A Devotion to the Emotions, Tragedy and Turbulence of World War II.

Rating: 10/10 (30 December 2017)

The most impressive aspect of The English Patient is its devotion to the emotions, turbulence and tragedy of the time, World War II. With the world turned upside down by a war and the end of Europe's royal class, viewers are taken on a visually stunning journey of love, betrayal, constant loss and the ever-so-slow passing of the central character, Count Laszlo de Almasy, brilliantly played by Ralph Fiennes. Many reviewers term this a "reader's movie," and so it is. It's also a movie of the visual and musical arts, with scenes throughout the work stretching the bounds of fixed concepts. I often listen to the soundtrack by Gabriel Yared, with wide swaths of themes reveling in the adventures of archeologists in the Sahara and discoveries of Italian monastic art. Countering the classic themes are popular jazz and big band pieces from the 1930s and 40s, with de Almasy renowned for knowing the lyrics to every piece from the era. The characters throughout the story are classic, which weaves an enduring tableau of emotions, memories and the realization that as much as many view each era as different, there is always a sense of the retelling of stories, best stated with Casablanca's song, As Time Goes By. Lastly, there's a simple reason The English Patient earned nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Anthony Minghella: It's one of the best movies of all time.

Gabriel Yared, composer and wide range of popular pieces from the 1930s and 40s.