The English Patient
1996
****½
Director: Anthony Minghella
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Julian Wadham, Jürgen Prochnow, Kevin Whately, Torri Higginson, Liisa Repo-Martell
In the closing days of World War II, a critically burned man is tended by a French-Canadian nurse in an abandoned Italian monastery. A series of flashbacks reveal his work as a cartographer in North Africa, his love affair with a married woman, and the devastating impact the war played on their lives. Anthony Minghella's sweeping romantic drama about betrayal, loss, and redemption is based on Michael Ondaatje's 1992 novel. The story, which unfolds at a deliberate pace, is terrific, the visuals are dazzling, and the performances are excellent. This epic film won nine Academy Awards, which include best picture, director, cinematography, score, and supporting actress (Juliette Binoche).
