The English Patient

Released:  December 6^th, 1996

Rated:  R

Distributor:  Miramax

Starring:  Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth

Directed by:  Anthony Minghella

Written by:  Anthony Minghella

Personal Bias Alert:  not a big romance fan, haven’t read the book

6.5 of 10

            There’s little wonder why Miramax picked up The English Patient when it became available just before filming began.  Founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein know how to set themselves up for success come awards season, and a big, sweeping romance with World War II as a backdrop practically screamed ‘90s Oscar gold.  Epics were in (Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, and Braveheart took home Best Picture in the preceding years), and romances would win the next two years (Titanic and Miramax’s Shakespeare in Love).  Upping the prestige factor is the book it’s based on, which won the Booker Prize and was considered un-filmable by some.  So when an adaptation with an adequate story and gorgeous visuals rolled into theaters in late 1996, it must’ve seemed irresistible to the Academy.

            Yes, The English Patient walked away with Best Picture at the 69^th Academy Awards, along with eight other categories that night, but time hasn’t been kind to this film’s legacy.  Time wasn’t kind to its characters, either, as many spend the film breaking down inside an already crumbling monastery.  Nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) has taken refuge there to care for an unknown dying burn patient (Ralph Fiennes).  A series of tragedies have left her convinced that anyone she cares about will be killed, so isolation with her amnesiac ward seems like the safest option.  Soon other military personnel join her, including a Canadian operative named Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe) and a bomb defuser (Naveed Andrews).  Each have been ravaged in their own way by the war and have come to the monastery looking for refuge, which most of them find through new or remembered love.

            The lynchpin for this entire plot is the amnesiac burn patient, who’s slowly unwinding memory proves influential on all their lives.  It’s also this period, told in flashback, that gives the film much of its padding.  It focuses on the over told story of a middle-aged obsessive, someone who’s too single-minded to be very empathetic, which then falls back on melodrama to make us care.  Much could and should have been cut from this section, as these long breaks from the much richer goings-on at the monastery becomes frustrating.

            The novel (which I haven’t read) is allegedly a strong piece, perhaps too strong to fit in a film.  Evaluating it strictly as a film, it felt like writer/director Anthony Minghella focused in on the wrong aspects of the story.  By playing up the romance, there was less time to flesh out the numerous subtleties that seemed to be lurking just underneath the relationships, giving the entire film an air of grandiosity.  The actors did their best to bring these subtleties out, but since the least interesting relationship is the main focus, most simply didn’t have the screen time to make a smooth character arc.  Also, this is a story that easily should’ve been an hour shorter, but a character sits on information that he has no reason to sit on.

            While its epic length may not be deserved, the film certainly delivers an epic scope.  Deserts, minefields, and Italian rubble are all beautifully captured in wide, lush shots that show off a generous budget for a prestige film.  Cinematographer John Seale, whose work you’ll be able to see in the upcoming Mad Max:  Fury Road, shows a good eye for framing, allowing small things to linger in the background or gradually move into view.  So while you’re wading through this slow film, at least there’s something pretty to look at.

            In the end, the various relationships do deliver in a grand, sweeping way that gives The English Patient an old-school, momentous feel.  That’s doesn’t entirely make up for how long it takes to get there, but you won’t leave feeling short-changed.

Other Notes:

Ø  They’re all struggling to find their way in the world, making maps to cover their confusion.

Ø  This is the first digitally edited film to win an Oscar for Best Editing.

Ø  “Yes is a comfort.  Absolutely is not.”

Ø  This doesn’t hold a candle to 1996’s excellent Trainspotting.