Heaven Without Boundaries - On "The English Patient" (4)

Asha 2022-03-17 09:01:03


Similar to the ethics of love, The English Patient also shows a transcendent ethical stance on the issues of war and nationality.



The passionate love between Catherine and Amarsh broke through all secular precepts and burst into a beautiful flame. However, this love was crushed by a powerful and cruel war. Originally a personal emotional story, it was placed in the context of the raging war, the personal destiny and the historical process were entangled, and the individual had to bear the suffering brought by the historical catastrophe.



In the propaganda of warring countries, war always has an incomparably significant meaning and an extremely just goal, but the ruler's despicable intentions are often hidden under the "justice" coat. There are many conquests throughout history that were really just to plunder land, property or people. Of course, there are also some wars, the boundaries between justice and injustice are quite clear. The Second World War reflected in this film, in the mainstream historical discourse so far, is both the Allies (the just side) and Nazi Germany (the unjust side). war. This should be indisputable. In the face of such an extremely vicious and violent enemy as the Nazis, pacifism will only appear weak and even condoning evil deeds. However, "The English Patient" just makes the protagonist do a morally challenged thing in this war: In order to save Catherine, Amarsh gave the desert map to the German army in exchange for a plane.


Of course, the film explained the reason why this act had to happen: Catherine was seriously injured and lay in the cave. Emmaus tried hard to find the British army to ask for help, but because of his strange Hungarian name and impatience, he was suspected of being arrested. He was caught as a German spy; Emma, ​​who escaped, had no other choice at this time. He had only two options - 1, give up saving Catherine, and 2, ask the Germans for help. And he loved Catherine so deeply that it was absolutely impossible for him to sit idly by, so there was only a second way left.


The tendency that is vaguely revealed in the film is that there is no need to discuss too much about the right or wrong of selling the map. On a deeper level, the film's position is that the most fundamental culprit is war, and whether or not one side represents justice, war will bring disaster to mankind. War destroys all human hopes and dreams, shatters love, invalidates loyalty, and destroys trust. It robs people of their lives or health, kills the prospect and possibility of survival, and turns life into rubble. Perhaps we should say that this film does not focus on the justice of this specific war (WWII) (as David asked Amarsh "You sell the map and thousands of people will die", Ai Ma Marsh retorted that "thousands of people have already died in the war"), but to use this background to show the individual's painful situation in any war, and express his desire for a peaceful and peaceful living environment. Yearning, celebrating the glory and beauty of love.

This is what Hannah, a nurse, said: "This war is a scandal, the blood pressure of the country has risen", and she intends to "will not let others dictate, and will not do any duty for any great purpose, only intends to take care of Britain patient". All political and religious slogans are invalid here, and the traditional heroic morality and the slogan of dying for a certain doctrine can no longer inspire people. She is just an ordinary person who was injured by the war, and only the humanitarian warmth of caring for patients remains. .


This film can be said to be both an anti-war film and a film about "elimination of boundaries", which is to eliminate various boundaries such as country, race, class, identity, etc. - war makes people of different nationalities People suffer, but human nature has no borders. When all external barriers are eliminated, it is possible for people to gain understanding and forge lasting and beautiful friendship on the basis of humanitarianism, the basic human nature.


The question of "boundary" is actually reflected in the title of the movie - Amarsh is Hungarian, but after the injury, no one knows his identity, so he has to be called "the English patient". Previously, he lost the chance to rescue Catherine because he was mistaken for a German by a British officer, was shot down because of flying a German plane, and was charged with espionage for giving a map to the Germans and caused his friend Mardol to commit suicide——" How many fatal wounds the word "nationality" has caused him. Finally, only when he was burned beyond recognition and his body was too weak to do anything, did he get rid of deadly questions about his country, political stance, and so on. Under that face with vague facial features and indistinguishable expressions, he finally became a person without a fixed identity, got rid of various "boundaries" and gained tolerance and freedom.



