2. THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1996)

The English Patient is revolutionary in a very important and often overlooked way. This is one of the few war movies in which, to paraphrase another great war romance, the troubles of two little people amount to more than a hill of beans. In the classic mold, heroes are people who endure enormous personal sacrifice for the greater cause: for instance, in Saving Private Ryan, tens of thousands of soldiers give up their lives for the Allies. (Of course, there the heroes go off to save just one guy, Private Ryan, but anyhow, you see our point.)

In this film, however, we hear Ralph Fiennes say, - as perhaps no one else in the world could - "To hell with the greater cause!" In other words, who cares about arbitrary geopolitical disagreements wreaking havoc in the world? The only thing that matters is the love of two people. You can choose your soulmate, but you can't choose your country. A compelling argument.

The movie is beautifully filmed. The North African landscapes are breathtaking, shot from the awesome perspective of biplanes above. In fact, this film is so magnificently filmed that the two storylines - the romance at its height before the war and the dying embers of it at the end of the war - are intertwined visually as well as thematically: the undulations of the desert dissolve perfectly into the folds of the English patient's bed. Amazing.

The dialogue is also wonderful, as we hear Ralph, in his always proper yet curmudgeonly way, constantly kvetching about the state of things. In many ways, the personal demeanor of his character is not far removed from the Nazi he played in Schindler's List, the role that jump-started his career as a movie star. At any rate, he's the perfect actor to carry off this anti-epic. Of course, Kristin Scott Thomas also does an excellent job - and if you want to appreciate this movie even more, just consider this: when funding was low, some pasty studio execs threatened to put Demi Moore in the lead. Talk about a tragedy narrowly averted.

Notes:

  • Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Actress

  • Won 9 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche), Cinematography, Score, Art/Set Direction, Costume Design, Film Editing, and Sound