Kristin Scott Thomas is a revelation; the film is beautiful and at times powerful but it's also overlong, overambitious and lacks heart

Rating: 7/10 (10 June 2020)

The first time I watched this film it left a bitter taste in my mouth. But it made enough of an impression on me that I went back for a second viewing. Now having seen it for a second time, I have to say that I gained more of an appreciation for Anthony Minghella's work. While I still believe that the film is overlong, overambitious and is mostly an exercise of the mind rather than the heart, I would nevertheless recommend it for several reasons. First of all, even though the aforementioned shortcomings make for a film that is a bit tedious in parts and somewhat cold, the story is still a good one and there are powerful moments in this film that will stay with you. Furthermore, the production value and cinematography are spectacular. In short, this is one beautiful motion picture. Last but not least, is the performance of Kristin Scott Thomas. She plays Katharine Clifton with intelligence, strength and gravitas and in the process, steals the show. She is by far the highlight of the film. The English Patient is a dense and layered novel and even though Minghella did not fully succeed in translating the pages to the screen, he still made a respectable, albeit flawed motion picture.