The English Patient (1996) -
I can absolutely see that this was a well made film and that the actors all gave fantastic performances. The setting was beautiful and the editing seemed to be appropriate, but it was a little bit long and slow for my tastes. Something like an overlong episode of 'Poirot' (1989-2013) without an actual murder to solve.
It's also difficult, because Ralph Fiennes in the lead role of Almasy was not particularly likeable and I didn't feel that keen to follow his story. There's also something very sinister about him. Perhaps it's because his prosthetics appeared to be a practice run for his 'Voldemort' make up years later.
It has that same sort of Mr Darcy ('Bridget Jones' (2001) and 'Pride & Prejudice' (1995)) idea about it. He's very gruff and unfriendly. I can't understand why anyone would fancy him, apart from maybe his physical appearance before the accident, when he was actually quite hot. His attitude towards people and his complete lack of social skills did not make him appealing to me that's for sure.
Kristin Scott Thomas however, plays an interesting and enjoyable character. Katharine is one of those strong females that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century as a result of the two wars. A time when men started to realise the true worth of the opposite gender.
And as always, Kristin delivered it brilliantly.
I had imagined it to be a sweeter romance though. One that was just set in the war, not such a long winded and trying story. I can imagine that the source novel gets the message across in more detail and it may be slightly more enjoyable to read in that respect, because of the amount that they've obviously had to trim away.
The film was apparently four hours long before it was cut and I can imagine there was a lot of hard decisions made at the time, but I personally feel that there could have been even more cuts, to make it more easily accessible for the audience. Willem Dafoe's, Caravaggio and Naveen Andrews, Kip could perhaps have been trimmed out to bring the focus solely on to the relationships that Almasy had with the two lead women. The exploration of those connections would have been enough of a story on their own and enabled the viewer more time to appreciate The "English" Patient himself. Perhaps the romance and attraction would have been more clear as a result too.
I'm not sure I believed in the ending between Almasy and Juliet Binoche's, Hana though? It didn't feel right after all that time together.
I did like the reminiscing back and forth, it helped the story flow and I didn't find myself guessing which time period I was in, as I've had to do with other films.
I'd never assumed that I would be interested in this film, which is why I have taken so long to watch it and while it was a well made, beautifully recorded and edited film, it really wasn't something that I would have chosen to watch for my standard viewing pleasure.
I was guided towards it by its reputation of course, but also by its appearance on two of the Top 100 film lists that I am trying to complete. I can see why it features on these lists, but I personally can't include it in my own Top 100, as its just not my thing. I think that it's one of those films that you just have to watch for yourself and make up your own mind about.
639.08/1000.
I can absolutely see that this was a well made film and that the actors all gave fantastic performances. The setting was beautiful and the editing seemed to be appropriate, but it was a little bit long and slow for my tastes. Something like an overlong episode of 'Poirot' (1989-2013) without an actual murder to solve.
It's also difficult, because Ralph Fiennes in the lead role of Almasy was not particularly likeable and I didn't feel that keen to follow his story. There's also something very sinister about him. Perhaps it's because his prosthetics appeared to be a practice run for his 'Voldemort' make up years later.
It has that same sort of Mr Darcy ('Bridget Jones' (2001) and 'Pride & Prejudice' (1995)) idea about it. He's very gruff and unfriendly. I can't understand why anyone would fancy him, apart from maybe his physical appearance before the accident, when he was actually quite hot. His attitude towards people and his complete lack of social skills did not make him appealing to me that's for sure.
Kristin Scott Thomas however, plays an interesting and enjoyable character. Katharine is one of those strong females that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century as a result of the two wars. A time when men started to realise the true worth of the opposite gender.
And as always, Kristin delivered it brilliantly.
I had imagined it to be a sweeter romance though. One that was just set in the war, not such a long winded and trying story. I can imagine that the source novel gets the message across in more detail and it may be slightly more enjoyable to read in that respect, because of the amount that they've obviously had to trim away.
The film was apparently four hours long before it was cut and I can imagine there was a lot of hard decisions made at the time, but I personally feel that there could have been even more cuts, to make it more easily accessible for the audience. Willem Dafoe's, Caravaggio and Naveen Andrews, Kip could perhaps have been trimmed out to bring the focus solely on to the relationships that Almasy had with the two lead women. The exploration of those connections would have been enough of a story on their own and enabled the viewer more time to appreciate The "English" Patient himself. Perhaps the romance and attraction would have been more clear as a result too.
I'm not sure I believed in the ending between Almasy and Juliet Binoche's, Hana though? It didn't feel right after all that time together.
I did like the reminiscing back and forth, it helped the story flow and I didn't find myself guessing which time period I was in, as I've had to do with other films.
I'd never assumed that I would be interested in this film, which is why I have taken so long to watch it and while it was a well made, beautifully recorded and edited film, it really wasn't something that I would have chosen to watch for my standard viewing pleasure.
I was guided towards it by its reputation of course, but also by its appearance on two of the Top 100 film lists that I am trying to complete. I can see why it features on these lists, but I personally can't include it in my own Top 100, as its just not my thing. I think that it's one of those films that you just have to watch for yourself and make up your own mind about.
639.08/1000.