Pay attention, and it's magical

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2002)

Few films seem to divide opinion like this one. Disappointingly the reviews often seem to be an indication of the reviewer's attention span more than a fair critique.
I don't care much about cinematography, art direction, lighting etc. all I know is that this movie looks beautiful, has many scenes that stay etched in the memory and has an elegant pacing to do justice to the book. The central scenes in the abandoned church while the nurse takes care of the dying man are really fine. There is a wonderful stillness that is rare in western filmmaking. I'm sorry people are offended at the (obvious) immorality of some of the characters but I don't think anyone claims that these guys are heroic, only human. I guess I can relate better to humans than heroes.
If you didn't enjoy this movie last time, or haven't seen it yet then wait till it is on TV on a quiet afternoon or evening, put other things out of your mind, sit back and soak up this great movie. 10/10