A hand holding a brush runs smoothly along to transform into a desert and then we hear the rumbling of the airplane’s wings. A man and a woman are sitting in an airplane, which then comes crashing into the sand dunes of the wondrous desert...
Someone with his face so badly scalded that one cannot identify him is lying on a bed provided by the Red Cross. The man is none other than the English patient, who fell in love with a woman so dear to him that he would have even given his life for her.
Italy has been pictorially represented and the sands of the desert unearth a story about a fateful love affair in the midst of war and a powerful past behind it. We also see Kip, an Indian, who makes the story all the more interesting. A soldier named Caravaggio suspects the English patient, thinking he is the one who is to be avenged for cutting his finger.
Almasy falls for Katharine Cliffton, the wife of Geoffrey Clifton, a man who is unlucky in love, desparate and restless. Katharine is a suave woman with charm and attractiveness that would make anyone swoon over her.
A loving nurse, Hana, aids the English patient and help him recollect memories of his past. She has an affair with Kip, the Sardarji and toward the end, she pens down her memoirs of the English patient and how she stood by him in times of danger to his life and health.
Lots of patience is required to see the movie "The English Patient" (a winner of 9 Oscars) as it depicts the story in great detail and the art direction is splendid.
Ralph Fiennes, Colin Firth, Kirsten Scott Thomas and Willem Dafoe - give excellent performance in terms of expressions and delivering the dialogs along with the story plot beautifully.
The English Patient has been based on Michael Ondaatje’s book "The English Patient." Some of the interesting and memorable dialogs of this film were:
The catchiest dialogs:
Muller: You are a Canadian spy working for the Allies. Code-name Moose.
Almasy: You’re wearing the thimble. It is a very plum plum.
Almasy: New lovers are nervous and tender, but smash everything. For the heart is an organ of fire.
The setting:
Initially, the setting is in a vast desert close to the end of the World War II and then the movie goes back to Italy of the days of yore and finally back to the desert.
All said and done, the movie is definitely a must-see for everyone.