| "The English Patient"
doesn't get a fair shake. It is the film that represents the
most extreme gap between cineastes and popularity chasers. It
seems to have become the film that cinematically represents boredom to
the populace. Average moviegoing schmos always seem to blurt out
lines such as, "It is almost as boring as 'The English Patient'". I
concede that this film lacks an action driven plot... but that is not
to its detriment. This film's dynamic takes place in the mind
and the memory. It is a story so filled with regret that it
would be hard for a younger audience to relate. One has to have
experienced profound loss to fully grasp the magnitude of emotion
present in this film. The bulk of the story takes place on the death
bed of Count Almásy (Fiennes) as he recounts the bitterly tragic love
story he shared with Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) to his
bedside nurse (Juliette Binoche). Director, Anthony Minghella, plays
with the timeline and some truly poignant sub-plots as he weaves his
way to a haunting and wistful conclusion. His visually poetic
film is acted with passion by the entire cast. It is one of the
finest ensembles of the nineties. Even more memorable is the
screenplay... a work of art that exercises the English language with
delicacy, wit and a lyrical aesthetic that reverberates in the mind
long after the film is over. It is quite amazing how a film
dealing with such pain and sadness can be so funny and charming and
romantic. Life experience is a pre-requisite for viewing a film like
"The English Patient". There has to be an element of 'old-soul'
to really connect with its themes. This film was a truly
deserving winner of Oscar's Best Picture honor in 1996 and it ranks as
one of the 10-20 best films of that decade. |
