The English Patient (film): Difference between revisions
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'''''The English Patient''''' (1996) is a [[romantic drama film]] adaptation by the [[Academy Awards]]<ref name="NYTimes">{{Cite news |first=Lawrence |last=Van Gelder |title='English Patient' Dominates Oscars With Nine, Including Best Picture |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E3D6113BF936A15750C0A961958260&scp=4&sq=The%20English%20patient&st=cse |work=The New York Times |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |date=March 25, 1997 |accessdate=June 18, 2008}}</ref> lauded [[Anthony Minghella]] (director/writer), based on the [[The English Patient|novel of the same name]] by [[Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan-born]]/[[Canadian writer]] [[Michael Ondaatje]]. Ondaatje worked closely with the filmmakers. |
'''''The English Patient''''' (1996) is a [[World War II films|World War II theme]] [[romantic drama film]] adaptation by the [[Academy Awards]]<ref name="NYTimes">{{Cite news |first=Lawrence |last=Van Gelder |title='English Patient' Dominates Oscars With Nine, Including Best Picture |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E3D6113BF936A15750C0A961958260&scp=4&sq=The%20English%20patient&st=cse |work=The New York Times |publisher=[[The New York Times Company]] |date=March 25, 1997 |accessdate=June 18, 2008}}</ref> lauded [[Anthony Minghella]] (director/writer), based on the [[The English Patient|novel of the same name]] by [[Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan-born]]/[[Canadian writer]] [[Michael Ondaatje]]. Ondaatje worked closely with the filmmakers. |
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The film's invocation of fate, romance, and tragedy unfolds through the story of a once dashing now burned Hungarian archaeologist in the closing days of |
The film's invocation of fate, romance, and tragedy unfolds through the story of a once dashing now burned Hungarian archaeologist in the closing days of war in Italy whose sacrifices to save the woman he loves spell their end. |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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In the late 1930s, the [[Cartography|cartographer]] [[László Almásy|Count László de Almásy]] maps [[Sahara]]n Egypt and Libya. A minor Hungarian noble and co-leader of a [[Royal Geographical Society]] [[Archaeology|archeological]] and [[surveying]] expedition in [[Egypt]] and [[Libya]], the Count and his English partner Madox are academics at heart, with little knowledge of the brewing war. Their expedition is financed by a British couple, Geoffrey and Katherine Clifton. Geoffrey is often away mapping; Katherine and Laszlo fall in love. Their intense romance founders on her guilt and his jealousy. |
In the late 1930s, the [[Cartography|cartographer]] [[László Almásy|Count László de Almásy]] maps [[Sahara]]n Egypt and Libya. A minor Hungarian noble and co-leader of a [[Royal Geographical Society]] [[Archaeology|archeological]] and [[surveying]] expedition in [[Egypt]] and [[Libya]], the Count and his English partner Madox are academics at heart, with little knowledge of the brewing war. Their expedition is financed by a British couple, Geoffrey and Katherine Clifton. Geoffrey is often away mapping; Katherine and Laszlo fall in love. Their intense romance founders on her guilt and his jealousy. |
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In the months before the war, the Count sees and studies an ancient [[Sahara]]n cave called the [[Cave of Swimmers]]. A British government stops work at the camp and Madox secretes his [[De Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth|Tiger Moth]] before he and the Count go their separate ways. |
In the months before the war, the Count sees and studies an ancient [[Sahara]]n cave called the [[Cave of Swimmers]]. A British government order stops work at the camp and Madox secretes his [[De Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth|Tiger Moth]] before he and the Count go their separate ways. |
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Caravaggio lost his thumbs to an interrogation by a German Army officer and believes the Count is the last culpable party he needs to avenge. He accuses the English patient of several transgressions: being Almásy, murdering the Cliftons and causing Madox's suicide. So the burned patient tells the story: |
Caravaggio lost his thumbs to an interrogation by a German Army officer and believes the Count is the last culpable party he needs to avenge. He accuses the English patient of several transgressions: being Almásy, murdering the Cliftons and causing Madox's suicide. So the burned patient tells the story: |
Revision as of 01:57, 29 January 2014
The English Patient | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Anthony Minghella |
Screenplay by | Anthony Minghella |
Produced by | Saul Zaentz |
Starring | Ralph Fiennes Juliette Binoche Willem Dafoe Kristin Scott Thomas |
Cinematography | John Seale |
Edited by | Walter Murch |
Music by | Gabriel Yared |
Production companies | Miramax Films Tiger Moth Productions |
Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 162 minutes[1] |
Countries | United States United Kingdom |
Languages | English German Italian Arabic Hungarian |
Budget | $27 million[2] |
Box office | $231,976,425[2] |
The English Patient (1996) is a World War II theme romantic drama film adaptation by the Academy Awards[3] lauded Anthony Minghella (director/writer), based on the novel of the same name by Sri Lankan-born/Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. Ondaatje worked closely with the filmmakers.
