Synopsis

In an Italian monastery at the end of World War II, Hana, a Canadian nurse, cares for a badly burned, unidentified man known as the English patient. As he recalls his past in the Sahara, his memories reveal a forbidden love, wartime betrayal, and the devastating consequences of choices made before the conflict.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film adapts Michael Ondaatje's 1992 novel, which won the Booker Prize. The book's fragmented structure was widely considered difficult to film.

• Anthony Minghella wrote the screenplay himself and reshaped parts of the novel to make its multiple timelines and relationships work on screen.

• Production took place in Tunisia and Italy, including desert locations near Tozeur and historic buildings in Tuscany and Venice.

• Filming ran from September 4, 1995, to January 31, 1996.

• At the 69th Academy Awards in 1997, the film received 12 nominations and won 9 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, cinematography, editing, costume design, production design, sound, and original dramatic score.

• Producer Saul Zaentz became only the second person to produce three Best Picture winners, following his earlier successes with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus.