Sondess Belhassen Movies
Anthony Minghella wrote and directed this award-winning adaptation of Michael Ondaatje's novel about a doomed and tragic romance set against the backdrop of World War II. In a field hospital in Italy, Hana (Juliette Binoche), a nurse from Canada, is caring for a pilot who was horribly burned in a plane wreck; he has no identification and cannot remember his name, so he's known simply as "the English Patient," thanks to his accent. When the hospital is forced to evacuate, Hana determines en route that the patient shouldn't be moved far due to his fragile condition, so the two are left in a monastery to be picked up later. In time, Hana begins to piece together the patient's story from the shards of his memories; he's actually Count Laszlo Almasy (Ralph Fiennes), of Hungarian nobility and an explorer working with a group mapping uncharted territory in North Africa. An Englishman, Geoffrey Clifton (Colin Firth), soon joins Almasy's team; travelling with him is his lovely and spirited wife, Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas). Katherine and Laszlo soon fall in love, which leads Laszlo to betray his friend, his country and all that is dear to him. Meanwhile, Hana and the Patient are joined by Kip (Naveen Andrews), a Sikh with a gift for defusing mines, and Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), an intelligence agent who knows some of Laszlo's most shameful secrets. The English Patient won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Juliette Binoche). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, (more)
Revenge is the subject of this episodic drama comprised of three 30-minute stories. All of the episodes are based on short stories by expatriate American author Paul Bowles who introduces each of them from his study in Tangiers. The tales are set somewhere in the mid-20th century. The first tale is "Merkala Beach" and follows two impoverished youths living in a north African town. Though they have different temperaments: Lahcen prefers alcohol and becomes violent when he drinks and Idir is a mellow pothead, the two are close friends. The strength of that friendship is tested when Lahcen falls for a young woman who joins him in his room. In the second vignette, "Call at Corazon" two newlyweds from Britain have a fight on their honeymoon cruise down the Amazon. Soon after leaving the luxury liner, the two embark upon a cargo boat. It is a rugged craft with few amenities and the bride finds this distasteful. She decides to get even by sleeping with one of the sailors, causing her husband to get his own kind of revenge. The final story is "Allal," and centers on a young boy who is mercilessly teased because his mother is unmarried. The boy's fate changes when he encounters an enigmatic old man with a box full of deadly serpents. The boy cons the man into leaving a lovely green one with him. The snake is magical and that night the boy undergoes a dramatic transformation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
