The English Patient (1996) - Anthony Minghella - Michael Ondaatje

January 24, 1995

THE ENGLISH PATIENT

Screenplay by Anthony Minghella, Novel by Michael Ondaatje

Synopsis by Brian Aldrich

Late in WWII, a plane carrying a man and a woman is shot down by the Germans over the Sahara desert. The woman is dead; the man is badly burnt. He is rescued by BEDOUIN TRIBESMAN who get him to the Red Cross. Eventually, he, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, is transferred from one temporary hospital to another throughout the liberated Italian countryside until HANA, an empathetic nurse whose OFFICER lover was recently killed in the war, realizes he is dying. She leaves the convoy, stopping at an abandoned monastery to let him rest until he passes away. She comforts him and makes sure he gets his regular morphine shots. CARAVAGGIO, a Canadian who speaks Italian, shows up at the monastery and helps to find food and comfort the Patient. KIP and HARDY, two Indian explosive experts, show up and defuse the bombs around the monastery. Hana and Kip have a sexual relationship.

The Patient has amnesia. He cannot remember who he is, but we see flashbacks of a group of people doing archeological research in the Sahara desert before the war. One of these men may be the Patient.

Before the war, a research party consisted of PETER MADOX, COUNT ALMASY, D'AGOSTINO, BERMANN, FOUAD, and their Bedouin servants. First, they find a hill of pottery. Wealthy and newly-married GEOFFREY & KATHERINE CLIFTON arrive with their new plane to join the expedition. Almasy and Katherine are attracted to one another and while Geoffrey is off spying for the English military, they have an affair. Geoffrey eventually finds out, but remains silent. The expedition finds a cavern with cave drawings. When the war becomes imminent, the group disbands. Almasy waits by the cave for Geoffrey and Katherine to pick him up in their plane. Geoffrey tries to kill Almasy and Katherine, but kills himself instead. Almasy tends Katherine's wounds and takes her to the cave for shelter. He takes off for help, but is arrested by the Allies as a spy. He escapes, but is too late to save her. He returns to Germany, learns to fly, and returns on a spy mission to the desert. He finds her corpse and flies it out of the desert. He is shot down. Almasy turns out the English Patient.

Carvaggio learns Almasy was responsible for his being identified as a spy and tortured. He keeps himself from finishing off Almasy. As everyone celebrates the end of the war, Hardy is killed by a bomb. Kip is despondent. When he learns of Hiroshima, he loses it and almost shoots Almasy. Kip calms down and asks Hana to come with him. She refuses. They part. Almasy asks for a fatal injection of morphine and Hana sadly complies.

Summary Criticism: While the plot is convoluted at times, the characters are well-crafted and intriguing.

The English Patient (1996) - imdb

The English Patient (1996) - wiki