The English Patient (Miramax Collector's Edition)

From the Editors

Winner of 9 Academy Awards(R) in 1996, including Best Picture, Best Director (Anthony Minghella) and Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), this powerful motion picture is an experience you will never forget. During World War II, a mysterious stranger (Ralph Fiennes) is cared for by American allies unaware of his dangerous past. Yet, as the mystery of his identity is revealed, an incredible tale of passion, intrigue, and adventure unfolds. Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth, and Willem Dafoe.
Description

Customer Response

Purhcase
Loved the movie, bought this for a friend. Was shipped and delviered on time...no issues

ngugh? This movie makes no sense and neither does the main character
I have no idea what that guy was talking about so in the middle of the hot hot sun, the last thing a woman wants is to be confused in an already uncomfortable situation so why would a very English Kristin Scott Thomas be lured away from COLIN FIRTH for a GAY spy - he's GAY just like the one the Nazis sent to Tibet. He's GAY! And Colin Firth is STILL Colin Firth with that hard voice (ref. Another Country - he has ALWAYS had that voice) and that incredible walk even playing a cuckold - there's just no way. Plus I hate Ralph Lauren safari Out of Africa costuming. There's just no way. I'd stay indoors and drink citrus-y beverages waiting for Colin Firth to come home. There's NO WAY. I'm not going into the desert with anyone not even Peter Oh! Toole. Plus when Juliette Binoche not looking very French comes on, it does nothing for me. I had a migraine in the movie theater when I saw this movie and I really feel I wasted my time. This is one of those adultery is so meaningful movies. I really don't agree. Plus I hate KST with dyed blonde hair. It's a waste.

Love Story
The English Patient is a movie that you can watch over and over, The movie is long, but the time passes very quickly, it is a movie that pulls you in and when its over your are still left with being a part of it.

Snoozefest
Would someone please tell me what this movie is about? I tried watching it several times, but fell asleep long before the ending each time.

One great thing about this movie...It's allowed me to throw-away my Ambien pills.

Probably one of the worst five movies I've ever watched. Watching flies crawling up my drapes is more watchable.

vivid mood and deep themes
It is rare to find a film that has such depth - of character, history, and humanity.

First, you have a tragic love story, of a married woman who falls for a charming yet difficult and obsessed man, a scholar explorer who lacks many basic social graces. With perfect success, Fiennes is sensual, austere, funny, full of life, prickly, sensitive, egotistical, lonely, and passionate. Thomas is stunningly beautiful in her prime, a lonely married woman desiring to burst her bounds yet unprepared for the consequences. The chemistry between them is electric and immediate, of the kind that is experienced once in a lifetime - if you are lucky. Their passion is an archetype of hope, momentary fulfillment, and failure. The evocation is truly wonderful.

Second, you have the backdrop of WWII, which erased entire cultures and ruined so many lives. Fiennes and his cohort are explorers dedicated to finding archaeological truth, refusing to believe in nationality and bridging cultures with a naive love of diversity in the declining colonial age. Their ethereal ideals are beautiful, hypocritical, used by intelligence services for their war aims, and yet timeless. All of this is encapsulated in the background, a perfectly realized mood poem. Every image of the film, particularly in the desert sequences but also the ruined monastery, is consistent with this.

Third, there are the ideals and conflicts of humanity. I know this sounds a bit high-faluttin, but the brief romance of the nurse (Binoche) and the Sik (Andrews) brings it into focus: after all the death she has seen, she is ambivalent about life, while her lover is deeply conflicted about his identity as an Asian serving colonial masters. Somehow they find a way to move forward. She also loves the dying Fiennes, whose life she hopes will save her soul. But the evolution of the character of Defoe - the seeker of vengeance for unspeakable war crimes - is much the same, finding brotherhood and some forgiveness while accepting meaningless tragedy. Once again, the film brings this off - causing refection and awe in the viewer - without pretension or a feeling a lugubrious over-plotting.

The non-linear unfolding of the plot is also successful: Binoche is caring for Fiennes in a ruined monastery, mourning while hoping to find light again, when an unwanted visitor appears, the wounded Defoe. He begins to snoop around, asking questions and stealing morphine, while Fiennes indulges in a swirl of memories as he declines. Slowly, a full story of his tragedy emerges, while the younger characters find a way to move on with their lives.

Rarely does a film evoke the passing of life amidst big events so completely. At least, that was my experience of the film. Recommended with the greatest enthusiasm.

Others also Liked

Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series)
Out of Africa
The English Patient
The Last Emperor
American Beauty (Widescreen Edition)