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© DR - LE PATIENT ANGLAIS - d'Anthony Minghella (1996) p2
03/01/2012 12:44
Trivia
Showing all 31 items
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In 2005, Juliette Binoche had her Oscar touched up by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her three-year-old son was fond of playing with it and it had subsequently become tarnished and peeling. One of the perks of being an Oscar-winner is that you can have your Oscar repaired for free by the Academy. *
Originally, 20th Century Fox was to finance the film, but disputes arose between the studio and the producers over casting. In particular, Fox preferred a more well-known actress to play Katharine Clifton instead of Kristin Scott Thomas; Demi Moore was lobbying particularly hard for the role. After the producers refused to give in on a series of casting choices, Fox backed out of the film, and the project was uncertain just as production was about to begin. However, within a few weeks - during which the cast and crew stayed on in Italy without knowing if the film would be made - the film was picked up by Miramax. *
The Germans who shoot at Almásy's plane at the beginning were actually tourists roped into the production because they couldn't afford any more extras.
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Ralph Fiennes' burn make-up took 5 hours to apply every day. Fiennes insisted that the full body make-up be applied even for the scenes where only his head would be filmed.
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Juliette Binoche knew she wanted to be in the film the minute she read the scene when Kip shows Hana the fresco paintings on the walls of a church.
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Bruce Willis was offered the role of Caravaggio but was talked out of taking the role by his then agent. He later admitted in interviews to regretting this decision.
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Minghella's first cut of the film was 4 hours and 10 minutes long.
Ralph Fiennes' burnt head make-up had not only to be medically accurate but had also to subtly reflect map-making and cartography, one of the film's major themes.
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Anthony Minghella read the novel in one sitting after completing a previous shoot in New York; when he finished, he was completely disoriented and at first couldn't remember where he was, but he phoned Saul Zaentz the next morning to try and interest him in the project. Saul Zaentz not only read the book but discovered that author Michael Ondaatje was giving a reading near Saul Zaentz's home that weekend.
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From first draft of the screenplay to final cut took four years.
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At a charity auction in New York in 2001, a shirt worn by Ralph Fiennes in the film fetched over $1900.
Was the first digitally-edited film to win an Academy Award for Best Film Editing ( Walter Murch). Murch began editing the film mechanically, but then switched to the Avid system after his son suffered a medical emergency so that he could work from his home while his son recovered. Murch writes about the experience in his book "In the Blink of an Eye (2nd Ed.)." *
Kristin Scott Thomas actively lobbied Anthony Minghella for the part of Katherine. Minghella was dubious at first, especially after their first meeting which Scott-Thomas labeled as "disastrous".
Editor Walter Murch made over 40 time transitions in the film. *
Early into the production, Anthony Minghella fell over and broke his ankle. Therefore for much of the shoot he was either in plaster or crutches. *
In the scene where Hana is being pulled up to see the paintings in the church, the electric power and smoke for her "torch" was being piped through the seemingly real rope on which she was sitting.
Sean Connery was actively considering playing the part of Caravaggio before he backed out of the production.
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Saul Zaentz provided $6,000,000 of the budget himself in return for a guarantee he would get final cut.
Both Naveen Andrews and Kevin Whately had to learn to ride motorcycles for the film. There was some concern that Andrews would not pass his test before filming began but he completed his course successfully. *
The character name, 'Kip', apparently was Michael Ondaatje's nickname at school. This was a reference to cooking oil stains on his exercise books which reminded the wags among his fellow pupils of kipper fish which were canned in such oil.
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While there is the suggestion that the mysterious English patient has been shot down and fallen from the sky at the start of the film, there is a more explicit scene at the end of the film that was cut, depicting Almasy slowly falling to earth, dangling from a pure white parachute shown against a clear blue sky, the upper part of his body engulfed in flames ("The heart is an organ of fire" is a quote from the film). The scene is mentioned on the Saul Zaentz Co. website: "Blue screen work that involved the opening and the closing scenes of the film, in which the unnamed pilot and a lifeless woman are shot out of the sky and fall to earth, were completed on the main sound stage at Cinecitta, and production wrapped on January 31, 1996." The scene was shown on a CBC broadcast of an interview with Anthony Minghella but never appeared in the final cut of the ending of the film.
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The two biplanes used by the cartographers were original 1930s aircraft designs, the yellow one an American Stearman Model 75; the silver one a British De Havilland DH82 Tiger Moth. Of the two, the Stearman is unlikely to have been in the possession of a (British) civilian during the 1930s - nearly all were built for the US military as primary trainers. There were a few hundred civilian-operates Tiger Moths, however, and it is quite likely that a cartographer in the employ of the RGS would have access to one. Both types were heavily used before and during WW2 and many military surplus versions were operated by civilians postwar.
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The motorcycle that Kip rides throughout the film, sometimes with Hana, is a Triumph 350cc 3HW. Triumph was the make of motorcycle actually specified in the original novel upon which the film is based.
When Kip ( Naveen Andrews) is packing his things before he leaves he also packs up the belongings of Hardy ( Kevin Whately). Among the belongings is a scarf for Sunderland AFC (a football club based in North East England). In real life the actor Kevin Whately is a committed, life-long supporter of Newcastle United Football Club who share a heated rivalry with Sunderland AFC. *
Almost every reverse angle shot following a desert vista was done on a soundstage due to budgetary constraints.
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Spoilers
The trivia item below may give away important plot points.
