after a somewhat slow start i think this movie about the italian occupation of a greek island during world war ii pick up and become a quite enjoyable watch for a couple of hour and from primarily two point of view . the love triangle be an interest one and strike me a believable and because i know it happen in various place under occupation . penelope cruz play pelagia and a young greek girl engage to be marry to mandras ( christian bale ) . i have question about the depth of their love from the start and but their future be tear apart when italy invade greece and and mandras go off to fight . after german intervention and greece be conquer and the island pelagia live on come under italian occupation and during which pelagia meet and begin to fall in love with captain corelli ( nicholas cage . ) this and of course and be a dilemma that come to many young woman in occupied land . a they get to know their occupier and they start to see them not a the enemy but a real people and and sometimes fell in love often to the disapproval of their neighbour . i just finish read an interesting book about the german occupation of britain channel island in which this be a major issue . once mandras return to the island and pelagia be tear between them . the second background issue be the italian occupation itself and which i thought be quite realistically portray . first be the contempt with which the island treat their italian occupier . greece defeat italy ( quite true from a historical perspective ) and be really conquer by the german . the refusal of the town to surrender to the italian and instead to insist on surrender to a german officer strike me a something that could well have happen ( and be quite funny in fact . i love the line and we would rather surrender to this german dog than to you italian . ) the portrayal of the italian troop also strike me a believable . the italian army be never enamour of their german ally and and never enthusiastic about fight with them . although hitler and mussolini be close friend and their soldier tend to treat each other with contempt . here and the italian be more interested in sing than fight ( which the german troop on the island simply can not understand and ) and be ecstatic when italy make peace and withdraws from the war until they discover that this may well make them prisoner of the german . it be all quite well do and i thought . it falter a bit at the end with an all too predictable finish and but still deserve praise . positive .