Ambitious, Achingly Beautiful and a Rebuke of Nationalism

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2019)

This was Miramax's first great success and I think it can be argued that the film industry would be very different had this film not won Best Picture. There is a pretty straight line from it to Jackson's Lord of the Rings which had a massive influence. In any case it is wonderful film in its own right that is in some ways as ambitious as the aforementioned Jackson films. It too grapples with a largely unfilmable book that is dense, multifaceted and layered. And pulls it off with uncommon grace and skill.
The film, at its heart, is a mediation on loyalty and what it means to make a promise. (And to what you should tie your scared honor). Every one of the wonderful vivid characters is confronted with violating an oath and legal custom. Each is faced with a personal dilemma that connects to WW2 in some way. The way each fails or succeeds at this task provides poignancy to the story and the film is filled with a bittersweet energy that is heartbreaking. Almasy, especially, is a wonderful character caught in the snares of competing loyalties. That he ultimately fails his promise due to his name/national origin solidifies the film's anti-nationalism edge.
Apart from the utterly engrossing story, the film is marvel for its budget. I can't believe such a beautiful film was only made for 27 million dollars. It competes with the likes of Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur for the sheer spectacle of the film. The cinematography is wonderfully sensuous and moody. The film is quite slow moving (to the film's strength) but you get lost in the images because of Minghella's eye. The church scene with Hana-Kip especially is the height of romance.
This is what an epic should be.