Hana is very distressed when Kip is called on to disarm a bomb since she fears she will never see him again. When Kip is with the bomb he reads off its serial number which starts with "K-K-I-P..." The bomb literally has his name on it.
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© DR - LE PATIENT ANGLAIS - d'Anthony Minghella (1996) p3
03/01/2012 12:48
| Index |
447 reviews in total |
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A Magnificent Motion Picture
 Author: jhclues from Salem, Oregon
29 July 2002
In a style reminiscent of the best of David Lean, this romantic love story sweeps across the screen with epic proportions equal to the vast desert regions against which it is set. It's a film which purports that one does not choose love, but rather that it's love that does the choosing, regardless of who, where or when; and furthermore, that it's a matter of the heart often contingent upon prevailing conditions and circumstances. And thus is the situation in `The English Patient,' directed by Anthony Minghella, the story of two people who discover passion and true love in the most inopportune of places and times, proving that when it is predestined, love will find a way.
It's WWII; flying above the African desert, Hungarian Count Laszlo de Almasy (Ralph Fiennes) is shot down, his biplane mistaken for an enemy aircraft. And though he survives the crash, he is severely burned. To his great good fortune, however, he is rescued by a tribe of nomads and winds up in a hospital. But existing conditions are governed by circumstances of war, and Almasy soon becomes one of many patients being transported via convoy to a different facility. Upon reaching Italy, he is too weak and ill to continue on, and a Canadian nurse, Hana (Juliette Binoche), volunteers to stay behind with him at an abandoned monastery.
Hana soon discovers that her charge is something of a man of mystery, as Almasy remembers nothing of his past, and not even his own name. Thought to be English, the only clues pointing to who he is are contained in a book found in his possession after the crash, but even they are as cryptic as Hana's patient. Slowly, however, under prompting from Hana, Almasy begins to remember bits and pieces of his life, and his story begins to unfold. And his memory is helped along even more by the appearance of a mysterious stranger named Caravaggio (Willem Dafoe), who suspects that Almasy is the man he's been looking for-- a man with whom he wants to settle a score. But, burned beyond recognition, Almasy may or may not be that man.
Meanwhile, Almasy's memories continue to surface; memories of a woman he loved, Katherine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas)-- as well as memories of Katherine's husband, Geoffrey (Colin Firth). And, crippled in mind and body as he is, those memories become the only thing left to which he can cling with any hope at all, even as his life seems to be slipping farther away with each passing moment.In addition to directing, Anthony Minghella also wrote the screenplay for this film, which he adapted from the novel by Michael Ondaatje. The result is an epic saga presented in the tradition of Lean's `Doctor Zhivago' and `Lawrence of Arabia'; a magnificent film that fills the screen and the senses with unprecedented grandeur and beauty.
Simply put, Minghella's film is genius realized; crafted and delivered with a poetic perfection, watching it is like watching a Monet come to life. From the opening frames, Minghella casts a hypnotic spell over his audience that is binding and transporting, with a story that has an emotional beauty that equals the engagingly stunning and vibrant images brought to life by John Seale's remarkable cinematography; images that virtually fill the screen as well as the soul of the viewer. In every sense, this is a film of rare eloquence, with a striking emotional capacity that facilitates an experience that is truly transcendental. Nominated in twelve categories, it deservedly received a total of nine Oscars, including Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actress (Binoche) and Cinematography.
If one had to choose a single word to describe the `essence' of this film, it would be `excellence.' Even an extraordinary film, however, does not receive nine Oscars without performances that are extraordinary in kind; and the performances given by Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas here transcend the term `Oscar worthy.' Nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Almasy (Geoffrey Rush was awarded the gold for `Shine'), Fiennes has never been better, achieving an emotional depth with his character that is nearly palpable. Private and introspective, Almasy is not by his very nature an individual to whom the audience will be able to form an intimate connection; Fiennes, however, finds a way to open that emotional door just enough to let you in, enough so that you taste the honest passion welling up within him. And it works. Almasy does not seek your friendship; he will, however, gain your compassion.
Kristen Scott Thomas, too, received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress (Frances McDormand received the award for `Fargo') for her portrayal of Katherine, a woman whose stoic countenance masks the emotional conflict raging within her, born of the forbidden passion that enslaves her and yet to which she gives herself willingly, casting off her shackles of repression to embrace a love so strong it threatens to consume her. The reserve Katherine must maintain evokes the empathy of the audience, as Scott Thomas successfully mines the emotional depths of her character to the greatest possible effect. It's the kind of performance that draws you in and holds you fast, taking you as it does beyond that curtain of hypocrisy that dictates what must be if only for the sake of appearances, and allows you to experience a true sense of unbridled passion. Understated and shaded with subtlety, it's terrific work by Kristin Scott Thomas.
Binoche gives a stunning, affecting performance, as well, as the kindhearted nurse, Hana; it is her humanity, in fact, which defines love in it's purest sense and offers a balanced perspective of it within the context of the film. Her relationship with Kip (Naveen Andrews) affords us a glimpse of passion of another kind, which contrasts effectively with the intensity of that between Almasy and Katherine. `The English Patient' is a film that will move you and fill you emotionally; one you will not want to see end. 10/10.
Author: bduguay from canada
7 September 2003
I can understand why some people think this movie is boring. I think it appeals much more to people who are used to the pacing of classic books.I'm sure many of those who hated it are much like a co-worker of mine who said "Books? I haven't a book since I had to in high school." I checked some of the names of the people who reviled this movie and sure enough it seems many of them think Armaggedon was an "awesome" movie and Chris Farley was a "Comic genius". And that's O.K. Taste is an individual thing.
