English Patient, The (1996)

reviewed by
Chad Polenz


                            THE ENGLISH PATIENT
               A film review by Chad Polenz
                Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz

** (out of 4 = fair) 1996, R, 160 minutes [2 hours, 40 minutes] [drama] starring: Ralph Fiennes (Count Laszlo de Almasy), Kristin Scott-Thomas (Katherine Clifton), Juliette Binoche (Hana), Willem Dafoe (Caravaggio - "Moose"), produced by Saul Zaentz, written and directed by Anthony Minghella, based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje.

I walked into "The English Patient" expecting to see "an epic story of love and war," and unfortunately, that's exactly what I got. This is one of the most disguised films I've ever seen; a melodramatic soap opera pretending to be a moving and touching film of grand proportions. It has very little charm, characters without depth, and a very formulated, predictable, and boring story. Ralph Fiennes stars as Count Laszlo de Almasy, who is some kind of British military intelligence officer fighting in World War II. As the film opens, he is shot down in his biplane and burned very badly. He is taken in by a MASH unit and later moved to a deserted house way out in the Italian countryside where a nurse named Hana (Binoche) takes care of him and listens to his long story of how he got to where he is now. One of the film's biggest flaws is present immediately, as it takes a long time for this little amount of action to occur. It also feels the need to use every overly dramatic and sappy device possible. Hana's entire character allows for countless cliches: she has a heart of gold kisses wounded soldiers; her friend is killed five seconds after she says "I love you" to her; she actually says aloud why she cares for her patients. Even the fact that Almasy's disfigured face is constantly shown is a bit melodramatic. We feel sorry for him because of his appearance, not because of his character. What makes for good love stories is characterization of the lovers, their chemistry, and their situation. This film establishes none of these, instead it just depicts a passionate affair we're supposed to care about. Through constant flashbacks we learn Almasy was part of an Allied military troupe, and from the moment Katherine (Scott-Thomas) (his friend's wife) appears, it is obvious they will fall for each other. But there is no substance to their so-called relationship. The dialogue is too poetic and overly romantic, and therefore completely unbelievable because people don't talk so eloquently, so Shakesperian-esque in reality. The actual storytelling is very choppy: it skips back and forth between the present and the past just as something starts to become interesting. And then when Almasy's relationship seemed to be the driving force for the film, it is nearly forgotten as the focus shifts to the nurse and her romantic encounter with an Indian bomb defuser, and then to a Canadian spy named Caravaggio - "Moose" (Dafoe). Some of the individual scenes showing the characters' stories are interesting, but nothing comes together as a whole. Usually it is the action/adventure movies that contain the most unbelievable events, but melodrama often does the same thing. Katherine and her husband are involved in a plane crash, but miraculously only Katherine survives. Then there is the typical scene where Almasy drags her to a cave (in the middle of the desert) and promises to return with help. He survives a three-day walk through the burning desert to an embassy of some sort, but is arrested when he is considered insane. He then proceeds to single-handedly escape his shackles, jumps off a speeding train, and then is able to find the exact same cave. And I thought "Indiana Jones" was a bit over the top! I walked out of "The English Patient" very frustrated and disappointed. The film does have a good sense of style and production, but its plot is shamefully exploitative and its storytelling is jumbled. I can usually detect subtle-but-powerful emotions and plot devices, but I didn't see anything remotely profound here.


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