Die vergessene Insel (1988)
5KDie vergessene Insel: Directed by James Dearden. With Ben Kingsley, Charles Dance, Kevork Malikyan, George Murcell. A secret agent in Turkey is persuaded by his superiors to assist a couple of English cons in the theft of a priceless Greek statue.
“u0026#39;Pascaliu0026#39;s Islandu0026#39; could have been made specifically by and for the Greek tourism bureau. The cinematography is so utterly gorgeous as to make this film self-recommending. If you are an addict of the Greek Isles then this film is a must-have for those long winter- evenings in the upper Midwest, or where-ever your winters are spent, when you need to see shimmering Dodecanese seas and opalescent sunrises and dazzling, golden sunsets. The views of the azure sea set between the white-washed houses on Symi and Rhodes, where this film was shot, are enough to make one give up the unequal battle and retire immediately to some beach-shack on one of those stunning islands.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAdded to the glorious photography is an especially beautiful score by Loek Dikker, a very fine composer who first came to attention with Verhoevenu0026#39;s early film u0026#39;The 4th Manu0026#39;. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMoving beyond the travelogue attractions of this film there is the under-stated and touching romance of the character of Basil Pascali, wonderfully embodied by Ben Kingsley in what could be his finest work since u0026#39;Gandhiu0026#39;. His is a sad little character, acting as a spy for the last Ottoman Emperor in the dying days of that great Empire. The Greeks are about to reclaim their land and Basil is facing a dark future, until Charles Dance happens on the scene. Any further comment on their activities would spoil your first-time viewing so Iu0026#39;ll stop. Dance is very good, as is Helen Mirren as the beautiful and decadent Viennese artist who is Basilu0026#39;s old pal and Danceu0026#39;s new love.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026#39;Pascaliu0026#39;s Islandu0026#39; is a subtle film, not for boys night out or the kids on a Saturday night. Itu0026#39;s a thinking film set in a glittering location that creates a very pleasant marriage between eye and mind. Not so common a thing in the flicks these days when you come to think about it. That alone makes this repeatable viewing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHighly recommended, especially to Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren, Charles Dance and Greek Island fans.”
