The Ninth Gate (1999)

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

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

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

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In New York, the money-driven dealer Dean Corso is a rare-books expert and partner of Bernie, who owns a bookstore. He is contacted by the renowned collector of books about the devil Boris Balkan, who has just acquired the rare The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows from the collector Andrew Telfer, to verify whether his book is authentic or a forgery. Balkan explains that the book was written by the writer Aristide Torchia, in 1666, with Lucifer and he was burned at the stake with his entire work. There are only three exemplars of The Nine Gates and in accordance with the legend, its nine engravings form a riddle to conjure the devil. The skeptical Corso accepts the assignment and has to flight to Sintra, Portugal, and Paris, France, to contact the owners Victor Fargas and Baroness Kessler and find the genuine exemplar for Balkan. Meanwhile, he asks Bernie to hide the rare book. Before traveling to Europe, the widow Liana Telfer wants to retrieve the book and has sex with Corso, ...

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Plot Keywords:

book | gate | rare book | collector | supernatural | 

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Taglines:

Every book has a life of its own...

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Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

Spain France USA

Language:

English French Latin Portuguese Spanish

Release Date:

10 March 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die neun Pforten

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£102,431 (UK) (2 June 2000)

Gross:

SGD 90,000 (Singapore) (8 December 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment, R.P. Productions, Orly Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

All of the engravings appearing in "The Nine Gates" were commissioned for the novel (and not the movie) by author Arturo Perez Reverte himself. The only exception is the one showing the Girl riding a dragon, which was altered to make it similar to the actress' face.

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Goofs

When Dean and the woman are driving, and the sign that says St. Martin is reflected on the windshield, it is obvious that a computer generated reflection was superimposed over the windshield, because when the car turns, the reflection is jerky and unsynchronized with the car movement.

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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 painful memory.

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Connections

Featured in Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Sete saias"
Performed by Santinho
Arranged by Wolfgang Gerhard
Courtesy of LaserLight Digital by Arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

an expertly paced thriller

The Ninth Gate is an expertly paced thriller that relies more on intrigue and subtlety than it does on gross out scenes. Johnny Depp plays a "book detective" who must authenticate a Satanic text that is reputed to conjure the devil. Early scenes feature a battle of sarcastic insults between Depp and Frank Langella's character, a multimillionare who hires Depp to authenticate the book. As Depp traverses Europe to acquire information, he is assisted by Emanuelle Seigner, who is coy when Depp interrogates her on her role in Depp's quest. Seigner's help is needed, as other forces jostle for possession of the book. The ending is not particularly explosive as a film involving the Devil would suggest, but there is enough intrigue and plot twisting to make The Ninth Gate an enjoyable film.