OK, so WHY do you hate The English Patient?
 

Enlighten me. People trash this film all the time but rarely have more to say about it than "it was boring." I could see this film not appealing to those that consider a six-pack of Beast and WWF SuperSlam a stirring Saturday night, but what about everyone else?

People hate it because most audiences have lousy taste and ADD.

I'd like to believe that...but I don't think that accounts for everyone that dislikes this film.

Wow, you set the table quite nicely. :D

I don't hate this film but some folks are too impatient to let a story draw itself out.

I think Sling Blade is similar, in that it takes time to inhale from time to time and let the story breath.

Don't get me wrong … I also like action and fast dialog but the English Patient was a very good film.

One major problem with the film is that it whitewashes the historical Nazi ties of the main character.

Easy. Nothing happens. You wait for what seems like 5 hours and in the last 10 minutes, the entire story is told. If i wanted to see huge desert vistas and great looking churches, I'll watch the Discovery Channel.

The main character, the English Patient is unlikeable. Stealing his friends wife and then selling secrets to the Nazis to try to get back to her cave. The secondary character, the nurse, is cute, but does absolutely nothing but clean bandages and look longingly at the bomb sweeper guy.

This was one of those snobby movies that is so boring and dull that critics are afraid to pan it because they're scared they just didn't 'get it'.

D

I don't think your last sentence holds much water. TEP might be..."elegant" in the way it is presented, but it is hardly especially elevated material. It doesn't take more than a room temperature IQ to "get it."

Do you mean as compared to Ondaatje's novel or did I miss something?

It's actually a criticism of the novel as well. Apparently, the historical Count Lazlo was a Nazi sympathizer. But this is hotly debated: ask five historians about it and you'll get five different answers. It's just one criticism that I see a lot.

I personally like the film and thought the photography was gorgeous. However, I always felt distanced from the characters...they seemed more like archetypes than real people. It was a good film, but not worthy of the Best Film Oscar.

That Oscar belonged to FARGO.

Let me sum it up for you: Ralph Fiennes' "Creature From the Black Lagoon"-inspired stumble walk through the desert, holding his lover's corpse.

Did it induce the pangs of sadness and deep angst it was supposed to induce? Nay. Half the audience burst out in peals of laughter.

Saw it twice in the theater and I can assure you that no one in either showing had that reaction, at least not vocally.

Two primary issues:

1) It is as dull as watching paint dry, and this is from a fan of films like BARRY LYNDON and THE STRAIGHT STORY, so spare me the Joe-Sixpack theory. There just wasn't anything terribly compelling about this world we, the audience, were dropped into. Absolutely radiant cinematography, though, I'll grant you.

2) An utterly disinteresting romance between two robotic lead characters. As much as I admire the performers, especially Ralph Fiennes, I just never felt engaged by their romance and, since the whole plot hinged on it, I was hard-pressed to find any enjoyment out of their story.

I liked it the first time I saw it.

Bought the DVD and thought it was boring. "Watching paint dry" is an apt description.

Just my take on it, but the film absolutely NO repeat viewing value.

Heavy handed filmmaking... The direction by Minghella was not very good... it had too much showmanship to it, and not enough heart.... I really disliked this film... and i can appreciate films of this genre and (not in this case) style....

MATT
a film student who hates the english patient

Saw it, thought it was OK, but the hype was ridiculous. I think that is what set a lot of people off. I don't understand the passionate positive or negative reactions. Not great, not terrible, not really memorable.

But what do I know? :)

Well, to me it seemed like pseudo-David Lean schlock at times, as if saying "Oooh! Look at me! I'm Oscar material!" Kinda like most Miramax flicks. ;-) I didn't like the two leading characters very much. To me it seemed like they were just trying to bugger each other every second, which is not what you're trying to accomplish in a "romantic" epic. What saved it for me was the love story between Hana ( Juliet Binoche ) and that Indian ( Forgot his name ) dude. That had genuine passion. Regardless of my criticisms, I still liked the movie.

P.S.: I simply never "got" Fargo. It's a good movie, but it's not great.

I saw TEP once in the theater and once on DVD (thought I'd try it again, several years later to see if I missed something the first time), the verdict: For me, it's very flat.

None of the core characters - and I'm not sure this is because of the performances or a kind a restraint/detachment I perceive in Minghella's screenplay - compelled me to make any sort of attachment to their predicaments or how they are resolved or what they were going discover along the way.

They aren't necessarily wooden performances, per say... I just couldn't find any connection in the film to up my interest in their corner of the word. Again a very flat experience for me.

There are some beautiful shots and vistas in the film, but the spectacle just didn't save it for me.

IMO everything Minghella touches is gold, but I've encountered more than a few people who disliked both the English Patient and the Talented Mr. Ripley, two of my favorites from the past five years.

Different people have different tastes - go figure.

veritas: Now Ripley is a hell of alot better than English Patient, thanks in no small part to the wonderful performances by everyone involved.

[Elaine Benes] Because it sucked [/Elaine Benes]

Because sex in a tub doesn't work!

Yes, it does.

Besides, I don't recall them having sex in the tub, only shampooing each other and getting into an argument.

Can you show me where any of the story is supposed to be based on any part of real life? Because there happens to be a Count Lazlo in the book and in real life is not a reason to assume that the story is even "loosely based" on real life, in my opinion.