My sensibilities tell me that the english patient is a very good movie that takes effort to appreciate. Much in this movie is very subtle. It is not a vacation for the brain.(Hey, sometimes the brain NEEDS a vacation, and stupid movies provide that!) Also, it is not a cynic's movie. It's about idealism, tragedy and regret. About how people can want the best but have it all fall apart because of bad choices, and have to go on with the regret of never being able to remedy the situation. Not so much a love story as a tragic one.
So many people destroyed because of the selfishness of two people couldn't(wouldn't?) control themselves.I would ask those who thought the movie boring to watch it again when you feel able to pay full attention to what's going on in the film and how different bits of dialogue dovetail into subtle suggestions of how the characters are feeling and thinking. This movie takes an investment of time, thought and emotion. If this investment is made, I think most people who watch it will feel rewarded.
'The English Patient' is a love story set in Europe as World War II ends... It is a wartime romance mystery epic, like 'Hiroshima, Mon Amour,' 'The Sweet Hereafter,' and 'After Life.' Anthony Minghella weaves extravagant beauty around a central character whose condition is grotesque, and puts emotional barriers between the characters and the audience...
This adult love story is an intimate portrait in the tradition of 'Casablanca' and 'Dr. Zhivago.' The film sweeps gracefully attaining a level of eroticism and emotional connection that many similar films had missed... Told in flashback, it is a masterpiece of intimate moment and spectacular largesse...Ralph Fiennes plays the English patient, Count Laszlo de Almasy, a Hungarian cartographer of few words, who works for the British government, and is stationed in the North African desert...
Count Laszlo is the unidentified survivor of a plane crash turned over to the Allies, taken into custody by a medical convoy in Italy, and essentially left to die in peace, in an isolated monastery in Tuscany, under the care of an inspiring pretty nurse who injects him with morphine, and reads to him a book, considered his great treasure, and his one surviving possession...Hana seeks to stimulate his touching memories, wrapped up in his head, released in lost pieces from his disturbed mind...
Fiennes gives a haunted, pained performance, playing the young man whose veneer of charm cannot plainly cover his heart's capacity for passion... He makes us sympathize with the character in showing self-doubt and weakness... As a badly burned man, he has only cherished memories... His joy and heartbreak are completely clear and visible in his eyes... He remembers falling under the spell of an attractive English married woman... He remembers the way this turns him from a harsh abrupt wanderer into a man willing to betray everything for love... His tragic love affair forms the heart of the motion picture...
Kristin Scott Thomas matches Fiennes' work with a radiant sensuality... She is captivating as the married European woman, conveying the audience with the energy and enthusiasm for life that the Count finds irresistible... Their different world, despairing and hopeful, menacing and resilient, is simply beautiful... With intense passion and intelligence, this attractive blonde burns the screen as the different wife...
Juliette Binoche seems to shine as the French-Canadian nurse full of life and energy... This vibrant young woman has a heart of gold, kissing wounded soldiers, but she thinks that she is a curse as anybody she ever loved tends to die on her...Colin Firth is good as Katherine's husband... He is a British spy flying into the tough desert in a yellow biplane to take aerial maps of the whole North African continent... He quickly becomes friend of the Count, yet when he realizes that his wife has committed adultery, his face reflected a peaceful fury...
William Dafoe plays a double-agent spy who covers his anger with a strange charm... He is a crippled war veteran who has a hidden agenda... This cunning Canadian man seems to know of some dark secret in Almasy's past... He believes the 'English patient' is partially responsible for the mutilation of his hands, and is busy seeking revenge on everyone even remotely involved...
Naveen Andrews is Hana's ardent lover… He is a handsome Sikh, and an explosives expert with a dangerous job… There's a scene that is stuck in my head because it literally had me on the edge of my seat for what seemed an eternity… In this particular scene, the military sapper has to cut the wires on a bomb that has been hidden on a bridge… It's on a timer and he only has a few minutes left… The scene cuts back and forth between his tense face, the wires and his dirty fingers as they try madly to figure out how to untangle and cut the wires without detonating the bomb…
All the conventional elements of the genre are at peaks of excellence in "The English Patient." John Seale's cinematography is breathtaking, and Gabriel Yared's majestic music is dreamy, and romantic… This is a rich motion picture with ambition and style, a fever dream, lyrical and complex… We are almost able to feel the heat of the desert, the pain of the burnings, the intimate flush of humanity that becomes the most haunting element of this epic love story...
I've seen a few movies in my time, but this one is exceptional. You'll have to watch it more than once to truly appreciate it, it is emotionally very complex, it explores love and passion at it's most extreme and it's cinematography is just breathtaking. The character of the Count is intensely passionate and tragic without him having to raise his voice or indeed leave his bed, the film is perfectly cast and perfectly acted. The film has a sort of mathematical precision and perfection to it which is rare these days. It combines action, love, tragedy, drama and politics all in one. This movie is unmissable, all the hype surrounding it and all the awards cannot begin to do it any justice. Hats off to Michael Ondaatje for writing the incredible book on which it is based.
Author: gordie02 from Australia
20 January 2005
I like this movie above all others. It is "multi-layered"; there is so much to see and appreciate. Every viewing brings a new appreciation of the story-line, the plot and the characters. Faultlessly acted and extremely enjoyable if you take the time to watch it and appreciate it. I love the interaction between the players; the subtle relationships; the period atmosphere. Ralph Fiennes is perfectly cast as the brooding lover and Geoffrey the wronged husband is beautifully underplayed by Colin Firth. The scene in the sand storm where Catherine & El-masy are discussing the different types of sand storms is one of the high-lights of the film and where the affair really starts. The other relationship between Hanna & El-masy is yet another "layer" of the movie which is totally enchanting (and heart-rending). A worthy winner of so many awards.
