The English Patient (1996)

My Review

The Best Picture of 1996 is…..”The English Patient,” a romantic drama telling the story of an English soldier laid up in a hospital during World War II recounting his life story in flashbacks. Director-screenwriter Anthony Minghella (“Mr. Wonderful” 1993) did an excellent job of piecing together the man’s biography in an epic manner, adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Michael Ondaatje. It won nine Academy Awards.

The talented cast includes Ralph Fiennes in the lead role, with co-stars Kristen Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, William Dafoe, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Jurgen Prochnow, Julian Wadham, Kevin Whately, Clive Merrison, Nino Castelnuovo, Hichem Rostom, Peter Ruhring, Torri Higginson, Liisa Repo-Martell.

The nine Oscar wins were for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Binoche), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography (John Seale), Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score (Gabriel Yared), and Best Sound. Three non-winners include Best Actor (Fiennes), Best Actress (Thomas), and Best Screenplay. Although “The English Patient” ran a little long at almost three hours, it was a hit at the box office for Tiger Moth Productions, Miramax Films, Buena Vista International, and The Walt Disney Company. It was filmed on location in Italy and Tunisia.