"The artist should reveal to the viewer the limitations of the world in which he lives, and open up new horizons for him." Many scenes in the film express this idea of ​​"beyond boundaries": the desert expedition is a "multinational force", Mardo is from England, Amarsh is Hungarian, and there are local Arabs, who are united. Probe rapport. The love between Canadian nurse Hannah and Indian engineer Kip not only transcended national borders and religious beliefs (Kip was a Sikh), but also because India was still a British colony at the time, Indians were inferior in secular eyes, so their love It also goes beyond the concept of hierarchy. When Hannah found the piano at the monastery, it was the German composer Bach, and joked with Kip that playing Bach's music shouldn't detonate the German bomb, implying that "art knows no borders"—even in Fighting with the Germans, excellent German music can still be shared by the world. The section where Kip and Hannah watch the frescoes of the Italian monastery is very romantic and moving, and it also illustrates the charm of art beyond time and space... By the end of the film, there are four people in the monastery from three countries: Amarche from Hungary, and Amarche from Canada. Hannah and David, and Kip of India removed the estrangement from each other, healed the wounds of war, and the living went on to a new life (Amarsh went to heaven to meet Catherine). An ending in which boundaries dissolve and ideals and courage are reborn, where each person is able to rebuild his spiritual home after removing boundaries of nation, politics, religion, race, etc.


In addition to the above understanding of the plot in the film, the reason for the film's anti-war ethical stance can be found outside the film:


Director Minghella was originally from Italy, but immigrated to a small British town when he was a child. He got along with people as a "foreigner" since he was a child, and the experience without a sense of belonging made him very sensitive to the issues of "nationality" and "identity". Therefore, the "unidentified" novel "The English Patient" aroused his great interest, and like the author of the novel, he firmly thought and criticized the war from the perspective of "nationalism" and "political position", trying to dispel everything The real human nature is explored after the "identity" imposed by external forces. Minghella finished filming "The English Patient" and then made a similar film "Cold Mountain" in 2003, and he still holds the same position in the new film: instead of judging the justice of the American Civil War, he regarded "escape" as a Do positive behavior - the hero Inman only upholds the attachment to his home and his lover in his heart, and firmly flees from the war. In these two films, human nature and love have become the main themes. With their profound connotation and firm tone, they oppose the harm of war on individual life and agree with individual pursuit of happiness and tranquility.


Therefore, from the perspective of "morality" and "ethics", The English Patient adheres to the same position whether it shows love or faces war - based on individual life, it explores the ethical realm that is most in line with personality development and personal happiness. The reason why the film is highly praised is precisely because it hides another kind of "goodness" under the surface of challenging "morality", calling for the best things in human nature.



Conclusion:

Aimashu hates the division of borders in reality. In his opinion, it is hypocritical to draw a line on the vast land and name it in the name of a certain country. The possession and naming he likes is another: from love. He was fascinated by the depression between Catherine's collarbone, claiming, "It belongs to me, and I will ask the emperor to name it the Aymarsh Strait."


If there were only such romantic virtual borders on earth, the world would be very beautiful.


Catherine's last words can be used as a conclusion, and they are the perfect state of beauty that this excellent film will show us:


"I have nothing else to ask for, I just want to walk with you in heaven, take some friends, go to a A paradise without a map.

Our country is real, not a frontier drawn on a map and named after a strong man.

Our souls go to heaven, full of people bathed in love, regardless of race.

… …”

Heaven is boundless. (Finish)

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Extended Reading
  • Timmy 2021-10-22 14:42:01

    I remember the collarbone named Almasy Bosphorus, and I don’t need to remember the poem-like narrative.

  • Tatyana 2022-03-21 09:01:25

    Facts have proved that not all classics are worth watching, the scenery is more beautiful than the emotion, the sub-line is better than the main line, and the most important thing is that people who are normal in spirit will not fall in love with everyone except Colin Firth.

The English Patient quotes

  • Caravaggio: In Italy, you get chickens, but no eggs. In Africa there were always eggs, but... never chickens. Who separated them?

  • Almásy: I fear Madox knows about us, he keeps mentioning Anna Karenina