The Ninth Gate (1999)

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Arturo Pérez-Reverte (novel)
John Brownjohn (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Every book has a life of its own...

Plot:

A rare book dealer, while seeking out the last two copies of a demon text, gets drawn into a conspiracy with supernatural overtones.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Rare Book | Supernatural | Occult | Devil

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Dean Corso
Frank Langella	...	Boris Balkan
Lena Olin	...	Liana Telfer
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	The Girl
Barbara Jefford	...	Baroness Kessler
Jack Taylor	...	Victor Fargas
José López Rodero	...	Pablo & Pedro Ceniza / 1st & 2nd Workmen (as Jose Lopez Rodero)
Tony Amoni	...	Liana's Bodyguard
James Russo	...	Bernie
Willy Holt	...	Andrew Telfer
Allen Garfield	...	Witkin
Jacques Dacqmine	...	Old Man
Joe Sheridan	...	Old Man's Son
Rebecca Pauly	...	Daughter-In-Law
Catherine Benguigui	...	Concierge

Also Known As:

La neuvième porte (France)
La novena puerta (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

Spain | France | USA

Language:

English | French | Latin | Portuguese | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Challet Biester, Rampa da Pena, Sintra, Lisbon, Portugal

Company:

Artisan Entertainment

Trivia:

The voice of one of the Ceniza twins (Pedro Ceniza) is dubbed by Roman Polanski himself.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Corso and the girl leave Paris to drive to St Martin they are driving on a french motorway. When they exit the motorway they are confronted by a red, British, stop sign with a green,British signpost in the background complete with a sign to the M1. The next shot is of a french village road sign.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dean Corso: It's an impressive collection. You have some very rare editions here. Are you sure you want to sell them all?
Old Man's Son: They're of no use to father. Not anymore. Not since he's been this way. His library was his whole world. Now it's just a feeble memory.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Masters of Horror: John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (#1.8)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Java Jules

Proves You Don't Need A Ton Of Action To Make A Good Thriller

What makes this movie rather unique in this day-and-age is to see a horror- occult movie that has very little action. That may turn off a lot of modern-day viewers and critics but I thought it was refreshing.....as long as the story could still keep one's attention, which it did. It also did it with a pretty long movie: 133 minutes. I have played this movie several times for friends and no one has gotten bored.

The attraction is (1) decent acting; (2) some great sets; (3) an involving story; (4) interesting characters and (5) low profanity.

What keeps most viewers interested is simply wondering what is going to happen next in "Dean Corso's" (Johnny Depp) quest to figure out the hidden message. Without giving anything away, this is a classy, solid thriller.....and more importantly, fun to watch.