Author: bob the moo from United Kingdom
26 February 2002
Tuscany WW2. Traumatised by the loss of anyone she cared for or loved, Canadian nurse Hana stays behind her unit with a dying patient, Count Laszlo de Almásy. de Almásy is burnt all over and has lost his memory. When a vengeful, mysterious thief arrives at their abandoned monastery with a past that seems to include de Almásy , and as Hana reads from his book, memories return regarding his past. He relives his story of lust and love and the destructive force that forbidden passion unleashed upon his life.
This is quite a modern epic. It has the running time of an epic, it has the gorgeous cinematography of an epic, it has the acting of an epic and it has a story of love (lust) against the backdrop of major events in history. Even though it changes or leaves out a significant amount of the original novel it still manages to be a great mix of passionate desire and mystery. The mystery of the story is represented by the thief Caravaggio who casts light on what he knows of de Almásy's past (as he sees it) while the love story is unfolded as it develops in a passionate affair between him and Katherine, a colleagues' wife. The story is compelling enough to carry the long running time, at times the pace seems a little slow and when I saw it in my local multiplex there were some moments where large portions of the audience seemed to be shifting in their seats.
The ‘love' of the story was interesting as it seems to be contrasted with Hana's relationship with Kip the bomb disposal expert. While de Almásy's relationship with Katherine starts as lust and desire before growing into what seems to be love (or could be grief at the result of their affair), Hana's is portrayed as purer and more careful as she fears those she loves will die. This difference helped me see that the film did want to show the destructive power of lust and affairs, however the fact that the central relationship was based more on lust than love took away from the emotional core of the story.
The acting is almost impeccable. Fiennes is excellent even when he is lost behind an unrecognisable mask of burnt flesh. Thomas is actually very good, I find she tends to be very wooden in some things but this type of very English character brings the best out of her. Binoche is excellent as Hana and carries the heart of the film. Dafoe is truly excellent - his element of the story is the mystery and he does it well. He is a great actor and deserves to be in things this good. The support cast include plenty of good actors including Colin Firth, Jurgen Prochnow and Naveem Andrews.
The film is beautifully shot - even though it's all a bit too picturesque to be real! However the director can handle himself well with many different scenes - a tense bomb diffusal, a passionate love scene, a dangerous sand storm etc. Overall the slow pace may frustrate some younger audiences but this is a really good film that draws it's values from classy sources.
 Author: labrang from Den Haag
8 November 2004
As can be read in many reviews here it is a movie you love or hate - apparently not so much space for opinions in between. I for one think that is a good sign. I always appreciated this movie, although the genre is not my typical style (I never watched Titanic for instance, and am not planning to).
The English Patient grips because it shows how people can be different when they are in an exotic environment as opposed when they are 'home' (Katherine), it shows how destructive love can be in a slow, strong and utterly painful way, it excites because of the extremely passionate affair, the pain of the one(s) who leave behind, how pointless one can feel to move on.
The photography is just stunning, not to mention the play of the actors. The pace is slow, but timely, and that does justice to the book, the timeline, and the depth/development of the characters. To put this in 110 minutes (as some seem to suggest here) would amputate the multi-layeredness of this movie. People tend to have difficulties with the pace of movies... as if they are in a rush to get to work.. hey - get a life ! ;-) enjoy...
I give this movie 4.5 out of 5.
Author: Fifi from Chicago, Illinois
8 December 1998
TEP is like a long cool drink of water after crawling across the Sahara to classic film buffs who have been too long deprived of that certain cinematic magic! Not only is it beautifully photographed, but the characters are perfectly portrayed. If you're looking for the film to be a mirror of the book, you will be seriously disappointed. Instead, it is an excellent "companion" to the book, and I think that is what Anthony Minghella intended. Ralph Fiennes is probably the most beautiful man in the world; not to mention a brilliant actor. Juliette Binoche is the posterchild for vulnerability and childlike enthusiasm. And, of course, I'll go see any film in which Kristin Scott Thomas is featured. She simply must be THE best actress since the likes of Deborah Kerr. So much was promised with this film, and so much is delivered!
'The English Patient' can rightly be compared to the films of David Lean, whose sweeping epics such as 'Lawrence of Arabia' and 'Bridge on the River Kwai' must have inspired the director Anthony Minghella. The film is beautifully photographed, and like 'Lawrence', is set in Northern Africa, but during the second world war. The story is complex, but it boils down to a forbidden love between an opinionated and often difficult archeologist played by Ralph Fiennes and a married woman played by Kristin Scott Thomas.The story, based on a novel by Michael Ondaatje,is told in flashbacks by Fiennes' Count Laszlo de Almasy the titular character The fact that his name does not sound like he's English plays a key role in what unfolds.
He has been badly burned in a plane crash, occurring just as the film opens, and is being cared for back in Europe by Hana, an army nurse played by Juliette Binoche. What makes this story epic is the vast sweep across place and time, and the development of characters beyond that of the two ill-fated lovers. The film makes clear that true love and passion, even with dreaded consequences, can make life worth living, or worth dying for. If you're a romantic at heart, and can appreciate a film without the standard happy endings and simple moral codes, you may find that 'The English Patient' speaks directly to you.
