The English Patient: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''All I desired was to walk upon such an earth that had no maps.''|theThe English Patient}}

A'''''The English Patient''''' is a 1992 novel by Canadian author Michael Ondaatje, and is a sequel to ''[[In the Skin of a Lion]]''. The book opens in an abandoned villa in [[World War TwoII]] Italy, where Hana, a Canadian army nurse, cares for a man referred to as the English Patient. He refuses to reveal his identity, but his speech and mannerisms indicate that he's an Englishman (his status as a patient is considerably less ambiguous, given that he's being treated for critical burns all over his body). Hana and the Patient are joined by David Caravaggio, a Canadian thief who knew Hana before the war, and who worked as an Allied spy until he was captured and maimed; and Kip, an Indian Sikh who's one of the best sappers in the British army. The story sprawls out [[Anachronic Order|non-linearly]], digging into each character's backstory, with running themes of nationality, nationalism, and the [[Power of Love]].

Made into [[The Film of the Book|a 1996 movie]] directed by Anthony Minghella. It cast [[Juliette Binoche]] as Hana, [[Ralph Fiennes]] as the "English Patient" , [[Willem Dafoe]] as Caravaggio, and [[Naveen Andrews]] as Kip. The film was a box office hit, earning $231,976,425 in the worldwide market. It has earned the distinguished pop-culture status of being "That movie Elaine bitched about in that one episode of [[Seinfeld]]." Both versions won a bunch of awards, most prominently the 1997 [[Academy Award|Oscar for Best Picture]].

* [[Geeky Turn On]]: The Patient realizes he's attracted to Katharine when she reads aloud from [[HerodotusThe (Creator)Histories|Herodotus]]. Of course, the story she chose to read was rather [[Love Triangle|apropos]]...

* [[Named After Somebody Famous]]: In-story; "David Caravaggio" is implied to be a pseudonym, which he [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]], mentioning Caravaggio's painting [http://en.[wikipedia.org/wiki/David_with_the_Head_of_Goliath_:David with the Head of Goliath (Caravaggio) |David with the Head of Goliath]].

* [[Where Are They Now? Epilogue]]: A very brief one showing {{spoiler|that Kip is now a doctor, married with children in India; he still thinks of Hana}}.

[[Category:EpicGolden MovieGlobe Award]]

[[Category:FilmsThe ofCriterion theCollection 1990s(LaserDisc)]]

[[Category:TheFilms EnglishBased Patienton Novels]]

[[Category:TropeBAFTA Award (Film)]]