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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: Universal Studios
Salesrank: 12938
Released: January 10, 2006 |
| Our Price: $3.97 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Based on the best-selling John le Carr novel and from the Academy Award-nominated director of "City of God." In a remote area of Northern Kenya activist Tessa Quayle (Rachel Weisz) is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion a doctor appears to have fled the scene and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets he will risk his own life stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.System Requirements:Features: Deleted Scenes Extended Scene: Haruma - Play in Kibera Embracing Africa: Filming in Kenya John Le Carre: From Page to the Screen Anatomy of a Global Thriller: Behind the Scenes of The Constant Gardener Running Time: 129 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: R UPC: 025192629228 Manufacturer No: 26292
Description of The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition):
The Constant Gardener is the kind of thriller that hasn't been seen since the 1970s: Smart, politically complex, cinematically adventurous, genuinely thrilling and even heartbreaking. Mild diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient, Schindler's List) has a loose cannon of a wife named Tessa (Rachel Weisz, The Shape of Things, The Mummy), who's digging into the dirty doings of a major pharmaceutical company in Kenya. Her brutal murder forces Justin to continue her investigation down some deadly avenues. This simple plot description doesn't capture the rich texture and slippery, sinuous movement of The Constant Gardener, superbly directed by Fernando Meirelles (Oscar-nominated for his first film, City of God). Shifting back and forth in time, the movie skillfully captures the engaging romance between Justin and Tessa (Fiennes shows considerably more chemistry with Weisz than he had with Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan) and builds a vivid, gripping, and all-too-justified paranoia. And on top of it all, the movie is beautiful, due to both its incredible shots of the African landscape (which at times is haunting and unearthly) and the gorgeous cinematography. Featuring an all-around excellent cast, including Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father), and Danny Huston (Silver City). --Bret Fetzer
The Constant Gardener (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
LeCarre's Novel Makes Substantial Film 
2009-11-05 - A good measure of the pleasure in this film derives from its African focus both in sight and sound. Shots of the people in their homeland and recording of their musical heritage provides flavor to many the the scenes. Beyond that we are treated to fine acting by both leads (Fiennes and Weisz) as well as by the supporting cast. The action is taut as first the wife and then the husband search out the link among a number of health organizations engaged in research into the efficacy of a new drug to combat TB. Death, violence, racial intolerance and bureaucratic face-saving are all part of the dramatic stew. Happily, sufficient evidence for alternative interpretations and moral judgments on each lead characters behavior and outlook. Thus we have an interesting film rather than a sermon to the already converted.
Well done, heavy on the politics though... 
2009-06-29 - I will admit that I wasn't sure if I really liked this movie until a couple of hours after watching it. It's pretty deep - "The Constant Gardener" is a play on words it took me a while to "get". It moves very slowly and is dark and humorless, for the most part.
But, I did end up liking it. Very sad, very timely and will make you think. The book never interested me, I may pick it up one day... who knows... but the story was told well and the actors did a really great job. It's pretty heavy politically, but also has a little bit of a love story - a man who gets to know his real wife, but only after she's dead.
Hated it! 
2009-02-16 - From the bad cinematography to the under developed characters, and most of all to the stupid plot. I think this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen! I cannot even begin to understand the 4 and 5 star reviews. The whole "issue" isn't even truly a major issue about Africa to begin with. They are badgering the pharmaceutical companies and not the corrupt governments that are keeping the people of that continent in constant poverty? Give me a break!
Mind Your Business 
2008-12-23 - So there's this guy (Super Hot Ralph Fiennes) and he's giving a lecture at this college as a favor for his British diplomat friend. This stupid cow, Tess, completely humiliates him during the lecture in front of a class full of people. He's like totally devastated at being humiliated like that and decides to get full-on revenge on her. To get even, he comes up with a brilliant plan to marry her and take her to the poverty ridden cease pool of Kenya under the guise that he's a diplomat with the British government. In actuality, he's really just a gardener for a real diplomat named Sandy who truly falls in love with the co-ed who humiliated the gardener who gave the lecture in the first place.
But uh-oh. Now she's been murdered along with the gay black guy she's best friends with in Kenya. See, she got bored just sitting around Africa all day and started emailing the charitable drug companies who were providing drugs and vaccines to the Kenyans who can't even afford clean water, threatening them saying she was going to get them in some sort of trouble. She's causing difficulty for them the same way she humiliated her poor innocent gardener husband.
Just guess what happens next.
Well, I guess I already told you. She gets murdered.
Ralph Fiennes is very hot in this film and so if you are an aficionado of Fiennes than this is a must-own. Ralph even started something called The Constant Gardener Trust because when he was in Africa he was shocked and appalled that the Africans didn't have basic sanitation and he wanted people to have a way to donate money so that decent sanitation methods could be built. Never mind the guy has millions sitting around in off-shore accounts and could have easily done the entire continents sanitation needs himself. He'd like you to help. Google, "The Constant Gardener Trust." I did.
If you don't care for Fiennes and are irritated by African music, British accents and bright colors, stay away from this film at all costs.
Well made Africa-has-issues flick
2008-11-25 - Liked "Blood Diamond"? This one concerns drug companies testing new drugs with fatal side effects, only life is cheap in Africa. So there's a coverup. Actually, the film is a love story. Very well made, quick paced, lots of jerky camera work trying to give the illusion of immediacy. You don't have to be a bleeding heart to appreciate the quality of this film.