Author: Amy Adler from Toledo, Ohio
7 March 2007
Count Laszlo (Ralph Fiennes) has just been transferred to a hospital in Italy during World War II. He is horrifically burned from an ambush. His nurse Hana (Juliette Binoche) tends to him, body and mind, for she fears, quite rightly, that he may be a very troubled soul. In the course of his care, the Count starts to tell Hana of his recent past. It seems he worked in a government capacity in Africa, where he met a beautiful married lady named Katherine (Kristin Scott Thomas). Although they tried to avoid each other, they fell in love. After a brief affair, Katherine called it quits, leaving the Count desolate. Even so, the two would meet again, under heart-wrenching circumstances. Meanwhile, Hana herself falls for a Sihk man in the British bomb squad. Yet, the war is raging relentlessly. Can love exist when the world is in turmoil?
This is a tremendous film, based on an equally fine but complex novel. The plot has many story lines that are woven together beautifully, each of them poignant beyond description. The script itself is elegant and contains many memorable lines. Fiennes is magnificent, both as the burn victim and as the man who thought love was a myth. Scott Thomas is also quite fine as the woman who fights against her passions. As for Binoche, she richly deserved the Oscar that she was presented, as her nurse is a shining example of hope in a hopeless situation. The scenery is utterly gorgeous, as are the costumes, the direction, and the production. If you have missed out on viewing this film, rectify that soon, very soon. The English Patient will remain one of the greatest achievements in film for centuries to come.
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© DR - THE CONSTANT GARDENER -de Fernando Meirelles (2005)
03/01/2012 12:57
The Constant Gardener est un film britannique réalisé par Fernando Meirelles,
sorti le 31 août 2005. Il est adapté du best-seller de John le Carré traduit en français sous le nom
La Constance du jardinier, publié à la fin de l'année 2000.
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Résumé
Le diplomate britannique Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) vit au Kenya avec sa femme Tessa (Rachel Weisz), militante altermondialiste. Celle-ci est en relation avec Hippo, une ONG allemande enquêtant sur les pratiques de l'industrie pharmaceutique, et prépare pour elle un rapport sur KDH et ThreeBees, deux entreprises impliquées dans la lutte contre le Sida au Kenya...
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Cast
Ralph Fiennes : Justin Quayle
Rachel Weisz : Tessa Quayle
Hubert Koundé: Dr. Arnold Bluhm
Danny Huston : Sandy Woodrow
Daniele Harford : Miriam
Packson Ngugi : l'officier à la morgue
Damaris Itenyo Agweyu : femme de Jomo
Bernard Otieno Oduor : Jomo
Gerard McSorley : Sir Kenneth "Kenny" Curtiss
Bill Nighy : Sir Bernard Pellegrin
Keith Pearson : Porter Coleridge
John Sibi-Okumu : Dr. Joshua Ngaba
Donald Sumpter : Tim Donohue
Archie Panjabi : Ghita Pearson
Nick Reding : Crick
Juliet Aubrey : Gloria Woodrow
Jacqueline Maribe : Wanza Kiluhu
Donald Apiyo : Kioko Kilulu
Pete Postlethwaite : Dr. Lorbeer / Dr. Brandt
Samuel Otage : Mustafa
Anneke Kim Sarnau : Birgit
Mumbi Kaigwa : Grace Makanga
Richard McCabe : Arthur "Ham" Hammond
Fiche technique
Titre : The Constant Gardener (titre utilisé en France)
Réalisation : Fernando Meirelles
Scénario : Jeffrey Caine, d'après le roman épo du mm nom de John le Carré
Production : Simon Channing-Williams
Budget : 15 millions de £
Musique : Alberto Iglesias
Photographie : César Charlone
Montage : Claire Simpson
Décors : Mark Tildesley
Pays d'origine : Royaume-Uni
Langue : anglais
Format : Couleurs - 1,85:1 - DTS / Dolby Digital - 35 mm
Genre : Thriller
Durée : 129 minutes
Dates de sortie : 31 août 2005 (États-Unis)
28 décembre 2005 (France, Suisse)
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Distinctions (source wiki)
Nomination au prix du meilleur réalisateur lors des Prix du cinéma européen 2005
Récompenses
Prix du meilleur film indépendant britannique, meilleur acteur (Ralph Fiennes)
et meilleure actrice (Rachel Weisz), lors desBritish Independent Film Awards 2005.
Distinctions (source IMDb)
suivre le lien "Fiche complete"
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© DR - THE CONSTANT GARDENER - de Fernando Meirelles (2005) p2
03/01/2012 13:00
| Index |
561 reviews in total |
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Rachel Weisz truly gives an Oscar worthy performance.
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Crisp and heartfelt thriller that gives you the right shot in the arm with an Oscar caliber performance by Rachel Weisz and an equally Oscar worthy performance by Ralph Fiennes. This is a film about the horrors of big business and the way they are willing to experiment on the poor to achieve their goals. Rachel Weisz plays Tessa, A feisty activist who uncovers a conspiracy by a pharmacy company to test experimental drugs on the poor natives of Africa. She then tries to fight them and expose the conspiracy until she is brutally murdered.
Her husband, a quite diplomat then begins to take up her cause and try to give his departed wife justice while trying to uncover the hard truth of what is going on.Fernando Meirelles Follow up his masterpiece ":City of God" with an equally satisfying journey of self-discovery, love and Justice. Ralph Fiennes owns the role of Justin and he takes you into the center this thrilling journey and into the center of his soul as well. The real showstopper here is the performance of Rachel Weisz, who gives the right balance of self-righteousness, heart and determination with her role.
