Despite the backlash...still one of the best films of the 1990's

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2003)

Imagine if you will that Bernardo Bertoluci and David Lean somehow had a love child, and he went on to make movies. His name is Anthony Minghella. Yes, they do still make them like they used to, and this is what they look like. Undeniably beautiful to look at, this eliptical story of a tragic love triangle set amidst the deserts of Africa in WWII, sucked in viewers and critics alike, and swept us away into a wonderful world where romantic epics were literary, smart, and everybody spoke with an accent. Even if you find the central love story between Fiennes and Thomas and bit too "British," you can't help but be compelled by Binoche's lovesick nurse who becomes determined to get to the heart of the mystery surrounding her dying patient. Oh, and there are so many great scenes...the opening shot of the plane flying over the dunes, Binoche playing the piano in the bombed out building, the trapped in the jeep during the sandstorm scenario, the discovery of the cave drawings. Yes, there will be some people who just don't like this. But I don't care. This is still one of the greatest films of the decade.