Anthony Minghella wrote and directed this award-winning adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel about a doomed and tragic romance set against the backdrop of World War II. In a field hospital in Italy, Hana (Juliette Binoche), a nurse from Canada, is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck; he has no identification and cannot remember his name, so he's known simply as "the English Patient," thanks to his accent. When the hospital is forced to evacuate, Hana determines en route that the patient shouldn't be moved far due to his fragile condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. In time, Hana begins to piece together the patient's story from the shards of his memories; he's actually Count Laszlo Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), of Hungarian nobility and an explorer working with a group mapping uncharted territory in North Africa. An Englishman, Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth), soon joins Almasy's team; travelling with him is his lovely and spirited wife, Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas). Katherine and Laszlo soon fall in love, which leads Laszlo to betray his friend, his country and all that is dear to him. Meanwhile, Hana and the Patient are joined by Kip (Naveen Andrews), a Sikh with a gift for defusing mines, and Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), an intelligence agent who knows some of Laszlo's most shameful secrets. The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche). Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Genre: Drama
- Category War Romance, Romantic Epic, Romantic Adventure, Period Film
- Theme: Women During Wartime, Star-Crossed Lovers, Infidelity, Haunted By the Past
- Studio: Miramax
- Run Time: 02 hr 42 min
- Language: English
- Subtitle Language: French, Spanish
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: DVD
- Release Date: June 29, 2004
- Lead Actor: Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews
- Supporting Actor: Thoraya Sehill, Sonia Mankai, Sondess Belhassen, Salah Miled, Philip Whitchurch, Jason Done, Habib Chetoui, Fritz Eggert, Dominic Mafham, Amanda Walker, Sebastian Schipper, Clive Merrison, Torri Higginson, Roger Morlidge, Raymond Coulthard, Phillipa Bay, Nino Castelnuovo, Matthew Ferguson, Liisa Repo-Martell, Geordie Johnson, Clive Morrison, Anthony Smee, Lee Ross, Simon Sherlock, Abdellatif Hamrouni, Samy Azaiez, Rim Turki, Peter Ruhring, Paul Kant, Kevin Whately, Sebastian Rudolph, Hichem Rostom, Colin Firth, Julian Wadham, Jürgen Prochnow
- Director: Anthony Minghella
awards
- Awards: Academy Awards (9), Golden Globe Awards (1)
- Winner: Golden Globe Awards, Best Score, 1996, Gabriel Yared
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Costume Design, 1996, Ann Roth
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1996, Walter Murch
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Dramatic Score, 1996, Gabriel Yared
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actress, 1996, Juliette Binoche
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, 1996, Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Director, 1996, Anthony Minghella
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Sound, 1996, Walter Murch, Chris Newman, Mark Berger, David Parker
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Picture, 1996, Saul Zaentz
- Winner: Academy Awards, Best Cinematography, 1996, John Seale
- Nominations: Academy Awards (3)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Actor, 1996, Ralph Fiennes
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1996, Anthony Minghella
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Actress, 1996, Kristin Scott Thomas
