Cool News
Moriarty Has Seen THE CONSTANT GARDENER!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I’ve been teasing you guys over the course of the last few articles I’ve written, and not because I set out to do so. It just sort of happened. I’ve dropped cryptic hints about “the best film I’ve seen so far in 2005,” and today... well, today it opens. When I first saw CITY OF GOD, it blew my mind. And I actually picked it as my favorite film of that year. I’ve seen it three or four times since, something I don’t do a lot these days. For me to sit down and make the effort to watch something multiple times, it has to really make an impact on me.
I’ll be seeing THE CONSTANT GARDENER again this weekend at least once, and I’m sure I’m just warming up. This is a film that reminds me of all the reasons I love going to the movies. It is an affirmation that Fernando Meirelles is a world-class filmmaker to be reckoned with. And it is a powerful, deeply heartfelt story about our responsibilities in this world.
Based on a novel by John le Carre, one of the finest novelists in the spy genre, THE CONSTANT GARDENER defies easy categorization. Yes, there’s a spy story going on here, but that’s not what the film is “about.” There’s a drama about the globalization of industry and the way it preys on the poor in order to widen the gap between the third and the first worlds, but again... that’s not really what the film is “about.” The way Meirelles and his screenwriter Jeffrey Caine have adapted the book, it is first and foremost a love story about a man haunted by the fact that he may not have known the woman he was married to, a suspicion that leads him to chase her ghost no matter where it leads him. That love story is so beautifully told, so nuanced and smart and genuine, that it elevates everything else. The spy movie, the political drama, the documentary-like look at Africa... they are all informed by the depth of Justin’s (Ralph Fiennes) desire to learn who Tessa (Rachel Weisz) really was before she died, and in turn, there are stakes to this love story that involve everyone, not just these two poor lost souls.
The film opens on a tarmac in Africa as Justin says goodbye to Tessa. She’s headed off to do something for a few days, and they say a casual goodbye before she leaves. Almost immediately, we shock cut to a lonely road somewhere else in Africa. There’s an overturned jeep, the aftermath of an accident. Tessa’s been killed. Where she was... why she was there... these are questions that the entire film exists to answer. The moment where Justin is told of Tessa’s death is a perfect example of what it is that directors love about Fiennes. He barely moves, barely reacts in any outward way, but emotions play just beneath the surface, and his eyes say it all. It’s masterfully restrained work, and it makes it even more wrenching than any histrionics could. As Justin heads north to identify Tessa’s body, he flashes back on how he met her, setting up the sort of dual narrative threads that the film follows as we pinball backwards and forwards in time. Their first meeting isn’t just a clever way to bring the characters together... it’s also a very canny way of undercutting one of the potential hazards of filming material like this. The novel by le Carre is brutally angry, a simmering attack on the way Africa is being treated by the big money interests of the world, and it would be easy to turn this entire film into one long political screed. It would also be unwatchable. Justin appears in front of a group of reporters to give a speech on behalf of his employer, and one reporter in particular attacks him, asking tough questions he can’t possibly answer, then eventually just shouting at him about various human rights violations committed in the name of England in the wake of 9/11. The reporter, of course, turns out to be Tessa, and Mierelles is smart to let her go on and on, yelling about real political issues. The point of the scene isn’t whether you agree with her or not. It’s meant to illustrate just what happens when political discourse turns into a screaming match. No one listens. No one changes. No one is affected in any way beyond anger. It’s like Mierelles specifically shows us the wrong way to communicate an idea so that it will have an even greater impact when the film demonstrates the right way for us for the next two hours. The two of them fall into bed and a whirlwind romance, and Fiennes and Weisz generate real heat during these few brief lyrical moments. It’s almost cruel the way Mierelles cuts from these memories to Justin in the morgue having to look at the mangled, burnt remains of his wife.
