07/08/06....
Just to say am back!!, I am also having a baby in several weeks so expect lots of ba...
07/08/06....
Just to say am back!!, I am also having a baby in several weeks so expect lots of baby reviews!! Anna xx
Member since:27.07.2001
Reviews:79
Members who trust:223
“The English Patient” was released in 1996, and won an astonishing 9 academy awards, believe me, you’ll know why once you have seen it.
The opening scenes are highly visual; a plane silhouetted against endless golden sand dunes carrying two passengers; a man and a woman. The plane is then abruptly shot to the ground by Germans and it is at this point that you first acquaint yourself with the film’s namesake “The English Patient”. Horrifically burnt and unable to remember much at all, he is given that name, as he is unknown.
The film swings back and forth from the late 1930’s to 1945 Italy, a case of the ugly burnt remains of a man and the handsome one he once was, which adds a unique quality to the film and grasps your intrigue even more as the Patient’s story begins to unfold.
The Patient, Count Laszlo de Almasy - (Ralph Fiennes), ends up in the loving care of Hana - (Juliette Binoche), a Canadian nurse dedicated to helping the suffering and injured casualties of the war.
Hana is almost childlike, Binoche portraying her with an almost pure innocence, naive and always unlucky, as everyone she comes to be close to or loves end
up dying, and her character is heart-warming and appealing, and it is easy to begin to empathise with her, to admire her strength and to pray she finds the happiness she rightly deserves.
Hana nurses her patient in an abandoned house in Italy, tending to his every need, reading to him from his own book containing memories of the man that was. Morphine administered to alleviate his pain causes him to start having visions and flashbacks triggered by sounds and dreams…
Fiennes portrays the patient admirably, his face twisted by pain, not just the physical pain of his horrific burns, but also the mental anguish of the past that gradually seeping back bit by bit to haunt him.
The constant switching of the past and the present theme that run throughout the film lends a certain balance to the two very different women that cross Almasy’s path, their lives bearing no resemblance to each other in any way but this harsh comparison adds to the emotion and the overall appeal of the film.
Almasy’s flashbacks introduce female number 2, Katharine Clifton- (Kristin Scott Thomas), since she and her husband are the investors in the project Almasy is involved in at the time, mapping out the African deserts.
Of course they embark on a passionate affair. with plenty of romantic encounters to die for, however even though there are scenes of nudity and sex, none of it is at all distasteful, just two people very much in love, in fact they appear to sizzle so much on film that you can almost feel the passion between them.
Katherine is far more glamorous than Hana, with money and an expensive lifestyle, hotels, cocktails and fancy clothes as opposed to poor Hana’s home grown food from the orchard and her seemingly one dress. She is beautiful by all accounts, but she doesn’t display the same natural beauty that Binoche does.
Various other characters cross the path of Hana and her patient, including the very disreputable David Caravaggio(Willem Dafoe), a thief who is missing both his thumbs, has a morphine addiction and a bears a severe grudge. Without wishing to divulge anything else, I will just say that he and the Patient go back a long way, plus the Patient is not all he seems to be at first....
Other appearances include Auf Wiedersehen’s very own Kevin Whately, who portrays Hardy, a soldier, and he even gets quite a moving role.
This film outshines many others due to the complexity of its characters, with excellent casting. Fiennes, as the handsome pre-burnt Almasy, starts off as an almost un-likeable, self-centred, arrogant and somewhat aloof character, however you can almost detect the change, once his guard is dropped as he falls hopelessly in love with Katherine. Even as he reminisces, you can still see the love, his burnt face apart from his eyes incapable of showing any emotion: His eyes say it all.
Katherine ( Kristen Scott Thomas).
Her gradual seductive entrance into Almasy’s affections teases your interest, with emotions running high as he finally succumbs to her, which sets the pulse racing amid a frenzy of remarkably realistic and sensual scenes.
Juliette Binoche won an Oscar for her portrayal of Hana, which is demonstrated in her patience, devotion and her inner love radiating from Binoche’s character, this being a role that not every actress could play, although Binoche possesses all the necessary qualities required to give a convincing performance.
The excellent acting is supplemented by the outstanding cinematography featuring desert dunes, sunsets and mountains, which help to add a certain degree of warmth to the film.
In conclusion I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to watch an unfolding romance with a difference, which is almost guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes. – yes, tissues are recommended for this one! This is a classic film, and one that will leave you speechless...In Memory Love Lives Forever......
Notes: This film is based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje Running time of video : Approx 155 minutes Certificate : 15
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An Outstanding Op!!! I saw this film opening night in the US, and told myself if this film does not win Best Picture, I will never respect the Academy Awards again. I'm glad they relented and gave it a record 9 Oscars!!! Chris xxx
ktgough 07.01.2003 14:42
Great op. I totally agree with everything you say. It's the best film by far that I've ever seen, and moves me to tears each time I watch it. Fwoorrr Ralph!!!
Howiemon 15.10.2001 00:55
I often wondered why Jase never reviewed this - EnglishPatient's opinion The English Patient would've sounded so cool - but to be honest, you've done a far better job than he could, Hahaha!! (Don't tell him I said that though will ya??)
Oct 5th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