The film's invocation of fate, romance, and tragedy unfolds through the story of a once dashing now burned Hungarian archaeologist in the closing days of war in Italy whose sacrifices to save the woman he loves spell their end.
Plot
In the final days of World War II, Hana, a French-Canadian nurse in a bombed Italian monastery looks after a critically burned man who speaks English but is recalcitrant about personal information.
David Caravaggio, a Canadian Intelligence operative and former thief, arrives at the monastery with bandaged hands and an acute interest in the morphine supply and the English patient's past.
Hana starts a romance with Kip, a Sikh sapper in the British Army defusing bombs, despite her belief that anyone close to her will die.
In the late 1930s, the cartographer Count László de Almásy maps Saharan Egypt and Libya. A minor Hungarian noble and co-leader of a Royal Geographical Society archeological and surveying expedition in Egypt and Libya, the Count and his English partner Madox are academics at heart, with little knowledge of the brewing war. Their expedition is financed by a British couple, Geoffrey and Katherine Clifton. Geoffrey is often away mapping; Katherine and Laszlo fall in love. Their intense romance founders on her guilt and his jealousy.
In the months before the war, the Count sees and studies an ancient Saharan cave called the Cave of Swimmers. A British government order stops work at the camp and Madox secretes his Tiger Moth before he and the Count go their separate ways.
Caravaggio lost his thumbs to an interrogation by a German Army officer and believes the Count is the last culpable party he needs to avenge. He accuses the English patient of several transgressions: being Almásy, murdering the Cliftons and causing Madox's suicide. So the burned patient tells the story:
When Geoffrey discovers the affair, he pilots the Boeing-Stearman, with Katherine, into a crash at the camp: Geoffrey is killed instantly, Katherine is seriously injured, and Almásy narrowly hit. He leaves her in the Cave with provisions, then begins a scorching three-day walk for help. Dazed and dehydrated, he arrives in a small town held by the British and feebly attempts to explain his non-British name and the circumstances of Katherine's plight. Instead, he loses his temper under questioning, detained, then in chains transported on train "north to Benghazi". Escape follows behind Afrika Korps lines and he trades the British maps to the Germans for gasoline. He flies the Tiger Moth to the Cave, but is too late.
Almásy flies into the desert but a German anti-aircraft battery takes him for RAF reconnaissance and shoots it down. Katharine's body is vaporized in the explosion; he is horribly burned and rescued by Bedouin.
Carvaggio is ready to forgive. Hana finds renewal when Kip survives a brush with death's door on the war's last day; her hope in love is rekindled. Almásy's wish for an overdose of morphine comes about. Hana leaves for Florence, where Kip was transferred.
Cast
Actor | Role | Remarks |
---|---|---|
Ralph Fiennes | Count László Almásy | Sean Connery was rumored for this role.[4] |
Kristen Scott Thomas | Katharine Clifton | Originally, 20th Century Fox wanted Demi Moore in this role, the producers refused and that studio backed out being replaced by Miramax and Thomas.[5] |
Willem Dafoe | David Caravaggio | |
Juliette Binoche | Hana | |
Naveen Andrews | Kip | |
Colin Firth | Geoffrey Clifton | |
Julian Wadham | Madox | |
Jürgen Prochnow | Major Muller | |
Kevin Whately | Sgt. Hardy | |
Clive Merrison | Fenelon-Barnes | |
Nino Castelnuovo | D'Agostino | |
Hichem Rostom | Fouad | |
Peter Rühring | Bermann | |
Geordie Johnson | Oliver | |
Torri Higginson | Mary | |
Liisa Repo-Martell | Jan | |
Raymond Coulthard | Rupert Douglas | |
Philip Whitchurch | Corporal Dade | |
Lee Ross | Spalding | |
Anthony Smee | Beach interrogation officer | |
Matthew Ferguson | Young Canadian soldier | |
Jason Done | Kiss Me soldier | |
Roger Morlidge | Desert Train Sergeant |
Themes
Airplanes
Two types of plane are used by the expedition.[6] The De Havilland D.H.82 Tiger Moth appears first when the Count attempts returning Katherine's dead body for interment in the garden of her English coastland home, a wish she expressed in his Hiroditus histories when she was incapacitated and secreted in the Cave. The Clifton's arrived camp aboard a Boeing-Stearman Model 75, purported their own when in fact it was British Government property. Both are biplanes; an aircraft with two main supporting surfaces (wings) usually placed one above the other.[7] They both use fueled that is more characteristic of gasoline than any type of jet fuel.[8] The on-screen registration numbers on each plane were fictitious. The camp crash scene was made with a .5 scale model. Both were commonly used in pilot training and later used extensively in dusting crops in the years after World War II when decommissioned by the governments.[6]
Archaeology
The physical appearance of Almásy is commonly linked to the fictional character Indiana Jones: tanned skin, khaki attire and similar hat. Male archaeologists portrayed in film seem to fit one or more of these stereotypical traits [9]
The study of a prehistoric Saharan cave with "swimming figures" (Cave of Swimmers") was made by Hungarian László Almásy (October 1933) during the Leo Frobenius expedition. The location was aided with an airplane owned by an expedition member. This site is portrayed in both Ondaatje's novel and Minghella's film.[10]. If the storyline of the film was the same as real life then it would appear to be that the reference made by Katherine of being made aware of Almásy's monograph would be this site but of course that is the quandary of real life versus fiction.
