The film could have been better if.....

I think that the film would have been good if it had been adapted from the novel PROPERLY. It would have made a good 'foriegn' film - made by the French/Italians/Spaniards/Greeks. Think the Italian film "Il Postino". It should have been made in a more subtle way - not blowing out of proportion certain scenes. It could have been made into a very 'arty', sensitive film. For example, why did they delete the scene where Pelagia and Corelli go hunting for snails? It's an scene with a lot of underlying emotion and highlights the misery that the Greeks suffered during the Second World War (millions died from starvation). And why did they not include Psipsina (Pelagia's pine-martin) or Father Arsenisios? If it had been made in a more subtle, European fashion it would have been much better.