The Constant Gardener (2005)

Director:

Fernando Meirelles

Writers:

John le Carré (novel)
Jeffrey Caine (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 August 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Love. At any cost.

Plot:

A widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder, big business, and corporate corruption.

Plot Keywords:

Kenya | Diplomat | Death | Murder | Conspiracy

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 42 nominations

Cast

Ralph Fiennes	...	Justin Quayle
Rachel Weisz	...	Tessa Quayle
Hubert Koundé	...	Dr. Arnold Bluhm
Danny Huston	...	Sandy Woodrow
Daniele Harford	...	Miriam
Packson Ngugi	...	Officer in Morgue
Damaris Itenyo Agweyu	...	Jomo's Wife
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

Also Known As:

Der ewige Gärtner (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violent images and sexual content/nudity.

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English | Italian | Swahili | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:M | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Brazil:14 | Taiwan:R-12 | Argentina:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Netherlands:12 | Spain:13 | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:12 | France:U | Malaysia:U | Hungary:16 | Iceland:16 | Norway:11 | South Korea:15 | USA:R (certificate #41450) | Sweden:11 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Potboiler Productions

Trivia:

Sienna Miller auditioned for the role of Tessa.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the turbo prop plane is making a drop into the village, the two pilots push the yoke forward. That would cause the plane to pitch down, however, the plane is clearly climbing when the drop is made.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Justin Quayle: Oh, thank you Arnold. I... I can manage that. But I still don't see why you couldn't wait a couple of weeks. Why go all the way up to Loki?
Tessa Quayle: Well, we want to hear Grace Makanga speak, and she won't be coming to Nairobi.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

So Sei Viver No Samba

Fiennes is great but Weisz rules

Better than the book adaptation of the John Le Carre novel has a great director like Fernando Meirelles at the helm and two amazing actors like Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes at the wheel to steer this movie into Oscar heaven with two brilliant performance that will not be match for sometime to come. Ralph Fiennes is just great as a grieving man out to find out the circumstances of his wife's murder and the reasons behind it. His performance is a texture of desperation and self-discovery and he begins to show faith in not only his wife's memory but in the world itself in his way to find justice. While Fiennes gives a great performance, it's truly Rachel Weisz who shines the most with a complex, powerful and tricky performance. We only get to know her from flashbacks and dialog from people who have met her character and from Justin himself. Some of those flashbacks are deceiving but all of them make up a total character who is structured enough towards the end to get a real picture of who she was. It's a tightrope of a performance and Rachel Weisz not only serves it up with class and strong will but with grace as well. She literally gives the performance of the year and it would be a crime towards real cinema if she were not recognizes for her efforts come Oscar time.

Fernando Meirelles gives his all in this film in terms of technical brilliance and he gets great support from Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes who with his effort give this year's first great film.