English Patient Blu-ray

Set during World War II, this film adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel concerns a horribly scarred, amnesiac mapmaker (Ralph Fiennes) who is found by Bedouins in the desert and then transported to Italy. When Allied nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) devotes herself to caring for the mysterious patient in an abandoned monastery, his story of a intense love affair with a colleague's wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) begins to unfold in a series of flashbacks. Hana, meanwhile, faces her own demons and explores her attraction to a Sikh bomb expert (Naveen Andrews). Tensions escalate at the monastery following the appearance of Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), a thumbless thief who knows the identity of the mysterious patient. Anthony Minghella's (TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY) award winning epic is beautifully filmed with awe-inspiring scenery that includes sweeping desert vistas, crowded village markets, and serene Tuscany roads. The superb supporting cast, which includes Willem Dafoe, Colin Firth and Naveen Andrews, matches flawless performances by Fiennes, Thomas, and Binoche.

THE ENGLISH PATIENT is an epic, sweeping adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's richly layered, WWII-era novel chronicling two periods in the life of European explorer Count Laszlo Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), whose torrid affair with a colleague's wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) is countered by the beginning of the war, allegations of Nazi sympathies, and disfiguring injuries. The patient's stay at the ruins of an Italian monastery under the care of an emotionally injured French-Canadian nurse (Juliette Binoche, who won an Oscar for the role) serves as a framing device for his intriguing story. Academy Award winner Anthony Minghella directs this film that is at once incredibly modern and a well-crafted throwback to classic Hollywood epics of yesteryear.

Released theatrically in the U.S. on November 15, 1996. Filmed on location in Europe. At the 1997 Academy Awards, THE ENGLISH PATIENT received 12 Academy Award Nominations, including Best Actor--Ralph Fiennes, Best Actress--Kristen Scott Thomas, and Best Screenplay (Adaptation)--Anthony Minghella. It won 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director--Anthony Minghella, and Best Supporting Actress--Juliette Binoche. Michael Ondaatje's novel of the same name won Britain's prestigious Booker prize. 20th Century Fox withdrew their funding for the film when Minghella refused to replace Kristin Scott Thomas. The film was then picked up by Miramax. Count Laszlo Almasy was a real person. He was, however, very different from the character in Ondaatje's novel and Minghella's film. The real Almasy was a German Air Force pilot and, based on his personal letters, was most likely homosexual. Because there were no roads into the Sahara Desert, Minghella's team built one. The day it was finished, it washed away in a rainstorm. Kristin Scott Thomas's first film was Prince's UNDER THE CHERRY MOON. It took 5½ hours to apply Ralph Fiennes's makeup. "A woman should never learn to sew, and if she can, she shouldn't admit to it."--Katharine (Kristin Scott Thomas) "You can't kill me. I died years ago."--Almasy (Ralph Fiennes] "Katharine, I just want you to know I'm not missing you yet."--Almasy "You will. You will."--Katharine

English Patient Reviews:

"...Minghella proves that a movie love story can be smart, principled and provoking, and still sweep you away..." -- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"...Respectable, intelligent....With its exotic, tapestry-like backgrounds, this is a picture of resplendently textured, sensuous surfaces..."-- Todd McCarthy, Variety

"...A mesmerizing romantic epic....THE ENGLISH PATIENT captivates as only the grandest and most consuming passions can..." -- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

"...This poetic, evocative film version of the famous novel by Michael Ondaatje circles down through layers of mystery until all of the puzzle in the story have been solved..." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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