7. The English Patient 英國病人

The historical backdrop for this novel is the Second World War in Northern Africa and Italy. Hana, a young Canadian Army nurse, lives in the abandoned Villa San Girolamo in Italy, which is filled with hidden, undetonated bombs. In her care is the man nicknamed "the English patient," of whom all she knows is that he was burned beyond recognition in a plane crash before being taken to the hospital by a Bedouin tribe. He also claimed to be English. The only possession that the patient has is a copy of Herodotus' histories that survived the fire. He has annotated these histories and is constantly remembering his explorations in the desert in great detail, but cannot state his own name. The patient is, in fact, László de Almásy, a Hungarian desert explorer who was part of a British cartography group. He chose, however, to erase his identity and nationality...

一段愛情，在戰火中燃燒，逾越了道德，改變了戰局。艾馬殊（拉爾夫•費因斯 Ralph Fiennes 飾）是一個歷史學者，跟隨探險家來到撒哈拉沙漠考察，結識了繪制地圖的飛機師杰佛和他妻子凱瑟琳（克里斯汀•斯科特•托馬斯 Kristin Scott Thomas 飾）。凱瑟琳的才氣和美麗讓艾馬殊深深著迷，兩人在沙漠一個幽深洞穴參觀壁畫時，更加發現彼此志趣相投。道德最終戰勝了激情。凱瑟琳和艾馬殊分手后，杰弗發現了妻子的外遇。傷心的杰弗開著飛機企圖與妻子和艾馬殊同歸于盡，艾馬殊幸運躲過一劫，卻造成凱瑟琳身受重傷、自己命喪黃泉。艾馬殊趕到深愛的人身邊，把她安置到山洞里，承諾一定會走出沙漠，找到援助。但是，事情卻不像想象中容易。他為了救人，擔當了賣國罪名，惹來了殺身之禍，而凱瑟琳會不會等來獲救的曙光？艾馬殊又將承擔起怎樣的罪責？