Miramax original film The English Patient was released November 15th, 1996.
#TheEnglishPatient made $231.9M at the international box office.
rottentomatoes: 86%
metacritic: 86
imdb: 7.4
oscars: 9 wins
golden globes: 2 wins
SAG awards: 4 nominations
Hana
Hana is a WWII Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps nurse in rural Italy.
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1 win: 1997
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture
1 nomination: 1997
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
1 nomination: 1997
“How are you? Your leg will be fine. A lot of shrapnel came out. I saved you the pieces. I don’t think so. Here. No. I’ll get you some tea. Would it? Very funny. Go to sleep now. Don’t ask. Why Picton? Ask him what company he’s with. Does he know Captain McGann? What did he say? He’s dead. He’s gone. He’s gone. He’s gone.” — Hana
“It’s okay. Are you all right? I know you hate to be moved. I’m sorry. Jan! Nope. No. No! I’m not sewing anything else for you. Jan! Oh, no! No! It’s Jan’s. Are you in pain? Do you need something? We keep moving him in and out of the truck. Why? He’s dying. What’s the point? No, no, I don’t mean leave him. This will help you. I must be a curse. Anybody who loves me… anybody who gets close to me– oh, I must be cursed. Which is it?” — Hana
“When he dies, I’ll catch up. The war is over. How can it be desertion? I need morphine, a lot. And a pistol. Fine. Okay. Thank you. I’ll be okay. I’ll catch up. No. I was repairing the stairs. I found a library, and the books were very useful. I think they’re all in Italian, but I’ll look, yes. What about your own book? Oh. I found plums. We have plums in the orchard. There. We have an orchard. I don’t know anything. Mm. I should try and move the bed. I want you to be able to see the view. It’s good. It’s a view of the monastery. How? How can you see anything? I’m turning you. No sand. That’s your morphine speaking. Are you remembering more? Are you crazy? Because I’m a nurse.” — Hana
“‘The king insisted that he would find some way… to prove beyond dispute… that his wife was fairest of all women. I will hide you in your room where we sleep,’ said Candaules– said Candaules. ‘Candaules.’ ‘And from where you stand, you will be able to gaze on her at your leisure.’ Are you asleep? Shoo! Go! What do you want? Bonjour. Let me do that. You were in Africa? So was my patient. So you can shoot a pistol? Do you have a problem with those? Well, I should look at them before you go. I don’t know what Mary told you about me, but I don’t need company. I don’t need to be looked after.” — Hana
“There is a man downstairs. He brought us eggs. He might stay. He’s Canadian. He needn’t disturb you. There’s a war. Where you come from becomes important. Ah! It’s gonna work. It’s finished. Yes. Then I’m definitely going. I’m sorry. Of course. That was stupid of me. Are you all right? I was dreaming. Awful. Leave me alone. I’m not in love with him. I’m in love with ghosts. So is he. He’s in love with ghosts. How could he have? When? I don’t know what that means. Please, don’t creep around this house. I don’t have the key to that door. You– I see. I’m sorry. Then maybe you’re safe as long as you play Bach. He’s German. No, I’m sorry. I don’t think so.” — Hana
“He wants us to move out. He says there could be 50 more mines in the building. He thinks I’m mad because I laugh at him. He’s Indian. He wears a turban. I’ll probably marry him. My mother always told me… I would summon my husband by playing the piano. I liked it better when there were just the two of us. With his Sergeant, a Mr. Hardy. They have to clear all the roads of mines. That’s a big job. No, we can’t.” — Hana
Count Almásy
Best Actor in a Leading Role
1 nomination: 1997
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
1 nomination: 1997
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
1 nomination: 1997
“No, sorry. I think I was a pilot. I was found in the wreckage of a plane at the beginning of the war. Am I being interrogated? You should be trying to trick me, make me speak German. Which I can, by the way. No. Might– might I have a sup of water? Thank you. I remember lots of things. I remember her garden, plunging down tot the sea. Nothing between you and France. Or my wife’s. I think so. Although I believe that to be true of a number of Germans. Look. I have this much lung. The rest of my organs are packing up. What could it possibly matter if I were Tutankhamun? I’m a bit of toast, my friend. Sorry, I can’t help you.”
“Yes. Okay. What– what was all that banging? Are you– are you fighting rats or the entire German army? Before you find too many uses for those books, you might read some to me. My book? Oh, yes, the Herodotus. Yes, you can read him. Yeah. Herodotus is the father if history. Do you know that? It’s a– it’s a very plum plum.”