Weisz makes you believe in the film and makes you equally as determine as Justin and she was in uncovering the conspiracy and uncovering the true about what had happen to her.This is one of the best films of the year and if there is any justice in the world, this baby would be nominated to the hill with Oscars and Rachel Weisz would get one as well because her performance is easily the best performance of any actor we have had all this year.
Intelligent and moving political thriller that should be held right up there with "All The Presidents Men" and "The Killing Fields " as one of the best political thrillers ever made. Fernando Meirelles tops his last directional effort with a thriller that is moving, scary and down right forthright in it's views of big companies gone wrong and the horrors that they are willing to inflect on others for the sake of profit. Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes give career best performances in this film and that's a huge compliment considering the fact that they are good in almost everything they do, even in bad movies.
Weisz is strong willed and obsessive and Fiennes is determine and endearing and both of them compliment each other with there destine to be award winning chemistry and acting chops. The director compliments both of them with a view of Africa that is rarely seen in film and a sense of reality that is only found in real life.Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes and Fernando Meirelles all should be honored at award season for their amazing efforts in this film because as of right now, this is with out a doubt the film to beat come Oscar time.
Author: marylives from United States
31 August 2005
Great romantic thrill ride that is made even more special by the performances of Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes, who both give this adaptation of the John Le Carre book a real sense of beauty, dignity and grace with their on target performances. Weisz is perfection as Tessa Qualye, a civil rights activist who is murdered for trying to bring awareness of their illegal practices on the poor natives of an African village. Weisz gives her character a self-righteous drive that is made poignant by her determination and sheer will and she also makes her character human, not a stereotype, which makes her performance the more real.
Ralph Finnes plays her grieving husband Justin, who takes up her cause and begins to lean of how wonderful his wife really was and what he missed during the time she was alive. His haunted performance is in my opinion his best ever and is the driving point of this haunting odyssey of justice, lost and self sacrifice. Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes both deserve Oscar nominations for their superb performances and Fernando Meirelles deserves one as well for his superb direction that puts you smack in the middle of the story that is unfolding right in front of you.Hands down, the best film of the year so far.
Author: lavatch from Twin Cities, Minnesota
1 September 2005
"The Constant Gardener" seeks to juggle three film styles—the romance, the thriller, and provocative social realism. On all three levels, the film succeeds, especially with the latter.Much credit should go to director Fernando Meirelles, who has synthesized a virtual textbook of different film techniques. The uses of set-ups, location filming, lenses, film editing, and close-ups were simply dazzling. While the panoramic scenes of the African landscape were breathtaking, there was a starkly contrasting approach to the close-ups in the scenes in the city. The jittery, hand-held camera sequences added to the dramatic tension and underscored the urgency of coming to terms with poverty and disease.
The romantic portion of the film was anchored by the two characters played by Ralph Fiennes (Justin) and Rachel Weisz (Tessa). Their first meeting was dynamically presented as Tessa was a social activist heckling Justin as he was making a political speech. When the hall was cleared, however, it was Justin who was actually comforting Tessa after her outburst. The juxtaposition of the placid, passive Justin versus the fervent, hyper-kinetic Tessa was brilliantly established in that opening scene.
The strands of thriller and social realism are inextricably tied together in the film. As a whodunit, "The Constant Gardener" seeks to uncover what actually happened to Justin and Tessa on their African journey. At the same time, the main culprit that emerges is the heavy hand of greed as the pharmaceutical companies exploit helpless victims of tuberculosis for the purpose of testing and marketing an experimental drug. At one point in the film, it is disclosed to Justin that the pharmaceutical industry is no different than "arms dealers."
Another British film entitled "The Girl in the Café" appeared recently on American cable television. That gem of a film is a low-budget version of "The Constant Gardener." Both films seek to raise consciousness about the tragedy of world hunger and disease. The title of "The Constant Gardener" is an important one because of the time and care taken by Justin in his garden both at work and at home. In the process, however, he has ignored the urgent pleas of his wife, and he has lost touch with the world crisis to which he is arguably a contributor.
The eighteenth-century French writer Voltaire ended his famous novel "Candide" with the slogan "One must cultivate one's garden." This film would appear to suggest that instead of tending our gardens, we need to follow the lead of Justin and Rachel and see how we all might work to help others right now.
Author: rayoduck from United States
1 September 2005
Slow tension building thriller that is charge even more with the great performances of Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes, who both bring an essence of realism to their roles and a sense of chemistry that is really not found in movies like this anymore. Rachel Weisz brings a ferry fury that is ripe in it's convictions and Ralph Fiennes brings a cool, collective zeal that is a slow building timer ready to emotionally exploded at any minute. Both performances compliment the fine directing of Fernando Meirelles, who gives this tale a sense of brilliance in its storytelling and a sense of the way the world really works. It's a heartfelt story of lost and redemption and it's hauntingly poetic in it's horrifying look at the horrors of a world that is willing to cast a blind eye at the problems of big business and corrupt governments that are willing to do anything in order to make a fast buck. Even going as far than to destroy human life to achieve their goals.This is a brilliant film and I can't wait to see it again.
