Jeff's Reviews

Thoughts on every movie I've ever seen.

The English Patient (1996)

Directed by Anthony Minghella

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas

Author

Kinda long. Appealed to the art side of film but not the sensation side, and I feel they must appeal to both for a higher rating. However, it IS refreshing to see longer, more artsy movies after being subjected to Hollywood shit for so long. Fantastic cinematography. A few really good scenes: bomb defusing, thumb-chopping. It’s almost confusing how the story jumps around a bit, but it’s really neat how it all ties together in the end. The temporal disjunction adds mystery to identity. I liked it better the second time when it was a bit easier to put the story together and had more time to enjoy the artistic aspect of the film.

The lack of color and monochromality give the film beautiful visual style. Any colors on screen are dull and subdied.

Fiennes and Binoche are good. Thomas and Defoe are fantastic. Thomas is beautiful. She just has an awesome look. Thomas, in the words of one reviewer, “brings intelligence and a subtle sensuality” to her roles, and I couldn’t have said it better. Her dialogue is amazing. She and Fiennes made a great couple. Binoche looks just like Julia Ormond with a bit of Julia Roberts mixed in.

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