Starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz, Captain Corelli's Mandolin tells the story of a love triangle between a local Greek couple (Cruz and American Psycho star Christian Bale) and an Italian Captain (Cage) who has been posted on the idyllic island of Cephallonia to oversee the German occupation during the Second World War. The Greeks are forced to house Mussolini's Italian soldiers in their homes, so when Corelli takes a bed at Cruz's father's house an undeniable attraction develops and our heroine is forced to choose between allegiance for her fiancé and her community or love for the enemy soldier.

Shakespeare In Love director John Madden had the daunting task of streaming down Louis de Bernieres' multi-faceted novel to bring the central strand into sole focus - a task at which he has undeniably succeeded. Devotees of the source material may balk at the simplification, but few would be up to doing any better. The alternative would be a huge budget, sprawling ten-hour television mini-series and until someone pulls that one together - this mainstream blockbuster will serve Louis well. The man himself has even voiced his approval for the film after a few stuffy critics voiced their objections. So if it's a big budget, epic love story set against a lush backdrop that you're after - then you won't get much better than this one at the moment.