Captain Corelli's mandolin : the illustrated film companion

The island of Cephallonia is now familiar as the setting of the novel, "Captain Corelli's Mandolin".

This book explores the turbulent history of the island, focusing on the World War II years of Italian occupation, as well as telling the behind-the-scenes story of how the film version was made.As most buildings on Cephallonia fell to rubble in a 1953 earthquake, the way it would have looked in World War II had to be recreated by sets built for the filming of Louis de Bernieres' now legendary "Captain Corelli's Mandolin".

But do not expect the novel to be reproduced so faithfully because that is not the film-makers' style.

They add their own visions, carefully explained here in an official companion to the movie, and de Bernieres' introduction shows how he anticipated that.

All he could do to ensure respectful treatment of his novel was insist it should not be sold to Hollywood.

The history of the filming is itself fascinating - the search for the cast, the locations, even the guns for the massacre of the Italians by the Germans and the other battle sequences.

Film journalist Clark has done a good job here, aided and abetted by the stunning Greek island setting and ample action and character stills from the film.