The Constant Gardener

[Gold Trumpet]

As for my reaction (though just two days old and based only on one viewing)...

Yeah, but you started your post with this, so I was just wondering.  And I agree with most of what you say, but I was wondering if your "or even better" line had changed or still holds firm.  However, after reading your post again, I suppose it was a pointless question to ask.  I just don't think the story is more ambiguous and yes he sets the tone beautifully, but I was left feeling like I've seen this story before as opposed to City of God.  I couldn't get COG out of my head for days, this one disintegrated in less than an hour to be honest.

The feeling of having seen this story before in Constant Gardener should be felt. Its a very timely subject, but always operated to superficiality because the subject is an expansive political one. Gardener hits the subject with zest like Battle of Algiers and Salvatore Guiliano, but is also an amazing personal story with Fiennes and Weiz. That impressed me. It also may be more relevant for me personally that this film affected me more because I am a political science major.

[modage]

Title: The Constant Gardener
Released: 10th January 2006
SRP: $29.98

Further Details
Universal has officially announced The Constant Gardener which stars Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy and Pete Postlethwaite. This Fernando Meirelles directed film will be available to own from the 10th January, and should set you back around $29.98. The film itself will be presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround tracks. Extras include deleted and extended scenes, an Embracing Africa: Filming in Kenya feature in which director Fernando Meirelles and lead cast members discuss the various challenges and personal experiences that resulted from shooting this film in Kenya, Africa, a John le Carré: From Page to the Screen featurette, and an Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener featurette.

[foray]

I agree with what's been said about the tone of the film. For me, the most striking thing was the difficult relationship between the husband and wife: details such as how it is later revealed why Justin doesn't quite know his wife as a person and her work, the scene when she returns home late and they have an argument about the sort of work she does, and how even the viewer has difficulty coming to terms with her personality & privacy. She doesn't come off as a likeable heroine, even though she ends up being "right" about facts. I also thought that her cousin's character was introduced a little late in the movie, he seemed a bit like a deus ex machina. I need to watch this film again soon.

foray

[©brad]

this still stands as my favorite movie of a great year. it's a little disappointing to see that not many people have seen it/commented on it. 

[grand theft sparrow]

this still stands as my favorite movie of a great year. it's a little disappointing to see that not many people have seen it/commented on it. 

I just recently saw it and I liked it.  However, I understand now why, for the most part, directors who don't have an overly arresting visual style get hired to direct political/espionage films.  I was so blown away by the visual style of The Constant Gardener that part of the time I was ONLY paying attention to the visuals (I must have lingered on Mireilles' choice of showing the last 3 seconds of the Rachel Weisz's car crash until at least after Ralph Fiennes was told she was dead) and I missed some important bits.  This happened all through the film for me.  So I came out of it saying, "It looked incredible and I think I got what was going on..."

[Gamblour.]

this still stands as my favorite movie of a great year. it's a little disappointing to see that not many people have seen it/commented on it. 

Why did you like it so much? I'd like to know.

SPOILERS


I think this movie is probably the best looking movie this year. It's got some impressive writing, that really takes what could be a cumberous, convoluted story and makes it not difficult to follow, plus the narrative structure is incredible. the first 45 minutes are just greatly constructed. After the pharmaceutical story took complete control, it feels like it loses a lot of steam. I wish it kept focusing on Fiennes rediscovering his wife and affirming his love for her, that was a really great section of the film. Overall, it didn't come off as very impressive overall but the more I think about it, the better it gets.

[Pwaybloe]

Yeah, I see where you're coming from, Gamblour.  In that interview with Mereilles, he said that he changed the script around alot, and I don't just mean the narrative structure.  I'm referring to his focus on what was important: the love story. 

SPOILERS
I thought the film did an excellent job of falsely portraying Tessa as a cheating whore, but then Mereilles snatches the rug from underneath us with her truth.  It was jarring and I initially thought it was a bad move, but it was obviously necessary to keep the movie going forward.  So I learned to live with it, but I still didn't buy Ralph Fiennes's character morphing into an overzealous investigator overnight to continue Tessa's work.  The whole movie he was portrayed as aloof, bureaucratic, and a pushover.  Not key ingredients for his new character.
END SPOILERS

It was nice to look at, as everyone else commented.  I especially liked the daylight sex scene, because it's such a rarity to see in movies.  Another movie this year, "Yes" (which was fantastic), had a great daylight sex scene as well.  There are studies to show that people do have sex during the daytime, believe it or not.

I'll also say that I agree with Mereilles's idea that the movie would have been boring if it had the normal narrative structure, and yes, his skills were put to use to still make it a good movie, but still with faults.  I think that really comes down to the source material, unfortunately.

[Gamblour.]

SPOILERBALAGe

Well, as for Fienne's becoming the overzealous investigator, I think it makes sense if you think about the fact that he had doubted his wife's fidelity. You can extract from the story, but they don't present that as the motivation, so it does come off as uninspired.

[Pubrick]

It was nice to look at, as everyone else commented.  I especially liked the daylight sex scene, because it's such a rarity to see in movies.  Another movie this year, "Yes" (which was fantastic), had a great daylight sex scene as well.  There are studies to show that people do have sex during the daytime, believe it or not.

i agree with this completely. even tho it was cloudy outside the interior shot was bright and tender, as daylight would allow. it was a great kind of look u don't get to see in nite-time sex scenes, candle lit or otherwise.

also thematically the scene added credence to the doubt we have, as you put it, of her character being a whore, which i fell for each time, i love weiz in this. meirelles pulled a kubrick with this one. he applied his proven visual flair fully to service the story, which i agree could've easily been boring.