Some archaeology was conducted during World War II in Egypt and lead to the significant Tanis find with intrinsic, artistic and cultural value similar to others but due to the time of its finding it has not been as made well known as Tutankhamen. The deprivations caused by World War II do not support that as wide-scale archaeology continued during World War II as has previously or after. But it does have to be acknowledged the use of World War II aerial photography being used to evaluate the study potential of sites, particularly the large ones.[11]
Production
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Triumph_3HW_350cc_motorcycle.jpg/220px-Triumph_3HW_350cc_motorcycle.jpg)
The Zaentz/Minghella collaboration began when the former saw Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990) and made known his wish to work with the director; Minghella brought the project to the attention of Zaentz. The film was shot on location in Tunisia and Italy.[12] and cost $31 million to produce.[13]
The collaborative Murch/Ondaatje The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film (2002),[14] is based on the conversations between the author and film editor and sound designer. Murch, with a career that already included complex works like the Godfather trilogy, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now, dreaded the task of editing the film with multiple flashbacks and time frames, but once he began to understand the possibilities, some of which took him away from the order of the original script. A reel without sound was made so scene change visuals would be consistent with the quality of the aural aspect between the two. The final cut features over 40 temporal transitions.[15]
Reception
The film received widespread critical acclaim, was a box office success and a major award winner: 9 out of 12 nominated Academy Awards categories; 2 out of 7 nominated Golden Globe Awards categories; and 6 out of 13 nominated the BAFTA Award categories.
The film has a "Certified Fresh" rating of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 61 reviews, concluding: "Though it suffers from excessive length and ambition, director Minghella's adaptation of the Michael Ondaatje novel is complex, powerful, and moving."[16] The film also has a rating of 87% on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[17] Chicago Sun Times critic Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 rating, saying "it's the kind of movie you can see twice – first for the questions, the second time for the answers."[18] Leonard Maltin rated the film 3 1/2 of 4 ("A Triumph").
Awards And Honors
Award | Actor/Crew | Outcome | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Best Picture | Saul Zaentz | Won | In 2011, it ranked #3 of Best Picture winners since 1998 (proceeded by: Amadeus (1994)) and The Hurt Locker (2008) to not reach #1 in the top five of the weekend box office rankings[20] It seems to have maintained that distinction at #5 by January 2014 although proceeded by the following films: by the non-IMAX format films (The Descendants (2011), #4 and Up In The Air (2011), #3; and the IMAX films: Everest (1998), #2 and Space Station 3-D (2002), #1).[21] |
Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Juliette Binoche | Won | Won over Lauren Bacall (The Mirror Has Two Faces); it would have been her first Oscar. Binoche, in her acceptance speech, said she had expected Bacall to win. |
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | Stuart Craig and Stephanie McMillan | Won | |
Best Cinematography | John Seale | Won | |
Best Costume Design | Ann Roth | Won | |
Best Director | Anthony Minghella | Won | |
Best Film Editing | Walter Murch | Won | |
Best Original Score | Gabriel Yared | Won | See The English Patient (soundtrack). Andrew Lloyd Webber joked, "Thank goodness there wasn't a song in The English Patient." since it had such a strong presence. |
Best Sound | Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker, and Christopher Newman | Won | |
Best Actor in a Leading Role | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | |
Best Actress in a Leading Role | Kristin Scott Thomas | Nominated | |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Anthony Minghella | Nominated |
Award | Actor/Crew | Outcome | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Best Motion Picture – Drama | Saul Zaentz | Won | |
Best Original Score | Gabriel Yared | Won | |
Best Director | Anthony Minghella | Nominated | |
Best Actor – Motion Picture | Ralph Fiennes | Nominated | |
Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Kristin Scott Thomas | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Juliette Binoche | Nominated | |
Best Screenplay | Anthony Minghella | Nominated |
- 51st British Academy Film Awards (1997), UK
