The English Patient
Academy Award × 9
In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.
What critics thought
Anthony Minghella's adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel won over critics with its scale and intimacy in equal measure — vast desert landscapes cut against the close textures of memory and longing. The performances, particularly from Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas, drew consistent praise, though some felt the film's ambition and length occasionally worked against it. The Seinfeld parody captures a real cultural fault line: audiences who surrendered to its sweep completely versus those who found it overwrought.
“a stunning feat of literary adaptation as well as a purely cinematic triumph”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“the triumph of the film lies not just in the force and the range of the performances—the crisp sweetness of Scott Thomas, say, versus the raw volatility of Binoche—but in Minghella's creation of an intimate epic: vast landscapes mingle with the minute details of desire, and the combination is transfixing”
Anthony Lane·The New Yorker
“it's the kind of movie you can see twice – first for the questions, the second time for the answers”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun Times
Genres
Drama, Romance, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorAnthony Minghella
StarringRalph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews
ComposerGabriel Yared
The English Patient
Academy Award × 9
In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.
What critics thought
Anthony Minghella's adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel won over critics with its scale and intimacy in equal measure — vast desert landscapes cut against the close textures of memory and longing. The performances, particularly from Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas, drew consistent praise, though some felt the film's ambition and length occasionally worked against it. The Seinfeld parody captures a real cultural fault line: audiences who surrendered to its sweep completely versus those who found it overwrought.
“a stunning feat of literary adaptation as well as a purely cinematic triumph”
Janet Maslin·The New York Times
“the triumph of the film lies not just in the force and the range of the performances—the crisp sweetness of Scott Thomas, say, versus the raw volatility of Binoche—but in Minghella's creation of an intimate epic: vast landscapes mingle with the minute details of desire, and the combination is transfixing”
Anthony Lane·The New Yorker
“it's the kind of movie you can see twice – first for the questions, the second time for the answers”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun Times
Genres
Drama, Romance, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorAnthony Minghella
StarringRalph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews
ComposerGabriel Yared