It's been less than a day since I have seen it and I find it difficult to get it out of my mind. The images and feelings stay with you. The direction, cinematography and editing is superb. If you loved the style of "City of God" with its "documentary style" camera work then you'll love this too. The story is done "non-linear" like it was in the book….and I thought it made the experience of seeing the movie so much more enjoyable. Since the film starts off very early with the death of Tessa and then continues with Justin's journey of discovery to find out the cause of her death which only seems to bring even more heartache and anger.....the non-linear style allowed for some light hearted moments from Justin and Tessa's marriage to break up the tension.
The performances by both Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes are excellent. The relationship between Justin and Tessa came across as very real and touching and it's a testament to the chemistry between the 2 actors. The intimate moments were some of the most realistic I have ever seen of a couple in love…...unlike "Hollywood movie love". Fiennes performance is unforgettable. I would have to rate this very close to the quality I saw in "Schindler's List". He demonstrates such a change from the beginning of the movie to the end. He conveys so much with just his face. Justin will break your heart… especially as he gains wisdom. The soundtrack provides a wonderful complement to Justin's journey of discovery. The music has a haunting quality as does this movie.
It's a testament to Meireilles that the movie seems to slowly draw you in and hooks you as you go along with Justin. It challenges the viewer to see the poverty and forces you to face your own complacency in the world. So as Justin gains wisdom and is forced out of his complacency….. it is like Meireilles is turning the mirror towards the audience and asking them "Do you see what's happening in the world? What are you going to do about it?". It is a powerful and moving story and I think will soon become a favorite. I expect nominations for all the major categories.
This is a rare gem in today's gravel pit of features. Rachel Weisz is truly transcendent. She is just so immensely real and powerful and alive! Fienne's role as that of a somewhat distant man is the perfect complement to this.Visually, this is one of the finest films I've seen in years; the editing is brilliant and the cinematography is beautiful; the DP gives us subtle stylistic cues and approaches which highlight the many different worlds we encounter, from the abject poverty of Africa to the interior of a private London club. See this film...and see what a movie can really be.
The movie opens with a genteel British diplomat whose hobby provides the title, falling for a fiery human-rights activist Tessa (Rachel Weisz), after she harasses him during a speech…They're soon married, and she follows him on a placement to Kenya… There, Justin (Ralph Fiennes) becomes increasingly uncomfortable with Tessa's strange relationship with Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé), a black physician, doing…well, he's not sure what…
Suspicion of her brutal assassination soon falls on her confidant Bluhm as he was the last one seen with her, and he's now missing… Justin's journey for answers takes him on a tragic odyssey fraught with mystery and peril… Haunted by memories, Justin undergoes a personality change to become more assertive when he uncovers a huge conspiracy that will stop at nothing even to make money at the expense of helpless Africans, who can't fight their own fight…
The film is visually brilliant, and the best aspect of it, is the murder mystery… Is Tessa really in love with Justin? Is she having an affair? What is she really up to? Based on the best-selling novel by master thriller writer John le Carré, "The Constant Gardener" is a fine love story wrapped up in a parable which has real power and it has credibility… It depicts the breach between the rich and the poor and demonstrates quite well that the world is deeply corrupt…
Fiennes' character, Justin, is a minor member of the diplomat corps more interested in his garden than in other people, until the passionate, radical world of Rachel Weisz's Tessa turns everything on its head… Justin respected Tessa's spirit and her conviction and idealism… And because of his love for her, he had to finish what she started… Of course people don't want the information to get out and they will do anything to silence him… Rachel Weisz won her first Oscar on March 5th, 2006 for her impressive performance as the beautiful, kooky young woman, whose passion for her cause initially overshadows her gentle side…
Ralph Fiennes stars as a British diplomat whose complacency is challenged when he is forced into a soul searching quest for the reasons behind the tragic death of his activist wife (Rachel Weisz) that uncovers a sinister pharmaceutical company in cahoots with British and Kenyan governments testing a new TB drug on expendable HIV+ Africans.
Fiennes gives his most humanistic and endearing performance ever, perhaps even topping his Oscar nominated turns in "Schindler's List" and "The English Patient." Rachel Weisz is an illuminating revelation, turning in the performance of her career. Her character develops and becomes even more compelling after she dies and we learn her secrets through expertly paced flashbacks. Director Fernando Meirelles takes the amazing style he honed with "City of God" and adds a heart with "The Constant Gardener," a big heart that bleeds a beautiful cinematic poeticism onto the screen.
This film truly rewards its audience as it works on so many levels. Like this year's earlier word-of-mouth and hot-button issue sleeper, "Crash," you won't be able to stop talking about it after you leave the theater. The politics here are engaging and bound to stir up even the most complacent viewer. What's even more amazing is that all of the timely political discourse and subsequent thriller aspects of the film (courtesy of the source material, John Le Carre's novel) are wrapped up in a timeless romance. We the audience join Fiennes on his journey, and we rediscover the love story between he and his wife that anchors the film in a poetic realism usually reserved for movies with much less on their minds.
To top it off, it's all delivered in the maddeningly genius Meirelles style that took critics and audiences by storm in his debut "City of God". We have the shaky hand-held camera darting through vibrant and colorful third-world locales juxtaposed with jaw-droppingly gorgeous aerial photography of Africa in all its blazing glory. Meirelles again shows us he is a true artist willing to show both the shocking beauty and abject horror of the people and places that populate his films.
Again he delivers a message that people are doing horrible things to other people the world over (be it in the form of wishy-washy governments turning a blind eye, greedy corporations putting a price tag on a human life, local thugs preying on the misfortune of their neighbors, or friends betraying friends). With "City of God" he seemed to be saying the only hope is to document it. With "The Constant Gardener" he makes that argument again and takes it one brilliant step forward. We may not be able to stop a war or a huge global injustice, but we do have the power to help one person at a time. It takes a courageous film to make such a statement, and a brilliant film-maker to deliver it, and that's just what "The Constant Gardener" does.
