At the end of World War II, four survivors live in an abandoned villa in Italy: a nurse, her English patient, a thief whose skills were put to heroic use during the war, and an Indian sapper hunting out unexploded bombs. Genre: Feature Film-Drama Rating: R Release Date: 3-MAY-2005 Media Type: DVD
Winner of nine Academy Awards and almost every critic's heart, The English Patient (based on Michael Ondaatje's prizewinning novel of love and loss during World War II) is one of the most acclaimed films of modern times. Hana, a nurse (Juliette Binoche), tends to an archaeologist (Ralph Fiennes) who has been burnt to a crisp in a plane crash. As their relationship intensifies, he flashes back to his overwhelming passion for a married woman (Kristin Scott Thomas). Meanwhile, Hana begins a new romance with a man who defuses bombs (Naveen Andrews) and Willem Dafoe almost steals the show as the thumbless thief Caravaggio. The intricately layered flashback narrative, sounding the depths of the lovers' hearts, improves with repeated viewings--especially with the sharp picture and digital sound of the digital video disc.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
This movie drove me to go out and devour the book & meet the characters whom the author truly intended to introduce.:
At the risk of sounding snobbish, I won't typically invest my time on entertainment which is focused on adultery. It's just one of a variety of subjects which maybe I wish to distance myself from being emotionally involved in someone else's self-destructive behavior. That said, I don't shun the many artistic expressions which skirt about the intrigues of illicit romance to bring a viewer, a reader, a listener, a greater feeling for the dramatic effect of the story. No one contends that a prose or a poem or... more info
Honestly, a rather dull exercise....:
I saw this film the year it came out, and I kept telling myself "everyone says it's a great film", and I tried to convince myself that it was, but it isn't. It's OK. It's another mediocre best picture Oscar winner. I saw the film a few days after seeing Kenneth Branagh's film of Hamlet, which came out the same year (1996). I saw Hamlet in the theater. Kenneth shot the film in 70mm, and it was shimmeringly gorgeous, with some of the best cinematography I had seen that decade. Hamlet had a few stunt... more info
Great epic film, and terrific DVD set.:
The grand epic tale and love story, The English Patient, really requires multiple viewings to truly appreciate. When I watched it the first time it was the characters and their relationships that held my attention. The second time I was better able to understand the fairly complex plotline. And the third time I was able to admire the great look and cinematography of the film more than other viewings, as well as pay more attention to many small details within. I'm not going to go deep into the plot in this... more info
Great movie:
The movie was beautifully done - great cast and direction....
The story is compelling - whethere you agree or disagree with the decisions the charactors made under the circumstances.
It is certainly a movie worth of your time.
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