Superb in almost all respects

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2008)

"The English Patient" is superb in almost all respects. A lavish production that is a feast to the eye, it is a credit to the immensely creative talents of producer Saul Zaentz ("Amadeus") and visionary director Anthony Minghella.
Special effects and stunts are most convincing, and amazing sound supports this where it matters. Costumes are spot on in recreating the late thirties and early forties, while the production design is nothing short of superlative. John Seale's camera sweeps us through this tale of love and war with grand style, capturing some marvellous footage.
writer/director Minghella has set out to make an epic of Michael Ondaatje's war time novel, and cleverly he surrounded himself with the people who could pull it off. Along with producer Zaentz and a brilliant technical team, he has an outstanding cast.
Ralph Fiennes ("Schindler's List" and "Quiz Show") is far and away the outstanding talent in all the movies in which I have had the pleasure of watching him perform. Not to say his co-stars are poor, it is just that he is so strong. Once again he personifies brilliantly the character of Count Laszlo de Almasy, the hardened Austrian explorer whose mastery of languages is only surpassed by his archaeological expertise. Sturdy in support is Kristin Scott Thomas, as Katherine Clifton, the passionate lover who stirs the Count's emotions to life. Juliette Binoche gives an Academy Award winning performance as Hana, the Canadian army nurse who cares for the critically injured Almasy as he gradually recalls the past. Ever reliable Willem Dafoe is Canadian undercover agent Moose, who blames the Count for a wrong he suffered during the war. Cast also includes Jurgen Prochnow, Colin Firth and Naveen Andrews.
The only disappointing part of this film is the shaky plot and lack of characterisation. Minghella's screenplay is never strong, nor is it important enough to be an epic. The characters are poorly developed and hard to empathise with. Not enough background is supplied to explain their actions and reactions. And another thing, I am getting tired of passionate love affairs that involve infidelity. Why is it that nearly all of cinema's great lovers are adulterous? Don't married couples love with vigour? Not according to the movies apparently. In "The English Patient", the lover is portrayed as the hero, and the husband as an obsessive, boring old sop. And that is just one of two affairs in the film. Add to that a plug for euthanasia, and immorality just is not in it. Hardly the picture of the year, though it does look like and epic.
Sunday, June 8, 1997 - Waverley Pinewood Cinema