Actor/Crew | Award | Outcome | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Saul Zaentz | Best Film | Won | |
John Seale | Best Cinematography | Won | |
Walter Murch | Best Editing | Won | |
Juliette Binoche | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Won | |
Anthony Minghella | Best Screenplay – Adapted | Won | |
Gabriel Yared | Best Music | Won | |
Anthony Minghella | Best Direction | Nominated | |
Ralph Fiennes | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
Kristin Scott Thomas | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
Ann Roth | Best Costume Design | Nominated | |
Best Production Design | Nominated | ||
Best Sound | Nominated | ||
Best Makeup/Hair | Nominated |
- 47th Berlin International Film Festival (1997), GD[22]
Award | Actor/Crew | Outcome | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|
Silver Bear for Best Actress | Juliette Binoche | Won | |
Golden Bear | Nominated |
- AFI 100 Years… series of Cinematic Milestones
Category | Distinction | Remarks |
---|---|---|
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies | Nominated | |
AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions | #56 | |
AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores | Nominated |
Place | Date Checked |
---|---|
#55 | 1-28-2014 |
References
- ^ "THE ENGLISH PATIENT (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 4, 1996. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
- ^ a b The English Patient at Box Office Mojo
- ^ a b c Van Gelder, Lawrence (March 25, 1997). "'English Patient' Dominates Oscars With Nine, Including Best Picture". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
- ^ need better citationhttp://www.reviewstream.com/reviews/?p=49931; viewed 1-26-23014.
- ^ citation needed beyond: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000193/bio; viewed 1-26-2014.
- ^ a b http://www.impdb.org/index.php?title=The_English_Patient; viewed 1-24-2014.
- ^ http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biplane; viewed 1-24-2014.
- ^ http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/havilland_dh-82.php; http://www.pilotfriend.com/aircraft%20performance/stearman.htm; both viewed, 1-24-2014.
- ^ Marwick, Ben (2012). 'Self-image, the long view and archaeological engagement with film: an animated. World Archaeology. pp. 394–404.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/africa/gilf_kebir_cave_of_swimmers/index.php; viewed 1-24-2014.
- ^ http://www.archaeology.org/0505/abstracts/tanis.html; http://www.archaeology.org/issues/110-1311/trenches/1391-corona-spy-imagery-reveals-roman-forts-in-romania; viewed 1-24-2014.
- ^ "Film locations for The English Patient". Retrieved August 23, 2010.
- ^ http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Masterful-English-Patient-3112068.php#page-1; viewed 1/24-2014.
- ^ Random House Inc.
- ^ http://www.powells.com/review/2002_08_31.html; viewed 1-24-2014.
- ^ The English Patient at Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ The English Patient at Metacritic
- ^ The English Patient :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 10, 2008.
- ^ a b "The 69th Academy Awards (1997) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ The English Patient (1996) – Weekend Box Office Results. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 14, 2011; Amadeus (1994) – Weekend Box Office Results. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 14, 2011; Top Grossing Movies That Never Hit the Top 5 at the Box Office.
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic/never1.htm?page=never5&p=.htm Top Grossing Movies That Never Hit the Top 5 at the Box Office; viewed 1-24-2014.
- ^ "Berlinale: 1997 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
- ^ http://www.listal.com/list/bfis-top-100-british-films; 1-28-2014.
- Further reading
- Blakesley, David (2007). "Mapping the other: The English Patient, colonial rhetoric, and cinematic representation". The Terministic Screen: Rhetorical Perspectives on Film. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 0-8093-2488-1.
- Massood, Paula J. (2005). "Defusing The English Patient". In Stam; Raengo, Alessandra (eds.). Literature and Film: A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Film Adaptation. Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-23054-8.
- Minghella, Anthony (1997). The English Patient: A Screenplay by Anthony Minghella. Methuen Publishing. ISBN 0-413-71500-0.
- Thomas, Bronwen (2000). "Piecing together a mirage: Adapting The English patient for the screen". In Giddings, Robert; Sheen, Erica (eds.). The Classic Novel from Page to Screen. Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-5230-0.
- Yared, Gabriel (2007). Gabriel Yared's The English Patient: A Film Score Guide. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-5910-6.
External links
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