Customer Reviews

The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The title 'The Constant Gardener' has multiple meanings for this film, but first it refers to the obvious, the character of Justin Quayle, a middle-tier member of the British diplomatic corps in Africa, who is constantly trying to cultivate a proper garden, be it in London or in Africa. Into his routine civil service existence, Tessa arrives, full of ideas, passion for justice, and more than a few secrets. Of course, the diplomatic corps powers also have their secrets, and it is in the clash of secrets that Tessa ends up being murdered, and Justin's life turns from one of routine if not wholehearted loyalty to the service into an extraordinary, passionate and heart-felt loyalty to the memory of his wife.

This film is remarkable in several ways, not the least because of the cinematography. More than half the film is set in Africa, both Kenya and the Sudan. Here is life in all its contradictions - abject poverty and stunning beauty, illness and disease amidst the overpopulation; life among the dying, and death among the living. One thing the viewer will notice is that all of the scenes in Africa are shown in vivid, powerful colours. The scenes in London and on the European continent are faded and gray; despite the fact that the European scenes are invariably set in wealthy settings (private clubs, opulent halls, expensive buildings, etc.), they lack the colour and life of the African scenes - even the Kenyan shanty town and the Sudanese refugee camp seem to contain more life than the major cities of the Western world. This is surely no accident, but rather a device the director used to intensify the contradictions.

There are several plots that lead into one another - what was Tessa really up to? Who was involved, and to what degree? There are a few subplots that fall short, but on the whole, the film hangs together well in a narrative sense. Tessa's murder is an early event, and much of the film is done in flash-back or memory sequences, until the two come together in time frame and the mystery begins to reach some clarity.

This film is directed by Fernando Meirelles, who was nominated for an Oscar for his first film, the Brazilian 'City of God'. His is certainly a name to watch. In this film he directs
Ralph Fiennes ('The English Patient', a film that bears many similarities here) and Rachel Weisz ('The Mummy'), together with a good collection of British and African actors. The extras casting for Africa was extremely well done, and the nice touches such as the AIDS street-theatre performance in the Kenyan slum were inspired.

The film has a majestic, broad and sweeping feel to it. One is treated to a visual banquet of images, colourful deserts and lakes, wildlife and plant life, and the people of the lands of Africa, all truly remarkable. The music is sometimes subtle and sometimes dramatic - much is inspired by native sounds of Africa.

The film is engrossing and interesting, causing many feelings to grow in the garden of viewing.

This is a great movie with a sobering message. The showing in this movie of how Big Pharma uses poor African countries to test run their drugs before potentially releasing them into the West is all to true. The headline in the news today was "Nigeria Takes On Pfizer over 'Killer Drug'" and is just one such example of how close to the truth the film is.

See this movie and be aware that the events portrayed are actually happening. To understand what kind of people would deliberately do such things, read the book "Political Ponerology" by Andrew Lobaczewski and the book by Robert Hare called "Without conscience". It explains a lot that is worth knowing.

Here's my impressions I gave The Constant Gardener (first written on the site highdefdigest.com

Video on this one was hit and miss. I don't think you can blame the transfer, I think it's becuase how it was shot. Some scenes looked perfect, some scenes looked alright, and some scenes looked a bit too soft. It kinda differs like that throughout the whole transfer. It's watchable though. It just isn't the greatest of transfers. 3.5 outta 5

Audio...if the video was a bit disappointing, the audio sure makes up for it. Surround use is great, bass is really good, audio is nice and clear; it was all just really great. It really surprised me. I couldn't find a thing wrong with this mix. 5 outta 5

No special features
1080P
No subtitles
5.1 DTS HD-MA
Region A

This is another in a stream of Alliance releases that have nothing other than the movie and a pop-up menu to adjust the audio. Unfortunately, this BD advertises that it comes with a string of special features (see the reverse side of the package) which it does not, adding insult to injury. Please be aware of this if you decide that owning the BD of The Constant Gardener is for you.

As for the movie itself, it is superb. While billed as a gripping thriller, I found it quiet in its portrayal of a man seeking closure on the questions surrounding his wife's death. To me, it's his journey that made the movie a worthwhile watch when I first saw it in the theatres and again on Blu-ray.

