Good day to you all. I am an actor currently living and performing in Glasgow.
Good day to you all. I am an actor currently living and performing in Glasgow.
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:71
Members who trust:8
“The English Patient” starring Ralph Fiennes, Kirsten Scott Thomas, Juliette Binnoche and Willem Dafoe is set at the end of the Second World War where Count Almasy (Fiennes) is picked up by African tribes people after being shot down in an aircraft. He is then put into the care of the Allies and is put in the care of a Canadian nurse (Binnoche). They both stay in an old abandoned church, while Almasy lives out his few remaining days remembering the all too murky past.
Count Almasy is a Hungarian and member of the International Cartographers who at the end of the 1930’s were mapping the great deserts of Africa just before the outbreak of WWII.
Along comes Mr. And Mrs. Clifton – investors of the expedition and all round Mr. And Mrs. Britain. All too soon chemistry between Almasy and Katharine Clifton (Scott Thomas) begins to ignite and the unavoidable follows. While back in the present time, there is new love dawning for our nurse by Almasy’s bedside.
It is very hard to give a rough outline as the film is so well intertwined and has various clever subplots, such as the introduction to Moose (Dafoe), or with the Maddox character.
Anthony Minghella is at the helm for his second time, and also adapts Michael Odjante’s book for the screen. He does so with tremendous flair and what would seem ease. The performances are very strong particularly with Ralph Fiennes, playing an excellent brooder, and Kirsten Scott Thomas beautifully portraying temptation. The supporting cast of Binnoche and Dafoe add a lovely touch to the story, both being appealing.
With tremendous desert cinematography and a superb international score by Gabriel Yared this is one of my all time favourite films, which is saying a lot! Moving, powerful, funny, dramatic, tense and weepy – everything a good story needs.
If you usually go by how many Oscar nominations films get, then this is one for you – 9 nominations – if you don’t care much for that – trust me it is an excellent film. A friend of mine summed it up – after seeing it he said “Ah – they do make them like they used to.” See it.
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Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Pat O'Connor - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over, 15 years and over - Starring: Geraldine O'Rawe, Colin Firth, Saffron Burrows, Minnie Driver, Chris O'Donnell
Drama - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Shelagh Fraser, Barbara Flynn, Keith Drinkel, Felicity Kendal, Pam Ferris, Colin Douglas
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Isn't this a beautiful film? I loved it! Thanks for a great op. Lisa
EnglishPatient 25.03.2001 05:12
Oh, I think it gives a fair amount of detail, though as this is my #1 film of all-time I would gladly read as much as you could write on it. I can tell you're a writer of quality ops. Always heartening to find them amongst the mass of mediocrity.
Amadahn 12.03.2001 23:53
This is one film that I've never got around to watching - mainly because I'm not too keen on Ralph Fiennes(?). I would be more likely to give it a try if Binoche & Dafoe were the central characters, as I tend to find them much more interesting than Fiennes and Thomas. I would have liked your op to have a bit more about why you liked the film so much - maybe I just crave too much detail...
Mar 12th, 2001
very helpful by (89%):
helpful by (11%):
