The Constant Gardener

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Film Description

Based on John Le Carre's bestselling novel, this is an exciting mix of romance and spy thriller. After his radicalised wife is killed, British diplomat Justin Quayle becomes determined to find out why, thrusting himself into the middle of a dangerous conspiracy. The powerful screenplay alternates between flashbacks of Justin and Tessa's relationship and Justin's hunt for the truth, which makes him a target - although he doesn't know who is after him. The film switches effortlessly between political intrigue, action adventure, and love story and Fiennes and Weisz give strong performances playing complex characters that will continually surprise the audience.

Film Information

DVD Extras

Deleted and extended scenes; Featurettes: 'Embracing Africa - Filming in Kenya', 'JOhn Le Carre - From Page to Screen' and 'Anatomy of a Global Thriller -Behind the scenes'.

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6 Stills

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Review by Howard Schumann on 7th February 2006

Based on a novel by John Le Carré's, The Constant Gardener is a story of the growing understanding between two very different people as well as a political thriller that exposes the collusion between a pharmaceutical company and the British government. Buoyed by outstanding performances by Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, the film propels us into its intricate world of intrigue and corruption with a combustible energy that holds our attention from start to finish. Director Fernando Meirelles uses jump cuts, saturated colors, and a variety of camera angles to capture the kinetic energy of contemporary Africa while not pulling any punches about its poverty and exploitation by multinational companies.

Tessa (Rachel Weisz), the idealistic wife of Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a laid back mid-level British diplomat and gardener has been found murdered in a remote area of Northern Kenya. At first believing that his wife was unfaithful to him and was killed by physician Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé), he soon discovers a broader possibility. It seems that Tessa had been on the verge of disclosing a far-reaching conspiracy by government and industry involving the use of local patients as guinea pigs to test a new drug that had dangerous side effects.

Tessa's death radicalizes the once staid diplomat and he sets out to complete her work, traveling to London and Berlin to follow leads. As the process of discovery unfolds and his personal danger increases, Justin also realizes a deeper love for Tessa and appreciation of her high intelligence and commitment to making a difference. The Constant Gardener succeeds not only by calling our attention to the exploitation of the world's poor, but by its depiction of a man's awakening to the discovery of his wife's faith in him and his own realization that he merits that faith.

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Review by Alex Davidson on 31st January 2006

A favourite to scoop many of this year's Oscars, Fernando Meirelles' follow-up to his powerful City of God is a sophisticated, riveting drama based on John Le Carré's novel. Ralph Fiennes stars as Justin Quayle, a British politician whose activist wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz) is found brutally murdered whilst on a mission in Kenya. Against the advice of friends and colleagues, Quayle decides to conduct his own investigation into her death, and soon uncovers a sinister conspiracy.

One of the film’s great pleasures is Weisz's performance; her character could have come across as insufferably saintly, yet her fiery portrayal immediately commands attention, and the viewer can see how she jolts the pompous politician from drivelling excuses for Britain's foreign policy to affirmative action. Fiennes is also excellent, making the transaction into unlikely avenger seem convincing, whilst the currently ubiquitous Bill Nighy excels as the wry and potentially malevolent Sir Bernard Pellegrin, one of Quayle's superiors whose actions had been severely criticised by Tessa prior to her death.

There are moments of real tension throughout, and, as in his earlier work, Meirelles is at his best when depicting danger; a car chase across a bandit region of Kenya is particularly nerve-racking. His social commentary is also damning, illustrating the west's occasionally appalling attitude towards poverty-stricken countries. The film is visually striking, with shimmering African vistas juxtaposed with colour-drained clips of London emphasising Quayle's anguish following his wife’s death. Only by setting out on his potentially hazardous mission can he hope to achieve deliverance from despair, and the final scene, featuring some of the finest acting of Fiennes' career, is highly moving.

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This film is part of the following Film Collections

This Year's Oscar Winners

Including: Brokeback Mountain, Crash (2004), Hustle And Flow, King Kong (2005), March Of The Penguins, Memoirs Of A Geisha, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Constant Gardener, Tsotsi, Walk the Line.

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