I thought the movie was great and worthy of the praise it has been getting from audiences and critics alike. Ralph Fiennes gives the performance of his career as a grieving man looking for answers and is slowing discovering the corruption all around him and Rachel Weisz steals the film whole heartily with a really deserving Oscar worthy performance as a human rights activist who will stop at nothing to get at the truth. The story is pretty scary and the cinematography is fantastic. Yes, the shaky camera can get in the way but it's not distracting enough to ruin the film.If you want to see a movie that will make you think, this is it.
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© DR - THE CONSTANT GARDENER -de Fernando Meirelles (2005) Fin
03/01/2012 13:09
Autour du film
-L'histoire aurait pour origine des faits réels : des essais pharmaceutiques illégaux au Nigeria ayant entrainé le décès de plusieurs personnes (voir l'article Trovafloxacine).
-Le tournage s'est déroulé à Berlin (Allemagne), Londres (Royaume-Uni), Winnipeg (Canada) et Nairobi (Kenya).Le réalisateur fit pression sur la production pour que le tournage puisse se dérouler au Kenya plutôt qu'en Afrique du Sud,principale industrie cinématographique d'Afrique
-Mike Newell devait au départ diriger le film, mais il quitta le projet après s'être vu proposer Harry Potter et la Coupe de feu.
-Dans le film, Marcus Lorbeer porte une casquette avec un signe égal (=) jaune au milieu d'un carré bleu. Il s'agit du logo d'Human Rights Campaign (HRC), une des plus importantes organisations américaines pour la défense des droits des homosexuels, bisexuels et transsexuels
-Pendant le tournage, l'équipe du film a décidé de créer Constant Gardener Trust, association qui a pour but d'aider la population locale qui a grandement participé au tournage du film. Les présidents du Trust sont le producteur Simon Chinning Williams (décédé depuis), John le Carré, auteur du livre, Ralph Fiennes et Rachel Weisz, les acteurs principaux.
Trivia
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The scene where Tessa ( Rachel Weisz) walks through the slum, numerous children ask her "How are you?" and she responds "I'm fine, how are you?" was unscripted. The children are actual children who live in Kibera and not extras. *
The character Tessa Quayle was based on famous social activist and charity worker Yvette Pierpaoli, who was killed in 1999 with two other social workers when their truck crashed in Albania. The book was written in her memory. *
Director Fernando Meirelles lobbied to have the movie shot in Kenya (where the story is supposed to take place) instead of in South Africa (where most of the film industry is located).
After filming, the Constant Gardener Trust was set-up to help the inhabitants of the slums near Nairobi where the crew had been filming.
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The novel was originally banned in Kenya because it depicts corrupt Kenyan officials.
Ralph Fiennes held and operated the camera for Justin's point-of-view shots in the film.
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The filmmakers installed water tanks, a new bridge and a classroom in Kibera, the slum in which the film was shot. They also built a secondary school in the desert of northern Kenya where the final scenes were photographed.
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Marcus Lorbeer (played by Pete Postlethwaite) wears a baseball cap that has a yellow equal sign (=) inside a blue square. This is the logo of Human Rights Campaign, a non-profit organization that lobbies for equal rights based upon sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the largest gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender advocacy organization in the United States. *
Justin's car's license number is 22CD 20K. The letters CD denote that the car belongs to a diplomat.
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Danish actress Iben Hjejle was originally cast as the German woman Birgit and was signed on. When the film's German financiers discovered that a Dane had been cast as a German, they made sure a German actress, Anneke Kim Sarnau, was cast instead. *
"Huruma", the play which Tessa Quayle watches in the market place, was directed by Nick Reding who played Crick in the film. It was performed by the Kizingo Arts Troupe. *
Producer Simon Channing Williams bought the rights of the book in advance before its release in 2001 with the intention of bringing it to screen. In order to get John le Carré's permission to do so, he wrote a letter to Le Carre's attorney Michael Rudell informing him of the intention and flew to New York on the same day. This is the second time that Le Carre has worked on the screenplay of a film; the first was The Tailor of Panama (2001). To ensure total accuracy, Nairobi-based molecular biologist Bonnie Dunbar was brought in as the film's consultant. *
Cameo
Jeffrey Caine: the writer appears as the The Liberal club's porter.
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Spoilers
The trivia items below may give away important plot points.
At the eulogy for Justin, Pellegrin quotes this line: "Nothing in his life became him like the leaving it." That quote is taken from the beginning of Macbeth: [King Duncan: Is execution done on Cawdor? Are not those in commission yet return'd? Malcolm: My liege, they are not yet come back. But I have spoke With one that saw him die; who did report That very frankly he confessed his treasons, Implor'd your Highness' pardon, and set forth A deep repentance. Nothing in his life Became him like the leaving it.] In Macbeth, the "him" referred to is a traitor who had been executed for betraying his king. Justin has been murdered for doing the same thing. Pellegrin's gall in using this quote is amazing, especially when it seems fairly clear he ordered the hit in the first place.
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In a deleted scene, seen on DVD extras, Swedish actress Pernilla August plays an employee at the Canadian company that was responsible for the drug research. Her character gave Justin Quayle information that led him to Dr. Lorbeer. Moments after doing this, she is killed in a mysterious hit-and-run car accident.
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