The English Patient ★★★★ 1996 (R) 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. 162m/C VHS, DVD. Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Julian Wadham, Juergen Prochnow, Kevin Whately, Clive Merrison, Nino Castelnuovo;
Director:
Anthony Minghella;
Writer:
Anthony Minghella;
Writer:
John Seale;
Cameo:
Gabriel Yared. Oscars '96: Art Dir./Set Dec., Cinematog., Costume Des., Director (Minghella), Film Editing, Picture, Sound, Support. Actress (Binoche), Orig. Dramatic Score; British Acad. '96: Adapt. Screenplay, Cinematog., Film, Support. Actress (Binoche), Score; Directors Guild '96: Director (Minghella); Golden Globes '97: Film—Drama, Score; L.A. Film Critics '96: Cinematog.; Natl. Bd. of Review '96: Support. Actress (Binoche), Support. Actress (Scott Thomas); Broadcast Film Critics '96: Director (Minghella), Screenplay.
