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The Ninth Gate [2000]
starring: Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin, Emmanuelle Seigner, Barbara Jefford
directed by: Roman Polanski

List Price: £9.99

Off The Bookshelf's Price: £5.98

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Used Price: £3.50
Third Party New Price: £5.00

Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0044007824122
Format: PAL, Widescreen
Label: Uca
Manufacturer: Uca
Number Of Discs: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Uca
Region Code: 2
Release Date: October 06, 2008
Running Time: 128 minutes
Studio: Uca
Theatrical Release Date: March 10, 2000
Sales Rank: 9867

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Editorial Review:

Amazon.co.uk Review:
For a while it looks like Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate, adapted from the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, might recapture the beautiful uneasiness of such masterpieces as Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. The horror of a Roman Polanski picture is not about spectacle and shock but a goose-pimply sense of evil lurking just outside the frame and hidden behind the faces of slightly unsettling characters. Here, a calm, almost sleepy Johnny Depp plays cynical, unscrupulous rare-book hunter Dean Corso, who's hired by demonologist Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) to authenticate a rare volume that, legend has it, was co-written by Lucifer himself. Dean leaves a Gothic looking New York (re-created in Europe by Polanski as a sinister city of shadows) for Portugal and Paris to compare Balkan's volume with the two copies known to be in existence and uncovers a mystery with unholy ramifications. He also finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy that involves Balkan, a widow who will stop at nothing to retrieve Balkan's book (Lena Olin, who gleefully bites and claws her way through the part), and a mysterious guardian "angel" (Polanski's wife, Emmanuelle Seigner) who shadows his every step. The Ninth Gate is full of rumbling menace and deliciously unsettling imagery, but Polanski's languorous direction and purposefully vague story render a film that's eerie without every becoming thrilling. It's perpetually on the verge of becoming interesting--right up to its obscure final image.-Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com

On the DVD: Roman Polanski provides us with his first ever DVD commentary here, and makes his eye for detail and atmosphere very apparent in talking about design and his use of the camera. He also announces his love for the quality of DVD since he's always hated VHS. You also see him briefly amongst other interviewees in a two-minute featurette. There's also a trailer, 10 pages of production notes, and generous cast and crew information. One novelty is a gallery of The Nine Gates books' spot-the-difference satanic drawings. Best of all is an isolated track of Wojciech Kilar's excellent score, which is as well preserved by this transfer as the rich palette of earthy browns used by Polanski to paint the screen. --Paul Tonks

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Not for those who enjoyed the novel!
Take a fantastic novel with two, related, intertwining plot lines. Decide that, to make your film, you need to get rid of one of them and jettison the more interesting one. End up with yet another devil-in-human-form film, and call it "The Ninth Gate"....

Arturo Perez Reverte is a remarkably talented novelist, and "The Dumas Club" is one of his finest tales, which in itself is utterly gripping. Unfortunately, treated like this by Polanski, it just doesn't work for me as a film. It's very frustrating to see what could have been a highly original treatment by a very fine film-maker turned into a relatively banal piece.

The message is very clear - if you enjoyed the novel you would be well advised to keep clear of the ... Read More:

Rating:

- Truly misunderstood masterpiece
I have never written a review before and doubt I will again, but there is so much misunderstanding about this masterpiece that I feel compelled to add my praise and insights.
This is the only film I have ever seen that rivals the complexity of a classic novel.
When first I saw it I was, like most people, rather confused - especially by the ending. It seemed a terrible anticlimax. However my respect for both Depp's choice of script and Polanski as a great film maker left me uneasy in my disappointment; I felt it was far more likely that it was my interpretation and understanding rather than their portrayal that was found wanting. I also had a gnawing sense of having missed something subtle but vitally important. I mulled over the ... Read More:

Rating:

- Boffo! a good one
This film is a study of the struggle of knowledge Vs power. The Johhny Depp character searches for knowledge not power and is thus rewarded over the other protaginists.Is Hell/the Devil as evil as man has himself become in his quest for power? The expression 'Hell on Earth' was obviously a factor in the writing of this movie. Polanski, as always, makes you think and question the motives of everyone involved. Those expecting to watch a Roman Polanski movie for just action should hire another directors movie. Powerful performances from Depp and Langella make this a film to watch.

Rating:

- Smart and original adaptation of a great book
I like Hollywood blockbusters and they are my usual poison but from time to time I simply MUST take a break and watch something that is NOT Hollywoodian, is not a sequel and doesn't involve too many car chases, superheroes, explosions, laser beams and idiotic dialogues. If you are looking for such a thing, you will not find much better that "The Ninth Gate".
To begin, one precision - this is the adaptation of a great novel, "Club Dumas" by the Spanish author Arturo Perez Reverte. The book is amazing but very, very hard to adapt to the screen - so Polanski had to make many changes. As the result, you can now watch a great movie and read a great book, in whatever order you like, without being disappointed by one of them.
This movie ... Read More:

Rating:

- Mmm...
Definitely a love-or-bored-by film. In terms of plot it draws from similar territory as Dennis Wheatley; there's a bit of real-life history involved, without beating viewers over the head with it. It doesn't beat viewers over the head at all, especially the ending -- people rewatching to see if they missed anything seems to be a common experience.

Corso's is a slow corruption, suggesting that evil prefers its recruits to be drawn in by fascination and imagination rather than by making showy gestures or dressing up. The film score's at times genuinely unsettling, and the deaths more macabre than in-your-face shocking. In terms of setting it has to take place before mobile phones caught on, with which items a lot of the menace and isolation ... Read More:

DVD : The Ninth Gate [2000]