With the usual 1080p and up to a 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio, it looks and sounds great, but this BD is for those that don't care about anything else other than movie. If you want more from your Blu-ray, you'll have to wait for the US release. It's the reason I can't give this more than 3/5. The movie itself would garner a 4/5 or more.

"The constant gardener" is an extremely good movie that could have been exceptional but somehow doesn't reach that point. All the same, I think it is the kind of film you will appreciate, specially if you enjoy a good thriller, great actors, and the opportunity to watch the beautiful African scenery.

The plot is based on a novel by John Le Carre, who said that "The constant gardener" is an excellent adaptation of his book of the same name, even though it is quite different from it. In my opinion, the director, Fernando Meirelles, should be recognized for doing an excellent job in what ended up being an outstanding (and thouroughly non-linear) film. Even though I didn't like this movie as much as I loved Meirelles' previous film, "City of God", it easy to see that he retains his gift for surprising the spectator, and treating him with scenes of astonishing beauty.

The plot is, in general, the same of the book. Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), the main character, is an extremely polite English diplomat working in the British Embassy in Kenya. He who has only two passions in his life: gardening and his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz). Tessa isn't overly conventional, and can be downright rude when she is defending one of her many causes, while Justin is taking care of his garden. Despite their differences, they complement each other. Justin, oblivious to the reality that surrounds him in Kenya, grounds himself in Tessa, and can't imagine his life without her.

Unfortunately, when some hired guns kill Tessa, Justin will have to learn if he will be able to live in a world without Tessa. His more immediate concern, however, is why was she killed. Justin's life is thrown into turmoil, and danger abounds, as he learns that Tessa was investigating the shady dealings of an important pharmaceutical company working in Kenya. But what did she discovered? Justin won't stop until he learns just that, finishing what his wife started.

On the whole, I think I can recommend this movie as high-quality entertainment, fast-paced enough to engage even those who don't like "slow" films. Heartily recommended!

Belen Alcat

My wife picked this DVD up one night, and when I realized it was written by John Le Carre, I was resigned to watching two hours of stuffy and meaningless intrigue. But I was wrong. It took me awhile to get involved with the characters, but the story actually takes off fairly quickly, and then it reels you in, mainly due to Fienne's performance as a mid-level South African diplomat trying to uncover the real reason behind his wife's sudden death. I liked this film because it was well-written (or rather, I guess well-adapted from the book), and the acting was right on the mark (the English have a theatrical tradition, and it shows in this film), and I also liked "the Constant Gardener" because it assumes the viewer has a brain and regularly uses it.

the kind of movie that reaffirms why we love movies in the first place.at the core of the film is a love story, but not
in the conventional way we have become used to.the story is
a political thriller with relevant subject matter including
africa,aids,tb,drug testing and drug companies.beautifully
directed,photographed,scored and acted.a film that appears simple,yet full of human complexities that are very powerful
deeply emotional and haunting.i loved this movie.

This movie was excellent! As usual, Ralph Fiennes delivers. Rachel Weisz was beautiful! The cinematography was gorgeous!
The plot was very good, not predictable! Definately see this movie!

This is a great movie with a sobering message. The showing in this movie of how Big Pharma uses poor African countries to test run their drugs before potentially releasing them into the West is all to true. The headline in the news today was "Nigeria Takes On Pfizer over 'Killer Drug'" and is just one such example of how close to the truth the film is.

See this movie and be aware that the events portrayed are actually happening. To understand what kind of people would deliberately do such things, read the book "Political Ponerology" by Andrew Lobaczewski and the book by Robert Hare called "Without conscience". It explains a lot that is worth knowing.

Alliance apparent has the rights to release a whole bunch of Movies on blu-ray in Canada and it appears that the quality of this releases have suffered. This movie in particular has sub par video quality which is very soft and granny. It's pretty much a bare bones release. I'm never going to purchase a Alliance blu-ray again. Do your self a favor and do a search on Alliance Blu-ray movies for Canada before purchasing.