The Constant Gardener (film)
Encyclopedia
The Constant Gardener is a 2005 drama film directed by Fernando Meirelles
. The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine is based on the John le Carré
novel of the same name
. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a man who seeks to find the motivating forces behind his wife's murder.
The film stars Ralph Fiennes
, Rachel Weisz
, Hubert Koundé
, Danny Huston
and Bill Nighy
. It was filmed on location in Loiyangalani
and the slums of Kibera
, a section of Nairobi
, Kenya
. The situation affected the cast and crew to the extent that they set up the Constant Gardener Trust
in order to provide basic education for these villages.
The DVD versions were released in the United States on 1 January 2006 and in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2006.
The plot was based on a real-life case in Kano, Nigeria.
) meets and falls in love with outspoken humanitarian Tessa (Rachel Weisz
), a beautiful young activist who persuades him to take her back with him to Kenya.
Justin, a shy low-rung British diplomat and horticultural hobbyist posted in Kenya, is one to avoid making a fuss until he learns that his wife was found dead on the veldt. Tessa has been murdered at a crossroads along with her Kenyan driver. Her colleague doctor Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé
) is initially suspected of her murder but is later found to have been murdered on the same day as Tessa. Various rumours abound that the two were having an affair; however, it is later revealed that Bluhm is in fact gay.
As the mystery surrounding his wife's death unfolds, Justin is radicalised in his determination to get to the bottom of his wife's murder. He soon runs up against a drug corporation that is using Kenya's population for fraudulent testing of a tuberculosis
drug ("dypraxa") with known harmful side effects and disregards the well-being of its poor African test subjects.
Danny Huston
plays Sandy Woodrow, the British High Commissioner
on the scene. Bill Nighy
is Sir Bernard Pellegrin, head of the Africa Desk at the Foreign Office and thus Justin and Sandy's boss. After finding out the truth about what happened to Tessa, Justin was killed at the place where she died.
Justin's gentle but diligent attention to his plants is a recurring background theme, from which image the film's title is derived.
reported that 83% of 181 sampled critics gave the film positive reviews and that it got a rating average of 7.6 out of 10. Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
called it "one of the year's best films." However, Michael Atkinson
of The Village Voice
criticized the film as "a cannonballing mélange of hack-cuts, impressionistic close-ups, and tropical swelter." Ty Burr
of The Boston Globe
said the film diminishes "the real urgency of the West's humanitarian disconnect from Africa. If it sends audiences home to log on to the Amnesty International website, terrific -- but that still doesn't make it a very good movie."
Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
The film was nominated for 10 BAFTA
Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. However, it was awarded only for Best Editing.
The film won the award for Best Film at the London Critics Circle Film Awards
, British Independent Film Awards
, and Evening Standard British Film Awards
. The film also received the San Diego Film Critics Society
Awards.
Fernando Meirelles
Fernando Ferreira Meirelles is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter.He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 2004 for his work in the Brazilian film City of God, released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films...
. The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine is based on the John le Carré
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
novel of the same name
The Constant Gardener
The Constant Gardener is a 2001 novel by John le Carré. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat whose activist wife is murdered...
. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, a man who seeks to find the motivating forces behind his wife's murder.
The film stars Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
, Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
, Hubert Koundé
Hubert Koundé
Hubert Koundé is a French actor and film director. Koundé is best known for his role as Hubert in the film La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz. He is also the author of a play: "Cagoule: Valentine and Yamina," performed in 2003...
, Danny Huston
Danny Huston
-Early life:Huston was born in Rome, Italy. He hails from the illustrious Huston acting and filmmaking dynasty. He is the son of legendary director John Huston, half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston and screenwriter Tony Huston, uncle of actor Jack Huston, stepbrother of Allegra Huston, and...
and Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
. It was filmed on location in Loiyangalani
Loiyangalani
Loiyangalani is a small town located on the southeastern coast of Lake Turkana in Kenya. The town has 1000 inhabitants . Loiyangalani means "a place of many trees" in the native Samburu tongue. It is home to Turkana people and was founded near a freshwater spring in the 1960s where the El Molo...
and the slums of Kibera
Kibera
Kibera is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, located from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the second largest urban slum in Africa...
, a section of Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. The situation affected the cast and crew to the extent that they set up the Constant Gardener Trust
Constant Gardener Trust
The Constant Gardener Trust was established in 2004 soon after the filming of The Constant Gardener near Nairobi, Kenya. On location in the slums of Kibera and Loiyangalani, the situation of the inhabitants affected the crew so much it was decided to set up the Trust in order to give thanks to the...
in order to provide basic education for these villages.
The DVD versions were released in the United States on 1 January 2006 and in the United Kingdom on 13 March 2006.
The plot was based on a real-life case in Kano, Nigeria.
Plot
In London, Justin Quayle (Ralph FiennesRalph Fiennes
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
) meets and falls in love with outspoken humanitarian Tessa (Rachel Weisz
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
), a beautiful young activist who persuades him to take her back with him to Kenya.
Justin, a shy low-rung British diplomat and horticultural hobbyist posted in Kenya, is one to avoid making a fuss until he learns that his wife was found dead on the veldt. Tessa has been murdered at a crossroads along with her Kenyan driver. Her colleague doctor Arnold Bluhm (Hubert Koundé
Hubert Koundé
Hubert Koundé is a French actor and film director. Koundé is best known for his role as Hubert in the film La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz. He is also the author of a play: "Cagoule: Valentine and Yamina," performed in 2003...
