|
Directed by |
|
Starring |
|
Specs |
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- 16:9 Enhanced
- Dual Layer (RSDL 60.33)
|
Languages |
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
|
Subtitles |
English - Hearing Impaired |
Extras |
- Theatrical trailer
- Audio commentary - Roman Polanski
- Cast/crew biographies
- Featurette
- Isolated music score
- Production notes
- Photo gallery
- Animated menus
- Booklet
- Filmographies
|
|
|
The Ninth Gate |
Artisan/Universal .
R4 . COLOR . 128 mins .
MA15+ . PAL |
Feature |
|
Contract |
|
Despite his earlier success and acclaim for films like Rosemary’s Baby, Fearless Vampire Killers and Chinatown - and a more recent commercial hit with Frantic - Roman Polanski has never been a particular favourite with the wider public, and his films routinely polarise the critics, many of whom insist that the man has not done anything worthwhile in the past two decades. But Polanski, whose turbulent history has a tendency to colour peoples’ opinions of him, is a unique and innovative craftsman, and those who click with his particular brand of moviemaking look forward to his increasingly rare forays into cinema with keen anticipation. The Ninth Gate, based on the little-known novel El Club Dumas by Spanish writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte, goes for an unconventional approach to what could otherwise have been yet another Satan-is-imminent story destined to sit quietly alongside the apocalyptic collection of demonic thrillers and dramas of the past few years. But Pérez-Reverte’s book is more concerned with mystery and puzzles than it is with the ritual and violence of Satanism, and Polanski heavily emphasises this by creating a dark, almost disconcerting mood that’s a combination of film noir homage and visual poetry. Indeed, the visuals are so striking during much of this movie that they speak louder than the characters in terms of telling this slowly unfolding story. And that story is deceptively straightforward. Dean Corso (Depp) is a cynical but successful dealer in rare books, a man who’s respected by many but is still perfectly happy to rip a client off if that means financial reward for himself. He’s the perfect choice for rich collector Boris Balkan (Langella), who has just purchased one of the three known copies in existence of an ancient satanic text called The Nine Gates Of The Kingdom Of Shadows. He asks Corso to track down the other two copies to verify whether or not they are authentic, handing him a large cheque and pointing out, almost as an aside, that the assignment may involve some illegalities. As he goes about tracking down the volumes in places like Portugal and France, though, Corso realises that there’s more going on than meets the eye, and as he begins to unravel the intrigue that’s being played out around him, it becomes clear that someone has a very, very sinister agenda that is placing Corso in extreme danger. To give away any more of the plot would be unfair - part of this film’s appeal is in the fact that the viewer makes the same journey as Corso, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together - but rest assured that while there are indeed plot twists aplenty here, they’re handled very differently from your average American mystery-thriller. Polanski wants to create atmosphere and let the narrative take care of itself, and it’s that as well as the film’s very European style that distinguishes The Ninth Gate from its recent company in the genre. Right from the opening credits - unconventional and quite literally in-your-face - there’s a strong sense of unreality oozing from the screen, and this tone is maintained throughout. Like he did in Bitter Moon - another film either loathed or loved by those who saw it - Polanski also incorporates humour regularly, taking what seems to be great pleasure in changing the tone of the movie from one minute to the next simply by having a character do something unexpected and decidedly eccentric. A lot of the humour here is very subtle, and, like it was in Bitter Moon, seems to have been missed by many critics that saw this one at the time of its cinema release. Johnny Depp is predictably excellent as Corso; he’s spent much of his career carving out a solid reputation as a leading man in unconventional (and often unflattering) roles, and here he is perfectly convincing as Corso. The supporting cast all seem to be having a great time with their parts, particularly Frank Langella as Balkan and Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner (also seen in Bitter Moon and Frantic) as the mysterious Girl that keeps crossing Corso’s path. The Ninth Gate is not, it must be said, for all tastes, and those expecting satanic violence and histrionics would be advised to look elsewhere. But if Polanski’s brand of filmmaking clicks with you (and if you saw Bitter Moon and “got” it, you’ll be right at home here) then The Ninth Gate will effortlessly draw you in to it’s strange, menacing and quirkily evil world.