What really blows me away about this film is how it ostensibly looks like Mierelles did what so many filmmakers do. He made his international art house hit, and then he was seduced by Hollywood into making his Big Hollywood Movie. Only... that’s not really the case. Sure, it stars some well-known actors. And, yes, it’s being released by a studio. But this film has more texture and depth and righteous anger and genuine emotion than any Big Hollywood Movie released so far this year. It’s like he decided to subvert the notion of the Big Hollywood Movie so he could make something that would otherwise never get made. He included elements of a spy film and elements of a thriller and he put in a few scenes that would be at home in any action movie, but all of that is at service of something greater. As the flashbacks build, we see the moment where Justin was getting ready to leave for Africa, and he’s visited by Tessa. She wants him to marry her and take her with him. At first, he thinks she’s kidding, but she presses the issue. “I barely know you,” he says. “You’ll learn me” is her irresistible response. That hard-cut to Africa the first time is like a shock to the system. This is an Africa we don’t see onscreen. This is a complex overwhelming place, shot in a style that makes it all feel like a documentary. This does not look like a backlot or like sets. There’s an authenticity to the film that is important considering its message.
When Justin starts to try to piece together the last days of Tessa, he realizes just how completely he failed at the challenge she posed. “You’ll learn me,” she said, so he sets out to do exactly that. He starts by trying to piece together exactly what she was up to with Arnold Bluhm (Herber Kounde), a young doctor who occupied much of her time. Justin seems to think that the worst thing he could learn would be that she was having an affair with Arnold, but the more he tries to unravel the mystery, the more he realizes that there are far worse things she could have been involved in. Pressure is brought to bear on Justin from his friends, people like Sandy Woodrow (Danny Huston), head of the High Commission, and Foreign Office Chief Sir Bernard Pellegrin (Bill Nighy), people who have groomed Justin, who watch over him, who count on him to do what they say when they say. Justin’s never been one to rock the boat. In fact, he’s always been more interested in his own garden than he has been in international policy. That’s what has made him such an ideal candidate for a life spent in diplomatic service.
It’s a long-held belief of mine that no one ever truly knows what goes on between a couple except for that couple. No matter how much their friends and family might think they have them figured out, and no matter how open they are about the details of their lives, there are things that transpire between a couple that are impossible to describe or voice to anyone else. Those are the things that Justin holds onto as he struggles with the opposition to his search for the truth. He knows in his heart that Tessa was real, that their marriage wasn’t just a convenience. There was a pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage, and Justin wisely focuses in on that as one of the primary motivators in Tessa’s actions. As the film builds its head of steam, more and more secrets are revealed, and Justin comes to understand just how high the stakes are in this conspiracy that crushed his wife and took everything from him. Because he’s got nothing left, Justin becomes a very dangerous man, willing to do anything, go anywhere, question anyone.
Gradually, the film humanizes the people of Africa for the viewer and for Justin. We see this foreign place through the eyes of Tessa. We see the faces of the people she tried to help. We get a sense of just how deeply she was committed to the cause she fought for. As Justin learns who Tessa was, he falls in love with her all over again, this time with a complete understanding of her, and that love drives him to extraordinary lengths. Saying anything else about this dense and intricate plot would be unkind. Suffice it to say that Mierelles pays off everything he sets up in spectacular fashion, making it both viscerally and emotionally satisfying.
Credit has to be given first to the amazing cast. This is the best work that Rachel Weisz has done in a film. Ever. She’s fascinating here, complete with rough edges and personality traits that would drive some people crazy. She feels real, and her courage is an uncommon sort. She takes strength from the frailty of the people she meets and she refuses to be cowed by people of obvious power. She’s an idealist but she has a realistic sense of how things work. Her one shortcoming is the fact that she doesn’t believe in tact, and no matter what, she tackles things head-on, which is exactly why her enemies know where she’ll be and when.
Ralph Fiennes is a great actor, and when he’s got the right material (SCHINDLER’S LIST, QUIZ SHOW, SUNSHINE, THE END OF THE AFFAIR), there are few people able to communicate pain and anguish with such sophistication. This is rich work by him, and even though there are definite thematic similarities to other films he has made, he manages to make Justin someone new, someone complete, someone we can believe in. He’s given phenomenal support in the film by Huston, who I’m not normally a fan of, and by Nighy, who has become one of my favorite working character actors in the last few years. Both of them are tremendously effective and seem to relish the material they’ve been given to play. Pete Postlethwaite also gives a great performance, showing up late in the film in a key role. What sells the reality of the film are all the unknown African actors who fill out the cast. They’re wonderful and grounded, and they keep this from being too overloaded with stars.