I agree with you whole heartedly. I loved TEP and have seen it multiple times. I have seen Magnolia and thought it was a pile of shite. But the great thing is, ITS JUST MY OPINION! I know plenty of other people here loved Magnolia and I think thats great, I just thought that the editor fell asleep for an hour or so. (But hey maybe I just didn't get it). Anyways, I love TEP, and I understand that others don't- it's all a matter of point of view.:D

Do a search if you don't believe me. It's a well-known fact that the novel is based on real life people. Still, it is a novel, and fiction...not a history book.

Okay, I'll need some of your links then groucho, to back up what you're saying. I did a search and what I came up with is by no means authoritative but is contrary to what you're asserting:

This is from http://ovrdedge.com/tep/faq/faqb.html

"* Is the Almásy in the film based on the real life explorer of the same name?

Both Michael Ondaatje's novel and the film carry disclaimers that the story, names, characters, and incidents portrayed in the works are fictitious. While Michael Ondaatje did use real characters as the members of the Cairo-based group that was mapping the western desert and searching for the oasis, the real Count Laszlo d'Almasy was only an "inspiration" as everything else in the book was fictional."

This is from the Miramax site:

"Based on Michael Ondaatje's Booker Prize-winning novel, THE ENGLISH PATIENT is brought to the screen by eminent producer Saul Zaentz (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, The Unbearable Lightness of Being) and adapted and directed by award-winning writer / director Anthony Minghella (Truly, Madly, Deeply). The cast includes Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List), Juliette Binoche (TROIS COLEURS: BLEU), Kristin Scott Thomas (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and also Willem Dafoe, Colin Firth, Naveen Andrews, and Jürgen Prochnow.
THE ENGLISH PATIENT is an epic film of adventure, intrigue, betrayal and love about four strangers whose diverse lives become inextricably connected. The story is told largely through the eyes of an unknown English patient, the sole survivor of a plane shot down near the beginning of World War II, his mind awash with a life's worth of secrets and passions. As tales of the past and present unfold, the characters reveal themselves to one another and two love stories emerge. Their dangerous journeys from Cairo through the Sahara desert take them toward an unforgettable conclusion in an abandoned Italian monastery at the close of the war."

I just skimmed this article, but it appears to be very interesting:

http://clcwebjournal.lib.purdue.edu/...otosy99-2.html


So maybe my search wasn't as good as yours, but "inspirational" is hardly "based on", in my opinion.

Actually, it belonged to 'Secrets & Lies'

das

Why I HATE The English Patient
 

As several folks have mentioned I had and extreme dislike of both of the main leads (Fiennes and Thomas) - I couldn't get past the fact that they were scuzzy adulterous a-holes.

Of course that is just my opinion.

<font size=1>Nifty cinematography though.</font>

This pretty much echoes my thoughts. I like slow films. I like films that are nothing but good characters interacting with each other. I like films that are nothing but good simple dialogue. I like anything that is interesting or compelling on some level. 'The English Patient' never engaged me on any level. "Flat" and "robotic" are good words to describe my feelings. Like the Maker said, this film hinges on the performances, and if they don't work, the film doesn't work. That's how I felt.

This is the only movie that I have actually fallen asleep through in a theater. I had to rent it later to see the parts that I missed. I have lots of patience and HATE today's movies that can't spend time to develop good characters. Still, I was bored to tears with this one.

das

Was dragged into watching it on video about a year or so after the Oscar sweep. Prior to that, I was a big old naysayer. Seemed like a chick flick. I Loved it, and have since developed the theory that, like me, most of the EP-haters have never even seen it, and only use it as an easy target because Seinfeld told them it was boring.

It's terrific. I love it.

Breathtaking, compelling, passionate, epic romance, with gorgeous cinematography and brilliant acting. One of my favorite films of the 90's. Now ask people how they feel about Out of Africa. You will normally get the same "oh but it was so slow and boring" comments, mostly from mtv fed audiences with the attention span of a newt.

Here's another TEP-related opinion.

The scene in the cathedral with Hanna and Kip (flare and rope hoist, you know) is one of the most, if not the most, romantic scenes I have ever seen in a film.

Thoughts?

Well, to be fair, there have been some very intelligent contrary opinions on this film expressed here. I have been impressed.

Opinions just vary. For example, I disagree with veritas about Mr. Ripley. The comments adboy151 uses to describe his reaction to TEP, I would use to describe my reaction to TTMR.

JustinS, thanks for being reasonable.

(Glad to hear it. I hope you won't find it unreasonable for me to edit your post. These comments are far too inflammatory to be of any real use here and run the risk of really ticking someone off. - JustinS)

... it is possible for someone to disagree with you AND also have a valid point. I too have strong opinions about the things I like and dislike, but those opinions are completely meaningless if I don't accept that someone else may have another valid point of view.

Thank you ... that is all.

das

I hate it because Elaine hated it on Seinfeld and I value her opinion even though she is a fictional character. :)

Does this mean Elaine also likes Britney? :) :) :)

das

holy cow!!! i never thought i'd come across a person who enjoyed both TEP and TTMR- two Minghella films that i've seen bashed around here a lot. Those two are really two of my all-time favorites.

i thought the characters in TTMR were very well developed and portrayed... i had a lot of thoughts in my mind about them as i watched the movie, and I was very, very impressed when i listened to the DVD commentary by Minghella and realized that his comments were quite close to what my thoughts were. That shot where Ripley's reflection off the piano splits into two- OMG that was awesome.

anyway.... back to the original topic...

:)


(I wonder what Minghella is doing next....)

He is adapting yet another wonderful novel to the silver screen. This time it is Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain.

Looks like Tom Cruise will be getting the leading role. He wouldn't have been my first choice to play Inman but oh well.

He is also co-writing a future Sydney Pollack film called The Assumption.