Video |
|
Contract |
|
Stunningly photographed with anamorphic lenses (in Technovision, Euro-cinema fans!) by Darius Khondji (who lensed visual feasts like City Of Lost Children, Stealing Beauty, Se7en and even Alien Resurrection), The Ninth Gate is a film that has to be seen in its full 2.35:1 aspect ratio for the cinematography and Dean Tavoularis’s lush production design to be properly appreciated. Such marvellous cinematography deserves a superlative transfer on DVD - and this one very nearly is, marred only by one serious flaw. The image on screen is beautifully colour-balanced (many scenes are deliberately shot with low colour saturation but with the main object of attention standing out in warm red tones, for example - a familiar tactic in Polanski movies) and Khondji uses the wide frame to great effect, with digital effects often subtly enhancing the imagery without ever being distracting or obnoxious. Some care has obviously been taken to ensure that this movie looks right on video, so it’s massively disappointing to discover that there’s a large amount of aliasing and moire patterning throughout the length of the film, but especially during the first hour. Any shot that features any kind of combination of fine detail and sharp diagonal lines is a candidate for these artefacts, and while they’re not so omnipresent as to be totally distracting, they’re an unwelcome intrusion in what would otherwise have been a very fine transfer. What looks like the use of subtle digital edge enhancement certainly wouldn’t have helped in this department. If you can live with the aliasing problems, though, the bulk of this transfer is fine, and the print used is almost spotlessly clean and free of scratches, marks and other distractions.
Audio |
|
Contract |
|
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track provided for The Ninth Gate doesn’t quite live up to the spectacular surround thrill policy of many American movies, but it does a perfectly capable job for a film such as this, where the dialogue is the all-important element. Mastered at a slightly higher level than usual, the track features clear, sharp dialogue that’s been very well recorded (and well matched, EQ-wise, between location sound and ADR’d speech) and mixed as the prominent feature of the soundtrack. Behind this is another truly magnificent orchestral score from Wojciech Kilar, a veteran of some 50 years who mostly works on European films, and who is best known to most people as the composer of the striking score for Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Kilar’s music goes a long way towards creating and enhancing the mood of The Ninth Gate, and while it is mixed relatively quietly during the movie itself, fans of this composer’s work are in for a treat - see the Extra Features list below!
Extras |
|
Contract |
|
Overall |
|
Contract |
|
While certainly not for everyone - and definitely not for those cynical about Polanski’s work - The Ninth Gate is a stylish, visually rich film that is refreshingly non-Hollywood in mood and tone, and that’s a lot less po-faced than many would suspect. Quirky to the last frame and full of memorable scenes and dialogue, it’s sure to please anyone who’s been looking for something different. Universal’s DVD offers a great set of extra features, but is marred slightly by the aliasing problems during the movie itself. Still, it’s unlikely we’ll see another version of this on DVD any time soon, and The Ninth Gate is simply too enjoyable a film to pass up on that basis alone.
LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=555
Send to a friend.
|
|
|
And I quote... |
"...if Polanski’s brand of filmmaking clicks with you... The Ninth Gate will effortlessly draw you in to its strange, menacing and quirkily evil world." - Anthony Horan |
|
Review Equipment |
- DVD Rom:
Pioneer 103(s)
- MPEG Card:
RealMagic Hollywood Plus
- TV:
Panasonic - The One
- Receiver:
Sony STR-AV1020
- Speakers:
Klipsch Tangent 500
- Surrounds:
Jamo
- Audio Cables:
Standard RCA
- Video Cables:
Monster s-video
|
Recent Reviews: |
|
|
Related Links |
|
|