The English Patient

CinemaSerfJun 2022

3.5

"Hana" (Juliette Binoche) volunteers to remain in war-torn Italy to look after her badly burnt patient. Who is he? Well nobody knows. All he recalls is that he came from England and that some time ago he was married. The arrival of the enigmatic Canadian "Caravaggio" (Willem Dafoe) starts to unravel the mystery as his suspicions as to the bedridden man's true identity, along with that man's gradually more lucid recollections take us back to a time when he first arrived in North Africa. He is "Count Almásy (Ralph Fiennes) who has come to draw maps. The onset of WWII interrupts his cartography, but "Caravaggio" suspects that he proceeded to assist the Nazi occupiers. Did he? It's also clear that he had a deeply intense relationship with "Katherine", (Kristen Scott Thomas), a married pillar of the local colonial society. Slowly, but surely, Anthony Minghella ensures that the threads start to come together - but tragedy seems to follow the Count wherever he goes, and it isn't long before we fill in the blanks that led him to his present, terminal state. Meantime, "Hana" is falling in love with "Kip" (Naveen Andrews), a bomb disposal expert who, with his squad, has taken up residence on their lawn. What really makes this stand out is the glorious cinematography. John Seale uses the light wonderfully on the Tunisian Sahara, at the eerily beautiful "Cave of Swimmers" and at the various Italian locations that add huge richness to this gently unfolding story. Fiennes and KST have a wonderful, understated, chemistry between them; Binoche adds real integrity and humanity to her role, and though Dafoe features quite sparingly, his crucial part in unravelling this human puzzle is played deftly. There is no denying that this is far too long, and the pacing of the film could do with some added juice now and again, but the assembly of talent on display here delivers a classy mix of romance and ambiguity in a stylish and creative fashion.

Also remembered for a rare full frontal scene involving Kristin Scott Thomas' hairy triangle, The English Patient serves as a poignant critique of how nationalism and colonial borders dismantle human connection. The desert’s "mapless" freedom offers a romantic sanctuary, yet this ideal is ultimately crushed by the rigid, lethal identities imposed by WWII. Through Kip, the Sikh sapper, the film exposes the racial hierarchies inherent in the British Empire, highlighting how Western narratives often marginalize colonial contributions. By juxtaposing private passion against state loyalty, the film illustrates how global politics transform intimacy into treason. Ultimately, it portrays a world where geopolitical maps obliterate individual identity, leaving only displacement and grief.