) is initially suspected of her murder but is later found to have been murdered on the same day as Tessa. Various rumours abound that the two were having an affair; however, it is later revealed that Bluhm is in fact gay.
As the mystery surrounding his wife's death unfolds, Justin is radicalised in his determination to get to the bottom of his wife's murder. He soon runs up against a drug corporation that is using Kenya's population for fraudulent testing of a tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
drug ("dypraxa") with known harmful side effects and disregards the well-being of its poor African test subjects.
Danny Huston
Danny Huston
-Early life:Huston was born in Rome, Italy. He hails from the illustrious Huston acting and filmmaking dynasty. He is the son of legendary director John Huston, half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston and screenwriter Tony Huston, uncle of actor Jack Huston, stepbrother of Allegra Huston, and...
plays Sandy Woodrow, the British High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
on the scene. Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
is Sir Bernard Pellegrin, head of the Africa Desk at the Foreign Office and thus Justin and Sandy's boss. After finding out the truth about what happened to Tessa, Justin was killed at the place where she died.
Justin's gentle but diligent attention to his plants is a recurring background theme, from which image the film's title is derived.
Cast
- Ralph FiennesRalph FiennesRalph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and film director. He has appeared in such films as The English Patient, In Bruges, The Constant Gardener, Strange Days, The Duchess and Schindler's List....
as Justin Quayle - Rachel WeiszRachel WeiszRachel Hannah Weisz born 7 March 1970)is an English-American film and theatre actress and former fashion model. She started her acting career at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she co-founded the theatrical group Cambridge Talking Tongues...
as Tessa Quayle - Danny HustonDanny Huston-Early life:Huston was born in Rome, Italy. He hails from the illustrious Huston acting and filmmaking dynasty. He is the son of legendary director John Huston, half-brother of actress Anjelica Huston and screenwriter Tony Huston, uncle of actor Jack Huston, stepbrother of Allegra Huston, and...
as Sandy Woodrow - Hubert KoundéHubert KoundéHubert Koundé is a French actor and film director. Koundé is best known for his role as Hubert in the film La Haine by Mathieu Kassovitz. He is also the author of a play: "Cagoule: Valentine and Yamina," performed in 2003...
as Arnold Bluhm - Archie Panjabi as Ghita Pearson
- Bill NighyBill NighyWilliam Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
as Sir Bernard Pellegrin - Gerard McSorleyGerard McSorleyGerard McSorley is a theatre, television and an Irish film actor.-Early life:He was born in Omagh, County Tyrone, and after attending a Christian Brothers school in his hometown he attended St. Columb's College in Derry. He then attended Queen's University, Belfast, where he was taught by among...
as Sir Kenneth Curtis - Pete PostlethwaitePete PostlethwaitePeter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
as Dr. Lorbeer
Box office
The film grossed $33,579,797 in North America and $48,886,873 in other territories, totaling $82,466,670 worldwide.Critical response
Reviews have generally been very positive. On the film aggregator website, Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 83% of 181 sampled critics gave the film positive reviews and that it got a rating average of 7.6 out of 10. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
called it "one of the year's best films." However, Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson (writer)
Michael Atkinson is an American writer, poet and film critic. His debut novel is Hemingway Deadlights , and he has written film and culture critiques for The Believer, Sight & Sound, The Guardian, Film Comment, The Village Voice, In These Times, True/Slant, SPiN, Maxim, The Boston Phoenix,...
of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
criticized the film as "a cannonballing mélange of hack-cuts, impressionistic close-ups, and tropical swelter." Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Ty Burr has been a film critic for the Boston Globe since 2002 where he reviews films alongside Wesley Morris.Born in 1957, he studied film at Dartmouth College and New York University and has written three books: The Hundred Greatest Movies of All Time, The Hundred Greatest Stars of All Time and...
of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
said the film diminishes "the real urgency of the West's humanitarian disconnect from Africa. If it sends audiences home to log on to the Amnesty International website, terrific -- but that still doesn't make it a very good movie."
Awards
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Supporting Actress (Weisz). Weisz won both an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance. The film was also nominated for two other Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture (Drama), and Best Director. Additionally, Weisz won the 2005 Screen Actors GuildScreen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
The film was nominated for 10 BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. However, it was awarded only for Best Editing.
The film won the award for Best Film at the London Critics Circle Film Awards
London Film Critics Circle Awards 2005
The 26th Critics' Circle Awards, given by the London Film Critics Circle on February 8, 2006, honored the best in film for 2005.-Actor of the Year: Bruno Ganz - Downfall *Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain...
, British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
The Moët British Independent Film Awards is an annual award ceremony celebrating achievement in independently funded British film and cinema. Nominations and jury are announced at the beginning of November with the award ceremony taking place in late November or early December.-History:The British...
, and Evening Standard British Film Awards
Evening Standard British Film Awards
The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by the British London area evening newspaper Evening Standard. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony honours films from the previous...
. The film also received the San Diego Film Critics Society
San Diego Film Critics Society
The San Diego Film Critics Society is an organization of film reviewers from San Diego-based publications.Each year the SDFCS meets to vote on their San Diego Film Critics Society Awards for films released in the same calendar year....
Awards.