The English Patient

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

I've seen the very start of this film a few times but have never made it through the whole thing. It's pretty long too, probably due to having not just one but two romance stories going on in parallel timelines. All set in the epic background of a desert AND the war. How could it not win Oscars? Because I never made it past the first few minutes before I had no idea Sayid from Lost, Collin Firth and Willem Dafoe were in this. Awesome.

Probably not the best film to watch on such a hot day. You can almost feel the sand in your hair. Beautiful photography of a lot of sand. This film is very yellow.

The framing story with Juliette Binoche didn't interest me as much as the main flashbacks of the dying man on a bed. Every time we return to the "present" I'm always just waiting to get back to the flashbacks again. Except for maybe the scene with the bomb diffusing. Added some tension, even though the scene felt completely superfluous. Nothing wrong with them though, and everyone throughout the film is great.

What the framing does allow for is a hopeful ending in an other was traditional tragic love story. It has it's sad ending for the main characters but end with the chance of good things to come for Juliette Binoche.

I can see why people love this film. It's very sad Anthony Minghella passed away, I think he had some much more to offer us.