Eagerly anticipating this week ... (5-24)

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (5-24)
Alex Garland's Civil War (2024)

5/14/2017

The English Patient (1996) - Minghella's oppulent, beautifully produced and shot, but nevertheless boring classic



+ Most Profitable Movie of the Year: 65.76 mil. $ range


Ralph Fiennes squints back at us serenely in the sandy colors that permeate much of Anthony Minghella's The English Patient


A mysterious count, who is in bad condition following a plane crash, gets treated by a kind nurse, while his own story gradually returns to him.

The English Patient is an adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's (Anil's Ghost (2000)) same-titled 1992 novel by great English, Oscar-winning writer-director Anthony Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)) It is an epic war romance that mixes airy dialog with a plot that swells in every direction. Its core romance is not unlike the kind you'd expect to meet a much briefer summation of in a women's magazine. Attractive actors and grand, Oscar-winning production values make this peculiar, overrated mega-hit worth watching. For me its most distinguishing trait is the beauty of many of its images; the remarkable, Oscar-winning cinematography is by John Seale (The Tourist (2010)).
In the end the reason I only award 3 hearts to the film is that despite these qualities, it still thoroughly bores me.

 

Related post:

 

1996 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess







Watch 3 of the first minutes of the film here

Cost: 27 mil. $
Box office: 231.9 mil. $
= Mega-hit
[The English Patient premiered 6 November (LA) and runs 162 minutes. Studio Fox wanted bigger star actors in the leads, but Minghella and producer Saul Zaents were adamant about their choices, and eventually Miramax took over for Fox and allowed them their cast. Filming took place in Siena, Pisa, Tuscany, Venice and Rome, Italy, including in the Cinecittà Studios of Rome, and in Tunesia from September 1995 - January 1996. The film opened limited in 10 theaters to a 278k $ first weekend in North America, where it peaked at #7 and in 1,409 theaters (different weeks) and grossed 78.6 mil. $ (33.9 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert awarded it 4/4 stars. It was nominated for 12 Oscars and won 9: For Best Picture, Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Director, Editing, Score (Gabriel Yared) and Sound Mixing. It lost Best Lead Actor (Ralph Fiennes) to Geoffrey Rush in the great Shine; Lead Actress (Kristin Scott Thomas) to Frances McDormand in masterpiece Fargo, and Adapted Screenplay to Billy Bob Thornton for Sling Blade. The film also won 2 Golden Globes out of 7 nominations, 6 BAFTAs out of 13 nominations, a César award nomination (France's Oscar), 2 European Film Awards out of 3 nominations, 3 National Board of Review awards and many more. The English Patient is certified fresh at 84 % with a 7.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The English Patient?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (4-24)

Eagerly anticipating this week ... (4-24)
Niclas Bendixen's Rom (2024)