Picture 69: The English Patient (1996)

1996 takes us to North Africa in the late 1930s. Count Laszlo Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), Peter Madox (Julian Wadham), Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth) and his wife Katharine (Kristen Scott Thomas) embark on an exciting geographical survey of the Sahara desert.

What follows is a relentless pursuit of emotional truth amidst sandstorms and ancient cave paintings. Does love trump duty? Loyalty? Marriage vows? National identity? Does the lingering spectre of war and death make love more urgent? Would you kill to save the one you love? Where is the supraclavicular notch? These 162 minutes of mesmerising film explore the answers.

The start is perhaps a little slow but, by the second half, you find yourself gripped by a beautifully constructed, emotionally involving picture. Vast landscapes and historical events only serve to enhance the detailed focus on the characters.

Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas are outstanding. Willem Dafoe is, as ever, excellent. However, Juliette Binoche’s relentlessly saintly portrayal of Nurse Hana is a little irritating, as is Kevin Whately, who somehow got lost on his way to the set of Inspector Morse.

Nonetheless, The English Patient is extremely good and lands in a highly respectable 15^th place in a top 20 that is becoming ever more competitive.

Watch out for Naveen Andrews who later appears as Sayid from the TV series Lost in 2004.

Rating: 9/10

Oscar Best Picture Rankings:

1.     The Godfather (1972)

2. Schindler’s List (1993)

3. Casablanca (1943)

4. The Apartment (1960)

5. Rebecca (1940)

6. The Godfather: Part II (1974)

7. The Sound of Music (1965)

8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

9. Ordinary People (1980)

10. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

11. Gandhi (1982)

12. The Deer Hunter (1978)

13. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

14. Ben-Hur (1959)

15. The English Patient (1996)

16. The Last Emperor (1987)

17. Unforgiven (1992)

18. Lost Weekend (1945)

19. Platoon (1986)

20. Gone With the Wind (1939)

21. Rocky (1976)

22. Annie Hall (1977)

23. Amadeus (1984)

24. All About Eve (1950)

25. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

26. Hamlet (1948)

27. How Green Was My Valley (1941)

28. Braveheart (1995)

29. Out of Africa (1985)

30. West Side Story (1961)

31. Mrs. Miniver (1942)

32. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

33. Wings (1928)

34. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

35. You can’t take it with you (1938)

36. Patton (1970)

37. Terms of Endearment (1983)

38. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

39. On the Waterfront (1954)

40. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

41. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

42. Driving Miss Daisy (1989)

43. Rain Man (1988)

44. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

45. Forrest Gump (1994)

46. Dances with Wolves (1990)

47. Marty (1955)

48. Oliver! (1968)

49. Cimarron (1931)

50. Grand Hotel (1932)

51. The French Connection (1971)

52. An American in Paris (1951)

53. From Here to Eternity (1953)

54. It Happened One Night (1934)

55. My Fair Lady (1964)

56. Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)

57. Cavalcade (1933)

58. The Sting (1973)

59. The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

60. Going My Way (1944)

61. The Great Ziegfeld (1936)

62. Chariots of Fire (1981)

63. All the King’s Men (1949)

64. In the Heat of the Night (1967)

65. Gigi (1958)

66. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)

67. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

68. The Broadway Melody (1929)

69. Tom Jones (1963)

Previous or current ranking leaders are in bold.

With credit and thanks to the patrons of the Best Picture Film Club:

Dr Sophie Bloomfield – Fashion Correspondent

Dr Caspar Briault – Head of Cynicism

Dr Conrad Charlton

Dr Sophie Clarke

Dr Kate Diomede

Dr Fionnuala Durrant

Dr Josh Fisher

Dr Joseph Gallaher – CEO and Founder

Dr Joseph Hamilton

Dr Adam Holland – Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Dr Sid Mohan - Divisional Lead for the 1980s

Dr Hannah Morrison

Dr Meera Radia