Cesar Charlone has got to be considered one of the rising stars in the world of cinematography after this and CITY OF GOD. His work is nimble and inventive, and he really does drop you completely into Africa, surrounding you with it in a way that almost makes you break a sweat in the theater. This terrifically dense story wouldn’t work if not for the sure hand of Claire Simpson as an editor. This may be the best cut film since Soderbergh’s one-two punch of OUT OF SIGHT and THE LIMEY. Simpson manages to create the sensation of memory, the way we can drop in and out of time based on certain stimuli, and she never makes it feel like we’re cutting to something because of exposition. It’s always natural, motivated, and we learn from each new moment. She’s come a long way from her start on C.H.U.D., and I can’t help but think that her time with Oliver Stone (PLATOON, SALVADOR, WALL STREET) is a big part of why her work here is so great.
In the two weeks since I’ve seen the film, there are images that have stuck with me, things I keep flashing back on. Children running alongside a car, thumbs up, smiles on their faces. A scene involving raiding warlords and a small village. The proximity of an exclusive golf course to a dense cluster of shanty housing. This is a film that gets under your skin if you let it. It dares you not to have a reaction. Because Mierelles doesn’t overtly preach, his message hits even harder.
It’s going to be a very busy fall, and there are a number of potentially great films coming out. If THE CONSTANT GARDENER does not end up on my ten best list by next January, then we will all be incredibly lucky, because that means there will be ten truly great and important films released in the next few months. I’ve heard that Focus Films is already gearing up to make PRIDE & PREDJUDICE their big Oscar movie of the year, the one they really push as their hopeful, but I think this is the movie they should be focusing on (pun slightly intended) for the next few months. It’s not going to be an easy sell because it’s a complicated picture, the type that’s never easy to fully explain in a trailer. It’s worth the effort, though. This is the kind of adult filmmaking we all say we want. Now let’s do the right thing and make this a genuine hit to reward Focus for the gift they’ve given us.
I’ll be back this week with my reviews of ELIZABETHTOWN, LORD OF WAR, and GOOD LUCK, AND GOOD NIGHT, as well as a huge DVD SHELF for the weekend. Lots to do, so until then...
"Moriarty" out.
-
+ Expand All
-
How could anyone read that review and not want to see this film? I'm hope this is as good as u say mori, ive been waitingg for weisz to really shine for a while, and fiennes deserves and attention he gets for his considerable acting chops. I'll be ther on opening weekend.
-
Great review. The heat's been building on this one for a while now and I'm now more anxious than ever to see it. CITY OF GOD was indeed one of the best films of recent years and could well go on to be viewed as one of the finest debuts of all time - how the rest of Meirelles'career pans out will dictate the extent to which that theory is tested. This is an intriguing choice for a follow-up though. It was inevitable following the success of CITY OF GOD that he would be approached by the studios but this film represents a wise choice in terms of scope to continue working with similar thematic concerns that can be appreciated by a wider audience. I'd just like to suggest to Universal and Matt Damon that they make the greatest effort to lure Meirelles to direct the third and final chapter of the Jason Bourne trilogy. Whilst certainly more populist, Meirelles' shooting style would perfectly compliment the naturalistic approach deployed by Doug Liman and Paul Greengrass and further distinguish the series by bringing his own stamp to the material the way the other two directors were able to do so effectively. The virtually guaranteed commercial success of such a venture could also well give him the freedom to pursue any number of other projects down the line.
-
I dont have any excuse for the amount of typos in my posts. The fact that I don't have any eyes, and only 2 fingers and a half a thumb to work with, is my fault and no one elses. Apologies. Ignore me and my typos and continue to lavish love apon this movie.
-
Wowser, I wouldent have thought Ralph Fiennes would let Moriarty in his garden with those things on! No matter how willfull his intentions to constantly garden. Dang! They're called blades of grass for a reason damnit! If u tread in an open toed, pink fluffy slipper such as that, there's every chance u could slice a foot off. Why does nobody pracitse responsible foorware anymore? The worlds falling apart at the seams I tell u, FALLING APART AT THE SEAMS!
-
that Harry keeps all of the old articles online. Check this out...it's a list of articles that Harry was excited about in 98. Amazing what some of these projects turned out to be, and amazing to think of what (from these short little tidbits) they COULD have been.
