Anthony Minghella's masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (6 June 2020)

The English Patient has variously been described as a war film and a romance; it is perhaps best described however as a tragedy. Adapted by writer and director Anthony Minghella from Michael Ondaatje's novel of the same name, it tells the story a mysterious disfigured man being nursed in an abandoned villa at the tail end of World War Two, and gradually unpicks his past and how he came to be injured.
The English Patient is a stately, elegant film, with a carefully written, elegant script. The characterisation is convincing, from the scarred and dying protagonist Almásy who recounts the doomed love affair that culminated in his in injuries, through his nurse Hana, to bomb disposal expert Kip and pretty much everyone else in the movie. The plot unfolds via a non-linear narrative that alternates between scenes set in the story's present and flashbacks as Hana and visiting Canadian Caravaggio gradually learn the truth about Almásy. The story's tragedy lies in the ill-fated love affair between charismatic but aloof explorer and archaeologist Almásy and the married Katharine Clifton, both characters the picture of upper class restraint in the face of growing mutual attraction. Their happiness proves all too brief, as Katherine's husband's pain and jealousy result in her death, and the same series of events eventually lead to Almásy
Interwoven with the story of Almásy and Katherine are other subplots, as we discover what happened to Caravaggio's absent thumbs, and as Hana falls in love with Kip. If there's a problem with The English Patient is that although all of the characters and their stories are compellingly written, the film is quite slow at times and the additional plot threads feel like padding. Nevertheless, the film is largely successful and the horrors of war provide a striking and often horribly well realised backdrop, with some truly unpleasant scenes such as Caravaggio having his thumbs cut off by sadistic Nazi torturers. The scene of Kip disarming the bomb in the pit is incredibly tense: just when it seems it will explode, he successfully renders it harmless, but the scene is juxtaposed with the subsequent death of Sergeant Hardy which is realistically out of the blue and meaningless.
Minghella's direction results in a handsome film, in no small part to the gorgeous location filming, which John Seale's cinematography exploits to full effect. Scenes such as the sandstorm and the German invasion are impressively staged, whilst the make-up used for the hideously wounded Almásy has aged well. The casting is perfect: Ralph Fiennes completely immerses himself in the role of Almásy, and Kristin Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe, Juliette Binoche and Naveen Andrews are just as well cast, with strong support provided from the likes of Colin Firth and Kevin Whately. All of the actors give naturalistic performances, which make the tragic pattern of their lives all the more potent (notably, every character of note loses somebody dear to them, even those characters who get an otherwise happy ending). The ending, which sees Almásy convince Hana to commit euthanasia, is poignant rather than mawkish and that's partly due to the acting as well to Minghella's screenplay.
Walter Murch's careful editing is crucial to the success of the film's complex plot, and it is the fact that it reveals the answers to the questions posed by the screenplay a bit at a time that helps to drive the narrative and maintain the audience's interest. The English Patient could perhaps have been a little leaner and a little shorter, but as it stands its still a very impressive piece of work and arguably the highpoint of the late Minghella's well-respected career.