The English Patient

1996

3.5/4 Stars

Anthony Minghella’s interpretation of Michael Ondaatje’s novel is a moving, if somewhat elitist, piece of art. The film has an epic, sweeping scale that takes the viewer along for a ride filled with breathtaking visuals of rolling deserts, beautiful bodies, and Italian scenery.

Themes of death, war, and loss play heavily here, as do love, lust, and infidelity.

The plot is twisting, but revolves largely around an affair between a Hungarian Count and a married English woman who meet on a map-making expedition in Egypt. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War in North Africa and in Italy, these powerful historical events enhance a dramatic love story.

Minghella goes to great lengths to capture a variety of shots in telling his story- ranging from the aerial shots of the Egyptian desert, to the horrors of a Nazi prison, to a simplistic scene in which Hana plays Hopscotch. All of these combine for a moving story that is artistically presented.
The dialogue is often poetic- I particularly liked Madox’s assessment of nationalities (another major theme in the film) when he speaks of transcending these boundaries in search of a common goal. “We didn’t care about Germans, Hungarians, British- it was something finer than that-“ Katherine’s call for an “Earth without maps” echoes this sentiment.

The film has been often criticized for taking itself too seriously and being humorless. The endless stream of good looking people, dramatic dialogue, and epic visuals do create a sense of elitism to the film. “The Toy Patient” on YouTube does a fine job of lampooning all of these elements and is worth watching after seeing the film to lighten the mood (apparently Ralph Fiennes loved this parody).