The English Patient

When the desert burns, when people don't understand you, when the war won't end, and when love cannot win. Then comes the moment when a drop of happiness from a memory or a random flare-up in the burning present can change your whole life. A polished diamond that every day gets closer to me and slowly climbs higher and higher up to the top of my rankings. A constellation of perfect acting performances and a captivating, unforgettable drama that the Academy rightly appreciated at the time. (05.08.2007)

I was hesitant to give this film a chance for a long time, but in the end, I certainly don't regret doing so. Ralph Fiennes is incredible, as are Juliette, Willem, and Kristin. There is amazing chemistry between the actors in both the desert setting and the cool monastery. It's incredible how both the author of the novel and the director/screenwriter Anthony Minghella managed to turn this relatively uninteresting setting - at least for a romance - into something so captivating and powerful. (20.10.2014)

I may be insensitive, but after a while, the story got on my nerves. The director is strumming on the emotional string with such pomp that mine burst after about half an hour, and I just shook my head for the rest of the story. At the end, I felt like eating two kilos of overly salty Kremroles... Doctor Zhivago, now that was a different spectacle! (25.01.2004)

I have a confession to make. This movie made me cry. It made me cry in a way no movie has managed for a long time. The English Patient actually has all prerequisites to be able to do that and I fell for it line, hook and sinker, like an 8-year-old schoolgirl. It is another of many stories of people who lived through the Second World War. However, it is told from two time perspectives: before the end of the war and before the beginning of the war. Everything makes sense, the actors are delivering perfect performances and even though the music isn’t something to remember the movie by, the movie makes up for it with the nice shots and sceneries of North Africa of the 1930s, which cannot disappoint under good direction. Those almost 3 hours went by at a dizzying pace and the only thing and the relationship between Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas was getting increasingly more exciting. Overall, the actors have a great impact. Apart from the two, the beautiful Juliette Binoche offered a magical performance. It is actually really good that the director hired these actors and wasn’t pushed to Hollywood ones. It makes a more honest impression on the viewer, for which he earned his deserved credit. If there is such a thing as predestined romance with an epic touch, for me it will always be The English Patient. (04.11.2018)

Maybe a bit cloying, but nevertheless a wonderful romantic story that can grab you by the heart. The beautiful African landscape works wonders, as does the captivating gaze of Ralph Fiennes, whom I personally consider to be one of the best actors ever to come through the good old English school. Of course, Anthony Minghella was a bit lucky that the 1996 didn't offer as much competition as the following year would with Cameron's Titanic, but if only for the skilful and heartfelt filmmaking he showed here, he certainly deserved the Oscar... and so did the central loving duo. (22.04.2012)