolini" or a "La Vita E Bella", "In Love and War" is a sweet simple film that will put a smile, and maybe even a little tan, on your face.