My first thought was of Truly, Madly, Deeply and how much I love that movie.
I was not (to put it mildly) a fan of The English Patient — but I must give props of the largest order to Minghella for directing one of my favorite movies of all time: Truly, Madly, Deeply.
Truly, Madly, Deeply is almost radioactive in my mind … it is like I have to stay clear of it … until I feel prepared to deal with it again. The story of Truly, Madly, Deeply is excellent – thought-provoking, the script is fantastic – with well-drawn characters, complex and simple scenes, beautifully written – comedy, grief, love – the acting is superb, and the direction is funny, warm, open, and accessible. It was his first film. Bravo. Minghella, in his casting of the film, the way he films her in his flat, the way he films the whole thing, creates a complete three-dimensional world that we, the audience, feel privileged to get to visit, even for a short while. It’s a world that breathes. Even just thinking about that movie gets me all worked up.
I posted about Truly, Madly, Deeply here. If you haven’t seen it, all I can say is: do yourself a favor. You are in for such a treat! Such a deep and wonderful treat.
Oh my goodness! I honestly thought I had misread your title. So sad!
what??? wow..i agree soooo much about Truly, Madly, Deeply..when they sing Case of You in the window??? im done!..also i LOVED The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Mr. Ripley was terrific.
And yes, yes – the two of them in their pajamas, singing out the window – I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it.
And her line, “I can’t believe there are a bunch of dead people in my living room watching videos.”
i absolutely adore this movie. i saw it on a double date and all 4 of us were knocked out. if you remember, it played here around the same time as ‘ghost’ came out, and having a crappy cliche-ridden hollywood flick with a (sorta) similar premise just emphasised how brilliant it was. i just think of the contrast b/w demi moore’s robot w/ the one tear trail down her cheek vs. the closeup of juliet stevenson’s face when she’s really crying, her nose running and her eyes all red — so much more real. and alan rickman as a leading man. come on! he’s so awesome, but he could not have been the lead in a romance in hollywood!
Can you believe it? I just read this in the news and decided to head over to you to see if you knew. So sad! T, M, D is truly a loving film. As much as I admire Mr. Ripley, which is also pretty wonderful, there is something about the depth of the performances, the humor and the despair of T, M, D that just get me.
When I think of Alan Rickman, sitting back – in his dark trenchcoat – staring at her, as she is giggling and goofing around – and there’s a world of sadness and love and loss on his face – and he says – in a way that ONLY Alan Rickman could: “Thank you …. for missing me …. so much.”
SO GOOD.
I have a book on my shelf called My First Movie – and big directors are interviewed about their first films – it’s a wonderful compilation – and I know Minghella is in it – his stories of what it was like to film that movie are wonderful … I’ll dig out some quotes if I have a second, just to do a deeper tribute to him.
Wonderful film.
You know, I *love* it when people say they didn’t like The English Patient, because I think, “Hahahaha, more for me!” I feel like the only person in the world who liked it and it’s all mine mine mine!
Would I love it so if my Imaginary Husband wasn’t in it? I don’t know. But he is, and I do.
(We all know my feelings for TMD. No need to rehash them here.)
Lisa – hahahaha Yes, you can hoard it (and your imaginary husband) all to yourself!!
I can’t remember talking about Truly Madly Deeply with you, actually!
Alan Rickman is just achingly awesome in it, I think … lovely, loving, but also perpetually grumpy and freezing … Just a beautiful performance!
There are some very informative obits out there – about Minghella’s life and career – he was quite a champion of home-grown British films, and was dedicated to the film industry in a way that I find quite admirable. He was so young. God.
That last picture makes me weep because that’s the scene where she’s translating the Pablo Neruda poem, KNOWING it’s his “good-bye” to her. Good god, I seriously have to just lie down on the couch and sob like a baby RIGHT NOW.
Lisa – God, I know. It’s rare that a movie makes you need to lie down just by thinking about it. I have the same reaction.