----------------------------------
Killing Mrs. Tingle - By Kevin Williamson as director and writer. Filming to start this spring for a possible October through December release.
Kingdom of the Sun - Disney does the Incan Empire. I wonder if they'll have talking mountains?
King Kong - by Peter Jackson, Universal, you're a buncha cowards. This movie was suppose to go up against GODZILLA. It coulda been the coolest summer of all time, but yall didn't have the cajones for it. Now I have to wait longer. I'm angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
The Last 6,000,000 Seconds - by Anthony Peckham from book by John Burdett, a Fox film, Jan DeBont was involved. It was a real movie, not just another high concept, but a well written script. Wish it would get made. Coolest title in a long time.
Lennon - that Boogie Nights directing dude does the Yoko and John thing. Rumors of Ralph Fiennes as Lennon.. those rumors should go away. Glen is currently making anguish noises. Sounds his dog made when he sp... Oh go read Harry's World.
Les Mis -
After having read this one and Quint's i cannot wait to see it.
-
I read that whole damn post. Now i am unable to blink. Help me.
-
Gotta check this one out.City Of God was the best film I saw last year.I'm glad they kept the title of the book I dont understand why people keep complaining about it.I'm sure most would be happy with a generic title like Revenge,Vengeance or The Widower...peace
-
from a few sources - and Fiennes is an incredible actor. Definitely going to check this one out. The book is absolutely a cry against Western tyranny in Africa; especially by corporations running unchecked; but this seems like something else; something more.
-
I read two paragraphs in, and you convinced me to see the movie the very second it hits theaters in Charlotte. Not even going to bother reading the rest of the review.
-
Things like this comment about WING COMMANDER crack me up, Wing Commander: The Movie - I've seen some of the work they are doing on this. It's pretty cool stuff. They are attempting some real zero g, ship stuff that rocks. We'll see.
-
No worries matey. It would be nice if u could have some spacing in the talkbacks at least u know? To have thing slike Paragraphs. I never thought in my life I would miss paragraphs. And i also didnt think it was possible to get indigestion form reading a long post, but i was wrong *groands*
-
I'll watch that girl put up wallpaper for two hours, I swear. As long as she occasionally speaks, because her voice is hot too.
-
Aug 31, 2005 11:39:11 AM CDT
The world has an extra degree of radiance with Rachel Weisz with
by flummage
Im english, and even I find her voice paralysingly sexy, it's as if I had never heard anything other than Valley speak my whole life. Then Rachel graces us with few beautiful notes of that voice, and I'm " The mother tongue! It's all so clear now! YES RACHE! YES MY SWEET!
-
Aug 31, 2005 12:31:26 PM CDT
Ok, so it's artsy fartsy, a spy flick, an action picture....
by nerdgasm
Cause with all that going on, I'll be let down if I don't get to see boobs...oh yea, and dancing midgets too.
-
Aug 31, 2005 12:42:22 PM CDT
"Predator 3 - Robert Rodriguez wrote an allegedly kickass script
by mrgreentheplant
?? fuck if this dont get made.
-
and ass. The Weisz is gorgeous in this movie
-
Aug 31, 2005 3:29:46 PM CDT
this film is about African governments? bo-ring! wake me after
by hypeendshere
-
It fell back on a Menace II Society type finale. The trailers for this one didn't do much for me, but after this review I might go see it. But what's with these...these irritating dramatic pauses? Moriarty, you're a good writer. Those pauses for dramatic effect are not good though.
-
She's famous for being really hot. I'm glad she's finally done a good one, though.
-
Thanks for the review, Mori. I'm going to see it tonight.
-
Just got back home from this film, and I have to say. If you're reading this, stop what you're doing and get to the theatre immediately. This film is an absolute sucker punch to the heart, which should come as no surprise to those of you who've seen City of God. Meirelles makes every frame sizzle in a way too few directors today are even willing to attempt. Weisz is a goddess, and has never been better. Fiennes also gives (arguably) his greatest performance to date. I won't rehash Moriarty's review, but this film is everything he said and then some. Best film of the year so far. God damn, can't wait to see it again. Are you still reading? Stop. See this now.
-
Since Ebert and Roeper last Saturday. Also, Ebert's review went up, it says about the same thing but is 5 paragraphs long. I'm seeing this tomorrow night.
