The English Patient

The English Patient (1996), directed by Anthony Minghella

This is one of the rare breed of films that does not necessarily wow the viewer at first, but has great cumulative power. I've seen some very good movies that I enjoy immensely while watching them, and remember with nostalgia, but that I don't really give a serious thought to afterwards. Chariots of Fire, for instance, is one of my favorite films, but is one that I can forget about after having watched it. There is nothing in it to haunt your mind for days afterwards.

While I watched The English Patient, I found myself bored for much of the time: the film was rather overstuffed, I thought. Too many plots, too many characters, but not enough real interest. The final forty-five minutes, however, the conclusion to the Tristanesque love story still haunts me.

Fine performances all around (with the exception of Willem Dafoe as Caravaggio: I think this character is really extraneous to the story, and Dafoe's performance has a good deal to blame for that). The music by Gabriel Yared was particularly fine, reminiscent of Herrman's mournful music for Vertigo. This was not the greatest film of 1996. Still, an intelligent, sensual piece of filmmaking, with a great beginning and ending.

Three-and-a-half stars