“A mountain the shape of a woman’s back. Good, good. Yes. Almasy. Thank you. Well, a thing is still a thing, no matter what you place in front of it. Big car, slow car, chauffer-driven car. It’s still a car. Now there you have me. They’re tourists. Absolute rot. We don’t need another pilot. You can’t explore from the air, Madox. If you could explore from the air, life would be very simple. Contact. I can already see. No, no, not the window. I can’t bear the light anyway. I can see all the way to the desert. Exploring. Before the war. Making maps. Is there sand in my eyes? Are you cleaning sound from my ears? I can see my wife in that view. Could I have a cigarette? Why– why are you so determined to keep me alive?”
“‘Candaules.’ Candaules. Yes. No. I’m dropping off. Why? Can he lay eggs? Why are people always so happy when they collide with someone from the same place? What happened in Montreal when you passed a man in the street? Did you invite him to live with you? He can’t. I’m already disturbed. Why? I hate that idea. Gently. So, you’re our Canadian pickpocket? I understand you were in Africa. Whereabouts? All over? I kept trying to cover a very modest portion and still failed. Now’s our opportunity to swap war wounds. I think anybody she ever loves tends to die on her. Me? I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick, old boy. So, Caravaggio. Hana thinks you invented your name. I said that no one would ever invent such a preposterous name.”
“How much did you pay? They don’t see foreign women in this market. How much did you pay? Which stall? You’ve been cheated. Don’t worry, we’ll take it back. This is not worth eight pounds, Mrs. Clifton. Did you bargain? That insults them. I’d be very happy to obtain the correct price for this. I apologize if I appear abrupt. I’m rusty at social graces. How do you find Cairo? Did you visit the pyramids? Or the sphinx? Latitude: 25’33”. Longitude: 25′ 16″. I disagree. Excuse me. May I? I– I’m sorry. What? I was concerned. A woman in that part of Cairo, a European woman– I felt obliged to. As the wife of one of our party.”
“Could I ask you to move? I’m sorry, but I– it’s just when you move. I can’t really bear the pressure on the– oh, um, what kind of photographs? Clifton. Safe journey. Clifton. It’s probably none of my business. Your wife. Do you think it’s appropriate to leave her? Well, the desert is, it’s, uh– for a woman, it’s very tough. I wonder if it’s not too much for her. All the same, were I you– very well.”
“I have come to love… that little tap of the fingernail against the syringe. Tap. Tap. Tap. No, he’s Sikh. If he wears a turban, he’s Sikh. Really? That’s sudden. Why? Is he staying? We should charge. Doesn’t have anyone have a job to do? In that case, I suppose we can’t charge. Thank you.”
“♪ Flat foot floogee with the floy floy ♪ Flat foot floogee with the floy floy ♪. I once traveled with a guide who was taking me to Faya. He didn’t speak for nine hours. At the end of it, he pointed at the horizon and said, ‘Faya.’ That was a good day. What? I do not. Al Auf. Give me your hand. Madox! Madox! Come quickly! I’ve found something! D’Ag! Bermann! Quick!”
“I don’t know, my friend. I don’t know. Bermann, what are you doing? Bermann! Yes, yes, I’m fine. Try to get an additional radiator. We can store it between here and pottery hill. And a better jack. We planned badly. Safe journey. Well, we– we took photographs. There’s no need. Well, there’s really no need. This is, um– this is just a scrapbook. They’re too good. I should feel obliged. Thank you. You should come into the shelter. Look over there. Do you see what’s happening to them, the stars? No, no. Over there. In a few minutes, there’ll be no stars. The air is filling with sand. Get into the car! No. Yes. Absolutely.”
Katharine Clifton
Best Actress in a Leading Role
1 nomination: 1997
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
1 nomination: 1997
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
1 nomination: 1997
“Hello. Hello. Geoffrey gave me your monograph and I was reading up in the desert. Very impressive. I wanted to meet the man who could write such a long paper with so few adjectives. Love? Romantic love, platonic love, filial love. Quite different things, surely.”
“Geoffrey. Candaules tells Gyges that the queen has the same practice every night. She takes off her clothes… and puts them on the chair by the door to her room. And that evening, it’s exactly as the king has told him. She goes to the chair, removes her clothes one by one, until she’s standing naked in full view of Gyges. And indeed, she was more lovely than he could have imagined. But then, the queen looked up… but then, the queen looked up… and saw Gyges concealed in the shadows. And although she said nothing, she shuddered. And the next day, she sends for– for Gyges and challenged him. And hearing his story, this is what she said. She said, ‘either you must submit to death… for gazing on that which you should not, or else kill my husband who has shamed me… and become king in his place.’ So Gyges kills the king, marries the queen and becomes ruler of Lydia for 28 years. The end. Shall I spin the bottle? D’Agostino.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Oh, hello. Um, seven, eight pounds, I suppose. Why? I don’t want to take it back. It is to me. I don’t care to bargain. I don’t believe that. I think that you’re insulted by me somehow. Excuse me. Not at all. I was thoroughly enjoying my book. Oh, really? Oh. Well, what’ll you do? Absent wives. And future ones. Thank you. Why did you follow me yesterday? After the market you followed me to the hotel. You felt obliged to? So why follow me? Escort me, by all means. But following me is predatory, isn’t it?”
