Review of The English Patient (1996) by Mary M — 19 Jun 2012
While there's nothing particularly groundbreaking about it either cinematically or thematically, it is lyrical, literate, and beautifully shot, as well as very well acted, all of which breathes life into a familiar story of love, war, and betrayal set against the backdrop of World War II.
The Sahara has never been more hauntingly beautiful or more inhospitable on film than it is here, and the Italian countryside doesn't look bad either. And along with the visuals, the movie has a cast that is uniformly up to the task of portraying human passions with Greek tragic intensity without descending into melodrama.
In less capable hands this material might have collapsed under the weight of its romantic cliches, but it's sometimes said that the mark of a truly great piece of art is not that it is totally original or does not employ any trite or well-worn artistic devices, but that it makes those devices seem fresh and real, and on that score this movie mostly delivers.
This review of The English Patient (1996) was written by Mary M on 19 Jun 2012.
The English Patient has generally received very positive reviews.
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