The English Patient (film)

The English Patient
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAnthony Minghella
Screenplay byAnthony Minghella
Based onThe English Patient
by Michael Ondaatje
Produced bySaul Zaentz
Starring
CinematographyJohn Seale
Edited byWalter Murch
Music byGabriel Yared
Production
company
Tiger Moth Productions
Distributed byMiramax Films (United States)
Miramax International (United Kingdom; through Buena Vista International[1])
Release date
  • November 15, 1996 (1996-11-15)
Running time
162 minutes[2]
CountriesUnited States[3][4]
United Kingdom[5]
Languages
  • English
  • German
  • Italian
  • Arabic
Budget$27–43 million[6][7][8]
Box office$232 million[6]

The English Patient is a 1996 epic romantic war drama directed by Anthony Minghella from his own script based on the 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje, and produced by Saul Zaentz. The film starred Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas alongside Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe and Colin Firth in supporting roles.

The eponymous protagonist, a man burned beyond recognition who speaks with an English accent, recalls his history in a series of flashbacks, revealing to the audience his true identity and the love affair in which he was involved before the war. The film ends with a definitive onscreen statement that it is a highly fictionalized account of László Almásy (died 1951) and other historical figures and events. The film received widespread critical acclaim and emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office.

The film received twelve nominations at the 69th Academy Awards, winning nine, including Best Picture, Best Director for Minghella, and Best Supporting Actress for Binoche. It was also the first to receive a Best Editing Oscar for a digitally edited film. Ralph Fiennes, playing the titular character, and Kristin Scott Thomas were Oscar-nominated for their performances. The film also won five BAFTA Awards and two Golden Globes. The British Film Institute ranked The English Patient the 55th-greatest British film of the 20th century.[9] The American Film Institute ranked it the 56th-greatest love story of all time.[10]

As of August 2021, the novel was in early development for a new BBC television series, co-produced by Miramax Television and Paramount Television Studios.[11][12]

  1. ^ "The English Patient (1996)". BBFC. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  2. ^ "The English Patient (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 4, 1996. Retrieved March 4, 2013.
  3. ^ "The English Patient". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "The English Patient". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  5. ^ Bauer, Patricia. "The English Patient". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  6. ^ a b The English Patient at Box Office Mojo
  7. ^ Shulgasser, Barbara (November 22, 1996). "Masterful 'English Patient'". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference impatient was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "British Film Institute – Top 100 British Films". cinemarealm.com. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  10. ^ "AFI's 100 YEARS…100 PASSIONS". American Film Institute. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Smith, Anna. "The English Patient – is it time to revive the epic romance?". Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  12. ^ "'The English Patient' TV Series Adaptation In Works At BBC From Emily Ballou & Miramax TV". Retrieved September 27, 2021.