“Arm-twisting. I’ve been thinking. How does someone like you decide to come to the desert? What is it? You– you’re doing whatever you’re doing in your castle, or wherever it is you live, and one day you say, ‘I have to go to the desert,’ or what? Actually, you sing. You sing. All the time. Ask Al Auf. ♪ Better be ready ’bout half past 8:00 ♪ Remember, honey, don’t be late ♪ ‘Cause I’ll be there when the band starts playing ♪ Gonna dance off both my shoes ♪ When they play the Jelly Roll Blues ♪ Tomorrow night at the Darktown Strutters Ball ♪. Thanks. Let me help! Gently, gently. I’ll stay behind, of course. No, I insist. There clearly isn’t room for all of us. I’m the least able to dig, and I’m not one of the walking wounded. It’s only one night. Besides, if I remain, it’s the most effective method of persuading my husband to abandon whatever he’s doing and come and rescue us.”
“I thought you might like to paste them into your book. No, really. I’d like you to have them. And that would be unconscionable, I suppose, wouldn’t it? To feel any obligation. Yes, of course it would. I’m quite all right, thank you. What am I looking at? They’re so untidy I was trying to rearrange them. Sorry! This is not very good, is it? Will we be all right? ‘Yes’ is a comfort. ‘Absolutely’ is not.”
Madox
“Hello, Geoffrey! Welcome to the expedition. Beautiful plane. Welcome to the international sand club. Marvelous plane. Did you look? We can finally consign my old bird to the scrap heap. Broken car. They’re highly recommended by the Royal Geographic Society. She’s charming and has read everything. He’s meant to be a ruddy good flier. He can make aerial maps of the whole route. Contact. So, Geoffrey, let that be a lesson to you.”
“If we attempt to drive northeast of Kufra, we’ll leave our bones in the desert. You’re Hungarian. You always disagree. Good evening. Mrs. Clifton. You’ll have to forgive us. We’re not accustomed to the company of women. I’m afraid we’re not having much luck obtaining funds for the expedition. A more modest expedition, or even wait a year. Remind our families we still exist. Very much so. We all are. Save my friend Almasy here.”
“To mapmaking! And a special thank you to Geoffrey and Katharine, without whose fund-raising heroics, we’d still be kicking our heels. Did Katharine say Geoffrey has to fly back to Cairo? Harem. What is it? My God. They’re swimming. They’re swimming. Are they alive? Get them out of the car! Almasy, are you all right? I’ll be back as quick as I can, 36 hours at the outside. Bermann. Now what? Let’s get all this stuff off. Certainly not. I caused the problem. I shall stay. You can’t. None of you can. All right. Come on, let’s get going.”
Geoffrey Clifton
“Madox, hello! How do you do? Geoffrey Clifton. Splendid to finally meet you all. This is Dante D’Agostino and Diggy Bermann, our archaeologist. And this is Sharif Al Fouad, Egyptologist. And this is my wife, Katharine. We’re your new apprentices.”
“To the international sand club. Isn’t it? A wedding present from Katharine’s parents. We’re calling it Rupert Bear. Hello. Geoffrey Clifton. Not much use, though. Uxoriousness. That’s my favorite kind of love. Excessive love of one’s wife.”
“♪ We have an old-fashioned tomato ♪ A long island potato ♪ But yes we have no bananas ♪ We have no bananas today ♪. Next! Katharine! Off with his head! D’Agostino. Good evening, gentlemen. Marvelous. She– she’s in love with the hotel plumbing. She’s either in the swimming pool– she swims for hours, she’s a fish, quite incredible– or she’s in the bath. Actually, she’s just outside. Chaps only in the long bar. The team is in mourning, darling. Dear heavens, are you married, Madox? I feel much better. Don’t you, darling? We were feeling rather self-conscious. Let’s toast, then. Absent wives.”
“Gentlemen, to mapmaking. To arm-twisting. Return the favor. Take a few photographs for the army. Portraits. The brigadier, the brigadier’s wife, the brigadier’s dog, brigadier by the pyramids, brigadier breathing. And I shall, of course, be bereft, but finally able to explore the Cairo nightlife. I shall produce an authoritative guide to the zinc bars and… I want to say ‘hareems.’ Am I in the right country for ‘hareems?’ Bye, my love. Keep safe. I’ll catch up in a week. You too. Good luck. Glad the funds have turned up. Appropriate? Are you mad? Katharine loves it here. She told me yesterday. I’ve known Katharine since she was three. We were practically brother and sister before we were man and wife. I think I’d know what is and what isn’t too much for her. I think she’d know herself. Why are you people so threatened by a woman?”
