The English Patient
Short description
The English Patient is a drama set largely during the Second World War. A badly burned man, known only as the English patient, is cared for in a damaged Italian monastery by Hana, a Canadian nurse. As he slowly recalls his past, the story moves to the Sahara Desert in the 1930s, where he worked as a cartographer and explorer, and where he became involved with a married woman, Katharine Clifton. His memories connect his work, his love for her and the political tensions of the war years, while the people around him in Italy carry their own losses.
Anthony Minghella directed and wrote the screenplay, working from Michael Ondaatje's novel, with Saul Zaentz producing. Ralph Fiennes plays Almásy, Juliette Binoche is Hana, Kristin Scott Thomas is Katharine, and Willem Dafoe appears as Caravaggio, alongside Colin Firth and Naveen Andrews. The film was the first of Minghella's features as director, preceding The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain and later work.
Made for about 27 million dollars, it took roughly 232 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for a period drama of its length. On IMDb it holds 7.4 from around 213,000 votes, while on TMDB it has 7.1 from a much smaller number of ratings. A critics' rating of 8 out of 10 from 92 reviews places it above both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Producer Saul Zaentz was a big fan of Minghella's film "Truly, Madly, Deeply" and had long wanted to work with the director, so he was very pleased when Minghella himself came to him with the script for "The English Patient".
- Writer Michael Ondaatje, whose book the film is based on, collaborated closely with the film company during the creation of "The English Patient" and stated that he was pleased with how the film turned out.
- Kip's motorcycle is a Triumph 350cc 3HW.
- When the project landed in the hands of 20th Century Fox studio, its executives tried to remove Willem Dafoe from the film, and offered Minghella three actors for the role of Caravaggio: John Goodman, Danny DeVito, and Richard Dreyfuss.
- In the scene where Juliette Binoche's character examines the frescoes on the walls, electricity and smoke for her torch were supplied through a rope on which she swung.
- After Hardy (Kevin Watley) dies, Kip gathers his and Hardy’s belongings before leaving. Among Hardy’s possessions, a scarf of the Sunderland football club can be noticed. In real life, actor Kevin Watley is a devoted fan of Newcastle, one of Sunderland’s biggest rivals.
- The serial number of the bomb that Kip defuses begins with the letters "K-K-I-P".
- The Germans shooting at László Almásy's plane at the beginning of the film are actual tourists who were asked to participate in the making of the film during the shooting process.
- Initially, the film was 4 hours and 10 minutes long, then it was reduced to two and a half hours.
- Although the film is heavily 'subtitled' with references to dates, the factual part of the film has no relation to reality.
- The film is based on Michael Ondaatje's novel "The English Patient" (1992).
- Demi Moore aspired to the role of Katherine Clifton when the project still belonged to 20th Century Fox.
- After filming, Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Juliette Binoche became good friends.
- Juliette Binoche plays a Canadian in the film, and Ralph Fiennes plays a Hungarian count. In reality, Binoche is French, and Fiennes is English.
- Navin Andrews and Kevin Watley learned to ride motorcycles specifically for the film.
- Kip (the name of the character played by Naveen Andrews) was a school nickname of the film's screenwriter, Michael Ondaatje.
- The makeup for Ralph Fiennes' "scorched" look took 5 hours to apply each day. Fiennes insisted that the makeup be applied completely even when only his face was being filmed.
- Caravaggio could have been played by Sean Connery.
- The script for "The English Patient" was rewritten for four years.
- In 2001, at a charity auction in New York, a shirt worn by Ralph Fiennes in the film was sold for $1900.
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