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It was always funny when Roger Ebert hated a film. The man spent his life devoted to exploring the magic of cinema, spreading his passion for filmmaking and edifying audiences on the art-form. So, imagining him sitting in a movie theater ready for another magical, transporting experience only to be repulsed by what he saw is just sort of amusing. That’s apparently what happened with 1991’s “Mediterraneo,” which according to Ebert was the only film that prompted him to walk out — though that’s not technically true.
Ebert was unimpressed with many films throughout his career. He sounded personally disappointed with Kevin Smith in his “Mallrats” review, and didn’t mince words about Chris Evans’ and Jason Statham’s admittedly awful 2005 film “London.” But “Mediterraneo” really upset him. The Italian war comedy-drama was directed by Gabriele Salvatores and written by Enzo Monteleone. It’s set during World War II and follows a group of Italian soldiers who are sent to the small Greek island of Megísti to act as lookouts. After the ship that was set to pick them up takes a bombardment from the Allies, however, the crew become stranded. At first, they believe the island to be deserted but soon find that the inhabitants were simply hiding. Soon, the soldiers start to win over the locals and integrate into the isolated society, where memories of the war begin to fade as romance blossoms between the stranded platoon and the beautiful women of the island.
In 1992, “Mediterraneo” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and in the United States became the highest-grossing foreign language film of that year with a $4.55 million box office take. Ebert, however, was not impressed, and later claimed that Salvatores’ film was “utterly without redeeming merit.”
Roger Ebert seemed to have a special hatred for Mediterraneo
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Roger Ebert hated a fair few films in his time. The critic detested a forgotten Clint Eastwood gangster movie that he dubbed a “travesty.” Ebert also had an extremely harsh review for Kurt Russell’s 1994 sci-fi effort “Stargate,” which he claimed was “lacking in any sense of wonder.” But neither movie irked the reviewer as much as “Mediterraneo,” which he couldn’t even sit through.
In 1996, Ebert spoke to Entertainment Weekly with his longtime collaborator Gene Siskel, and was asked if he ever walked out of a movie. “I’ve sat through every single movie I’ve seen,” said the critic, before revealing the one exception: “Mediterraneo.” He continued, “It won the Academy Award for best foreign film. But it’s utterly without redeeming merit. None.”
Later, Ebert reviewed Gabriele Salvatores’ 2003 film “I’m Not Scared” (“Io non ho paura”), which he gave three and a half stars. He also seemed entirely unbothered by the fact the filmmaker’s 1991 effort had struck him as so repulsive, and even mentioned “Mediterraneo” in the review while declining to comment on its quality. Perhaps that’s because Ebert wasn’t being entirely honest in his Entertainment Weekly interview as prior to his passing in 2013, the critic revealed he’d walked out of several films, including 1971’s “The Statue,” 1980’s “Caligula” and a handful of others. Clearly, something about Salvatores’ 1991 film provoked Ebert more than all those examples, however, as it was the only one he named in his 1996 interview.