-
I mean shorter. Much, much shorter. And, like all his reviews, Ebert ends it with a nice, effective punch.
-
The film looks like it could be really good but that title is enough to keep any straight, or relatively straight, man from even considering it. That title has Gweneth Paltrow chick flick all over it
-
You fucking dumbass. On many levels TNT.
-
... sadly, seriously underwhelmed. The acting is great, the look of the film is what I expected from Merielles and Charlone, but it just didn't hold together for me. Worse, I kept having the nagging feeling that I'd seen this before. When the film gave me nothing to do by lapsing into German for a few minutes, I finally made the connection on my deja vu: it's "The Fugitive". Man's wife is murdered, he spends the rest of the narrative running from the bad guys and trying to uncover the truth of what happened to her... which leads directly to a conspiracy involving big pharmaceutical companies trying to ensure that their new drug makes billions. All it was missing was a big train wreck and a one-armed man. Apparently there really aren't any new ideas. (And on another note entirely, what's up with Pete Postelthwaite's character being gay? They make a big to-do about how it's illegal in that country and the black doctor had to hide his boyfriend, then there's Pete running around in broad daylight wearing an HRC cap. Wha?)
-
....it looks like a huge pile of crap with a really bad title and at least one bad actress.
-
Anyone who liked "City of God" will probably love this film. The creative photography, the intense realism set in subtle details, the dirty on-site locations, the quietly emotional resonance packed into every shot, and, most notably, Meirelle's unconventional, outside-Hollywood approach to storytelling. "The Constant Gardener" is definitely the best I've seen this year.
-
... and I didn't like "The English Patient" at all.
-
Sep 02, 2005 12:38:29 AM CDT
How can you cite Ralph Fiennes best films and not include...
by tmccray
The English Patient?!?!?! It's his career defining role, as well as one of the best movies of all time. Remember, it won a best picture Oscar.
-
Could there be a worse title for a "thriller/drama" movie? I want to see it but if I were Joe "ignorant" public, and I saw the name "The Constant Gardener" in the paper or even online, I'd avoid it like the plague. I'm sure that there was something in the terms of the contract that made the studio stay true to the name of the book, but that won't do it any favors. It could very well be the best movie of the year(for all I know), but that name will ensure nothing more than $10 million over the weekend and a total gross of $13 million from its release to Monday. What a shame. Looks like a good movie.
-
just saw it tonight, didn't really read Moriarty's review before seeing it so I wouldn't be too spoiled. Went in blind basically... and holy christ, what a powerhouse of a movie. It just, plays with your balls a little, before grabbing them and dragging you on a fucking journey. It's just so full, so beautiful. Like Moriarty, I don't want to give any plot twists away or anything, but this movie was incredible. Between this and the Hurricane news (and Bush's lack of reaction), it will totally drain you, if you're feeling anything from the news of dead babies and children and people, and starving human beings in our fucking country. At then end of the movie, as the "Directed by..." began to roll, everyone was completely, utterly silent, and no one moved for what seemed like three minutes, in what could be described as nothing less than shock and awe. This is what movies are supposed to be.
-
really just plot progressions. "Twists" makes it too Hollywood-y.
-
Anyone who describes Cinematography as "nimble" has a pretty solid goddamn ego. Here's my review: Even if it doesn't appeal to you, go see it. It's phenomenal, and yes, the best movie of the year so far. Just not nimble.
-
TNT, wanting to help people sure is a sickness. You sit on your nice computer in a world with money while orphans are born with AIDS. Go to hell you bullshit troll, you're the very definition of wasted space and a complete fucking failure as a person.
-
Sep 04, 2005 6:45:07 PM CDT
Weisz has indeed been in good movies. How about "The Shape of Th
by lenny nero
Just throwing that out there.
-
What a beutifully written review. I have heard nothing but great things about this movie. So looking forward in seeing it.
Donna A. -
I checked this flick out last night and it is awesome. Meirelles is a star filmaker. This is one of those movies you want people to see because of its sheer excellence on so many levels. Great film.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 419 total posts 209 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 131 total posts 129 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 123 total posts 122 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 124 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 191 total posts 47 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 43 total posts 43 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 42 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 27 total posts 27 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 506 total posts 26 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 77 total posts 24 posts