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Pascali's Island (1988)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 11
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 4

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 3

No consensus yet.

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Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 239

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Movie Info

The year is 1908; after centuries of unchecked power, the Ottoman empire is rapidly crumbling. As a result, Turkey's secret agents--those that haven't already been eliminated by downsizing or death--operate in a vacuum, their superiors knowing little and caring less about their activities. One such spy is Ben Kingsley, a minor bureaucrat of no ambition. When ordered to help disreputable English citizens Charles Dance and Helen Mirren in the theft of a precious Greek artifact, Kingsley goes along

PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Drama, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: James Dearden

In Theaters: Aug 1, 1988 Wide

Live Home Video

Pascali's Island Trailer & Photos

Cast

Ben Kingsley
Basil Pascali
Charles Dance
Anthony Bowles
Helen Mirren
Lydia Neuman
George Murcell
Herr Gesing
Sheila Allen
Mrs. Marchant
Nadim Sawalha
Pasha
Stefan Gryff
Izzet Effendi
Vernon Dobtcheff
Pariente
T.P. McKenna
Dr. Hogan
Danielle Allan
Mrs. Hogan
Nick Burnell
Chaudan
Josh Losey
Turkish Soldier
Kevork Malikyan
Mardosian
Brook Williams
Turkish Officer
Ali Abatsis
Boy in Bath
Alistair Campbell
Captain
George Ekonomou
Greek Rebel

Critic Reviews for Pascali's Island

All Critics (11) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (7) | Rotten (4)

Despite an eye-catching but mannered central performance from Ben Kingsley, looms as too languid and remote to make much impact.

March 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

Slow and stately, Pascali's Island never gets beneath its own superficial gentility.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Caryn James

New York Times

Top Critic

A literary adaptation that takes itself so seriously one longs for Gilligan and the Skipper.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Rita Kempley

Washington Post

Top Critic

It is a mood piece, meditative, in which even the melodrama of the plot grows out of the flawed souls of the characters. Everything in a film like this depends on performance, and it is hard to imagine how it could have been better cast.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

Helen Mirren has always been good at playing sexy eccentrics. But it is Kingsley's performance, as the despairing victim of his own actions, that makes this island worth a visit.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

The milieu may seem remote but the performances illuminate, and the story has an originality that compensates for the modest budget.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Derek Adams

Time Out

A literate, well-acted movie set in 1908 that conveys how difficult and disarming it is to live in a world where no one can be trusted.

July 9, 2003 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice

| Comment

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

More Critic Reviews

Pascali's Island Quotes

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1. Anthony Bowles: Intelligent, literate, well acted, fully rounded story of human frailty, in a microcosm of the world's intrigue in the run-up to the first world war. Beautifully photographed in Rhodes.
– Submitted by Orlette A (41 days ago)

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