The English Patient Movie Review 1996

Filled with flashbacks and moral ambiguities, this adult romance is a complicated WWII saga that finds fragile French-Canadian nurse Hana (Binoche) caring for Almasy (Fiennes), an enigmatic, dying burn patient, in an abandoned monastery in Tuscany. Hana's joined by thief-turned-spy Caravaggio (Dafoe), who has a private score to settle with Almasy, and two British bomb disposal experts, Kip (Andrews), a Sikh who falls in love with Hana, and Sgt. Hardy (Whately). Almasy spends his days recalling his illicit love affair with Katharine Clifton (Scott Thomas), the wife of fellow cartographer, Geoffrey (Firth), as they map the North African desert. Exquisitely photographed in a golden glow by Seale with wonderful performances by the entire cast. Based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje.

Distribution

Miramax Film Corp., 8439 W Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069-1921, Phone: (323)650-2937, URL: http://www.miramax.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 162 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Romantic Drama, Deserts, Romantic Triangles, Death & the Afterlife, World War II, Cold War Spies, Obsessive Love, Doctors & Nurses, Boom!, Women in War

Screenplay

Anthony Minghella

Cast

Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Julian Wadham, Juergen Prochnow, Kevin Whately, Clive Merrison, Nino Castelnuovo

Cinematography

John Seale

Director

Anthony Minghella

Music

Gabriel Yared

Producer

Saul Zaentz, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Scott Greenstein, Miramax

Awards

Oscars 1996: Art Dir./Set Dec., Cinematog., Costume Des., Director (Minghella), Film Editing, Picture, Sound, Support. Actress (Binoche), Orig. Dramatic Score; British Acad. 1996: Adapt. Screenplay, Cinematog., Film, Support. Actress (Binoche), Score; Directors Guild 1996: Director (Minghella); Golden Globes 1997: Film--Drama, Score; L.A. Film Critics 1996: Cinematog.; Natl. Bd. of Review 1996: Support. Actress (Binoche), Support. Actress (Scott Thomas); Broadcast Film Critics 1996: Director (Minghella), Screenplay.