A lush, epic, sweeping blockbuster, this Oscar-winning feature is, by today’s standards, overblown and all a little dull and boring.
As World War II approaches its end, a badly burnt Count Almásy (Ralph Fiennes) lies dying in an abandoned villa on the outskirts of Florence. Cared for by a Canadian nurse (Juliette Binoche), lucid and delirious with morphine, Almásy recalls the doomed love affair with Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas), wife of a British spy in Egypt.
Intelligent, romantic but emotionally inert, director Anthony Minghella draws fine performances from Fiennes and Scott. But the separate narratives of pre-war Egypt and end-of-war Italy are disconnected and strangely unengaging in this adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s Booker Prize winning novel.
Nominated for 12 Oscars in 1997 including best actor, actress & adapted screenplay, won 9 including best film, director, cinematographer, score – Gabriel Yared – & supporting actress, Juliette Binoche.
Rating: 57%
Director: Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr Ripley)
Writer: Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr Ripley) – adaptated from Michael Ondaatje’s Booker Prize winning novel
Main cast: Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, Harry Potter), Juliette Binoche (Chocolat, Cloud of Sils Maria), Kristin Scott Thomas (Sarah’s Key, Darkest Hour)
An Opinion or Two 