David Caravaggio
“Buon Giorno. Hana? I met your friend Mary. She said I should stop and see if you were all right. Apparently we’re neighbors. My house is two blocks from yours in Montreal. Cabot, north of Laurier. Bonjour. For you. I’d like to take credit for it, but it’s from Mary. My name is David Caravaggio, but nobody ever called me David. Caravaggio they find too absurd to miss out on. Oh! Oh! Oh, shit. Stupid hands. They’re fresh. Have you noticed there are chickens? I haven’t had an egg in… in Italy, you get chickens but no eggs. In Africa, there are always eggs but never chickens. Who’s separating them? Yes, I was. Look, I’d like to stay for a while. I have to do some work here. I speak the language. There are partisans to be disarmed. We embrace them and see if we can relieve them of their weapons, you know, while we hide. I was a thief, so the army thought I’d be good at it. No. No. Look. It’s a big place. We needn’t disturb each other. I’ll sleep in the stable. It doesn’t matter where I sleep. I don’t sleep.”
“Can I help? Thief I think is more accurate. Oh, all over. Are you leaving us? Does she have war wounds? Are you planning to be the exception? And you’ve forgotten yours. And I said you can forget everything… but you never forget your name. Count Almasy. That name mean anything to you? Or Katharine Clifton? Hana. Hana, are you all right? You’re in love with him, aren’t you? Your poor patient. You think he’s a saint because of the way he looks? I don’t think he is. What if I told you he did this to me? I’m one of his ghosts and he wouldn’t even know it. Ask your saint who he is. Ask him who he’s killed. See, I don’t think he’s forgotten anything. I think he wants to forget.”
“Yeah, trying to get them to give up their weapons. I was a thief, so the army thought I’d be good at it.”
Expedition
“I’ll get cups. Mrs. Clifton, I’d like to present… Count Almasy.”
“Bravo. Hey! How is your charming wife?”
“It’s a disaster. And present ones.”
“♪ I’ll be down to get you in a taxi, honey ♪. Ow! You okay? Yeah. How do you explain… to someone who has never been here, feelings which seem quite normal? Aaah! Kamal! Watch out! Watch out! My wrist! Ah! Go, go! Go, go, go!”
WWII
“Okay. You are the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. Would you kiss me? It would mean such a lot to me. Thank you. Nurse, I can’t sleep. Would you kiss me? You’re so pretty. Will you tuck me in, please? Where’s the doctor? God, I hate giving blood. Can’t stand needles. Is there anybody from Picton? Picton? I don’t know. I’d like to see somebody from home before I go. Do we have anybody from Picton? He’s from there. Edge of Lake Ontario, right, soldier? That’s where your sweetie’s from, isn’t it? Around there? Third Canadian Fusiliers. Third Canadian Fusiliers. He bought it yesterday. Shot to bits. Doesn’t know him. Hana, get down!”
“Name, rank, serial number? Can you remember where you were born? Why? Are you German? How do you know you’re not German if you don’t remember anything? This was your garden? You were married, then?”
“Hana! Hana! Hana! There’s meant to be lace in the next village. The boys are gonna take me. You don’t have any money, do ya? Just in case there’s silk. Hana, I know you do. Come on. Oh, come on. I swear to God, this’ll be the last time. I swear. She’s a softie. She loves me. I’ll pay you back! I promise! Ah! I love you! Mwah! Whoa! Pienza, boys! Get some water over here! Hana! Where are you going? Stay back! Stop, Hana! Stay–“
“Hey! Hey! Don’t move! Don’t move! Stand absolutely still! You’re walking in a mine field! Good. Just stay still for me… and we’ll be fine. What are you doing? What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing? Are you okay? You and Jan were– we can hardly leave him. Do you mean leave him?”
“It’s not safe here. The whole country’s crawling with bandits and Germans and God knows what. It’s madness! I can’t allow it. It’s not over everywhere. I didn’t mean literally. This is normal, it’s shock– for all of us, Hana. If anything ever happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. We’re heading for Leghorn. Livorno the Italians call it. We’ll expect you. You’re welcome, ma’am. Oh, Hana. Good.”
“Stop playing! Please, stop playing. The Germans were here. The Germans were all over this area. They left mines everywhere. And pianos were their favorite hiding places. Is something funny? I’ve met you before. Look. See? Move that, and no more Bach. Lieutenant! Are you all right, sir? Fine, Sergeant. So you’re working with the Italians. I like the Italians.”
