The English Patient (1996) Miramax Films 📢 Director: Anthony Minghella 💰 Producer: Saul Zaentz 👫 Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willen Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Julian Wadham, Jürgen Prochnow. 🏆 Awards ceremony: -69th Academy Awards: March 24, 1997. Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California. 🎭 Other films nominated for Best Picture this year: -Fargo. -Jerry Maguire. -Secrets & Lies. -Shine. 📕 Plot summary: Count László Almásy (RALPH FIENNES) is a Hungarian cartographer - identified simply as 'English Patient' on his medical chart when he is severely burned in an airplane accident in the final days of WWII, is taken to an abandoned, secluded Italian monastery by a nurse (JULIETTE BINOCHE) to recuperate from his wounds. Confined to his bed and with his only worldly asset being a copy of Herodotus's Histories, he begins telling the story of an affair he conducted with a married British woman (KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS) who is with her husband exploring a region of the Sahara desert on an expedition. Soon after, the nurse and her patient are joined by a thumb-less man (WILLEM DAFOE) who claims to know the true identity of 'the English patient' and that he is not as pure as he claims to be. 💥 Standout scene(s): Almásy's return to the Cave of Swimmers and the unfortunate ending for Katherine. Walking with her in his arms as he leaves the cave carrying her lifeless body in his arms. Gets me every bloody time. Other key scenes include Kip trying to defuse a UXB, and Almásy begging the officers to 'give him the fucking car'. 🔑 Facts: -The 69th Academy Awards. -Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, it won 9: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Score, Sound. -Second Best Picture appearance for Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List). -Second Best Picture appearance for Willem Dafoe (Platoon). 🙂 Personal opinion: What I love about this film is the trajectory it follows: from the leisurely pacing at the beginning it then builds, and builds, getting stronger and more intense until it explodes with the dramatic final section where its tear-jerking pull is off the chart. I've never known another film quite like this in terms of the way its structure just completely captivates the viewer and holds it in its grip. One of my all-time favourite movies and one that always brings me to tears no matter how many bloody times I see it. Yeah it is long (but with doing this project I have found that this tends to be a trend) but because the quality of the story is there it makes the film bearable. It's quite the heartbreaking love story, but its minor characters (such as Caravaggio and Kip) that really add to the overall beauty of the film. Rich desert colours and sharp cinematography are stand-out qualities, not to mention a really gripping screenplay and well defined characters. How is it that the last time I had to watch Ralph Fiennes for this project (Schindler's List) he was a real asshole, but here is the complete opposite, even if at times his character is a sexually frustrated sulk. Despite her second billing, I think Juliette Binoche is a secondary character with the focal point being Ralph Fiennes' and Kristin Scott Thomas' characters. I can see why some people wouldn't go for a film like this, and it's a shame too because it's their loss and a reflection of them not being invested in the story; but for those who have the patience and desire to sit through it, they will certainly be rewarded and will be restraining themselves not to cry at the end when the film reaches its crescendo in the final half-hour. It's a tear-jerker, make no mistake about it. I must make the point also that I think Ralph Fiennes should have won the Oscar for Best Actor here (he was nominated but lost out to Geoffrey Rush in 'Shine', can you believe?) A 4K release is definitely needed. It's just shy of being a masterpiece of filmmaking. 'I've always loved you' and 'Just give me the fucking car' are two standout lines of dialogue, both expressed with completely different emotions by two different characters but both having the same affect on me. Did it deserve the Oscar? ✅ABSOLUTELY YES. Requires patience, understanding, emotional involvement and stamina and appreciation for the artistic end result. The fact it won 9 Academy Awards should tell you something. 9/10

Review date: 02 May 2025