English Patient, The (1996)

reviewed by
Michael J. Legeros

                                THE ENGLISH PATIENT
                       A film review by Michael John Legeros
                        Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros

(Miramax)
Directed by     Anthony Minghella
Written by      Anthony Minghella, based on the novel by Michael
                Ondaatje
Cast            Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche,
                Willem Dafoe, Colin Firth, Naveen Andrews, Julian
                Wadham, Kevin Whately, Juergen Prochnow
MPAA Rating     "R" (presumably for sex, nudity, and violence)
Running Time    162 minutes
Reviewed at     The Rialto Theatre, Raleigh, NC (23NOV96)

==

Cross LAWRENCE OF ARABIA with CASABLANCA and, say, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTRY and you get this tedious, big-scale bodice-ripper about a man (Ralph Finnes), a married woman (Kristin Scott Thomas), and their adventurous romance in North Africa during World War II. Director Anthony Minghella (TRULY MADLY DEEPLY) adapts the prize-winning novel that, in film form, begs the question: how do you treat a movie fairly that's so obviously overlong? Especially one that's told in flashback, meaning that the audience has way too much time to figure out what happens before it happens. There are *some* surprises to keep you awake: an exciting sandstorm, a tense bomb-defusing sequence, and a very cool airplane crash. Ms. Thomas gives a passionate, bare-all (and I mean, bare *all*) performance that miraculously resonates through the entire almost-three-hour running time. (Believing the early attraction between her and Ralph Finnes is another matter. But, hey, they do generate some steam!)

At the packed screening that I saw, butts were growing numb by the second hour. A steady stream of survivors knocked knees and sent beer bottles barreling as they bee-lined for the lobby, or the bathroom, or the nearest store selling No-Doze. Oh, sure, there's probably a lean masterpiece in here, somewhere. A two-hour quickie that retains the epic scope, exotic flavor, and big, boo-hoo pay-off. (Or, perhaps, a four-hour version with easy-to-follow time shifts and characters who don't disappear five minutes after we meet them.) Bottom line, THE ENGLISH PATIENT is a long sit. The viewer has too much time to think about other stuff, such as, say, why Willem Dafoe's character doesn't have anything to do, or if Ralph Finnes might make a good Indiana Jones, or how the filmmakers kept a straight face while recording those swel- ling, smothering strings?

     Grade: C

-- Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC, USA, Earth legeros@pagesz.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w) I'm also on the Web! http://www.pagesz.net/~legeros/

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