Product Description Big budget Hollywood adaptation of the novel set on the Italian-occupied Greek island of Cephalonia during the 1940s. Captain Corelli (Nicolas Cage), an opera-loving mandolin player, finds the population resentful when he first arrives on the island. But soon his involvement with local beauty Pelagia (Penelope Cruz) helps him form a bond with the local community and he starts to question his own involvement in the war. The tentative love affair between Corelli and Pelagia is then tested by the brutal arrival of the Germans in 1943. From Amazon.co.uk While Captain Corelli's Mandolin may frustrate admirers of Louis de Bernières' densely detailed novel, it proves Shakespeare in Love director John Madden is a worthy craftsman of literary films. It's a tastefully old-fashioned adaptation, preserving the novel's flavour while focusing on its love story set against the turbulence of World War II. Set on the Greek island of Cephallonia, the drama begins in 1940 with occupation by Italian troops, awkwardly allied with the Nazis and preferring hedonistic friendliness over military intimidation. That attitude is most generously embodied by Captain Corelli (Nicolas Cage), who is instantly drawn to the Greek beauty Pelagia (Penélope Cruz) despite her engagement to Mandras (Christian Bale), a resistance fighter whose absence leaves Pelagia needy for affection. Mandras's eventual return--and the inevitable attack by German bombers and ground troops--threaten to stain this Greek-Italian romance with deeply tragic bloodshed. Accompanied by pensive serenades from the captain's cherished mandolin, the film charts the unlikely attraction of Corelli and Pelagia, whose wizened physician father (splendidly played by John Hurt) fears for the worst. Their love is uneasy (and Cage's miscasting doesn't help), but the island's beguiling atmosphere is as seductive to them as it is to the viewer, thus making the outbreak of violence--and a climactic earthquake--jarringly traumatic. Emphasising nobility in war and the many definitions of love, the story's wartime context intensifies the film's admirable depth of emotion. Faults will be found by anyone who's looking for them, but Captain Corelli's Mandolin remains a sensuous, richly layered film that die-hard romantics will find hard to resist.--Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com From the Back Cover With memorable performances from Nicolas Cage ( Gone In 60 Seconds, Leaving Las Vegas and Penelope Cruz (Blow, All The Pretty Horses), acclaimed director John Madden ( Shakespeare In Love creates breathtaking imagery set amid the Italian occupation of Greece during World War II. When Captain Antonio Corelli (Cage) and his Italian army company arrive on the unspoiled Greek island of Cephallonia, strong-willed young Pelagia (Cruz) and the other villagers meet these uninvited guests with resentment. But as the Italians' charm and passion for life win their acceptance, Pelagia and Corelli begin to develop a bond that transcends the divisions of nationality and circumstance. Then, as the harsh reality of war ultimately crashes upon the idyllic shores of Cephallonia, Capt Corelli must face the possibility of leaving the island and losing the woman he has come to love. Also featuring Christian Bale ( Shaft, American Psycho) and John Hurt ( Crime and Punishment).