Very Serious and Melancholy Film - Fiennes at his best

Rating: 10/10 (5 September 2010)

If you are in love with Ralph Fiennes as I am, this is the film for you. Even though a vast majority of the film is in flashback mode as he lies in a bed dying, he will completely steal your heart once again as you see this movie unfold. I will not try to tackle the historical background of this film because that is just not me. This review is based on my feelings alone. Every time I see Fiennes in this film, I cry. He is just beautiful. He reluctantly begins a love affair with a gorgeous married woman in the desert. They soon become very involved with each other, hiding their affair from her husband (Colin Firth). The love scenes between the two in this film are so passionate and overwhelming that one must hold one's breath and watch several times to take the emotional ecstasy in. I also cry during the parts of the film when his nurse is taking care of him and ultimately over medicates him so he can die in peace. She is beautiful too. I believe she has great love for him and also for what he has lost. She is in love with the mystery of the man dying on his sick bed. The scene where Fiennes carries his lover out of the cave after she has passed is just devastating. He goes through a personal hell to try and save her only to find that she has expired after his return. This film is riveting during every second. I'm glad I didn't see this in a theater. I would never have made it out. A dear friend of mine gave me a VHS, and I subsequently bought it on DVD. I generally watch it every Friday night! This is a must see - - - Fiennes at his personal best! (The beautiful man)