The English Patient

This is another of those great films that I never saw at the cinemas. I get the feeling that it has lost a lot of it’s appeal from it’s cinematic days but still I was anxious to see what all the fuss was about. As a true lover of romantic stories and dramatic tales I was expecting to be swept off my feet. Alas this was not the case. While yes this is a fabulous story and the cinematography is excellent it just isn’t my cup of tea.

The English Patient is basically broken in to two stories. One is the story of an English War Patient from the 40’s who has been horribly burnt and has little time to live. He is cared for by a dedicated nurse by the name of Hanna (Juliette Binoche) who finds herself dedicated to his care in an effort to make his last weeks comfortable. The two stay in a small villa that has been deserted in the war. While they stay in the villa, a few other characters join them. One of which is a very seedy character, who has another agenda in staying in the house, and that is to unfold the true identity of the English patient.

As this man Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe) tries to pry the truth out of him, we see a series of flash backs which tell the other side of the story. This story is based around Count Almasy (Ralph Fiennes) a pilot who is on an expedition to map the Sahara desert. He meets up with Katherine and Geoffery Clifton and the two end up in a sordid affair.

It is quite obvious throughout how the two stories link together. The only thing that really spoiled it for me was the continuous flashbacks. As the stories are only linked by this flashback theme it becomes quite annoying at times to not have one continual story line.

So how does this transfer hold up?

Video Transfer

The 1.85 :1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is close to perfect and is certainly impressive after being disappointed with the film plot. The transfer has some exquisite detail and the images are constantly sharp and clear throughout.

Shadow detail was also excellent and even in the darkest and dullest of scenes there was still a lot of detail to be seen.

There are only minor film artefacts consisting of some small scratches in the original source. There are some very slight mpeg artefacts, which you certainly would have to look very hard for, and on a relatively small screen, are not even worth mentioning. The same comment can be made for some slight grain in the transfer. 

The colour palette was well rendered throughout and the dull natural colour scheme suited the feeling of the film well.

Audio Transfer

The DD5.1 audio track is quite exquisite! This is a fantastic example of a good 5.1 mix. While there is considerable dialogue in the film, the surrounds and the LFE channel also got a good workout. Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand and doesn’t seem to be confined to the centre channel, there was a great feeling of space as the dialogue based it self right across the front sound stage.

The surround channels never really seemed to stop. The support of the score and an endless array of directional effects really lifts the film in another dimension. The LFE channel was also very active but never overbearing in any way.

This is overall an excellent audio track, and is definitely of reference quality.

Features

Dolby Egypt Trailer

Featurette Behind the Scenes: a very short 6 minutes of promotional material, which really doesn’t have much impact at all.

Theatrical Trailer

Trailers: The Talented Mr Ripley. Chocolat

Cast and Crew Bios.  

Review Equipment
TV: GE 68cm (16:9 selectable)
DVD: Pioneer 737
Receiver: Yamaha DTS RX-V595a

Speakers:-
Fronts: B&W 602

Centre: Venturi
Rears: Wharfedale Diamond R6

Sub: M&K v75
- Reviewed