The Constant Gardener (2005)

A widower is determined to get to the bottom of a potentially explosive secret involving his wife's murder, big business, and corporate corruption.

Director:

Fernando Meirelles

Writers:

Jeffrey Caine (screenplay), John le Carré (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston

Won 1 Oscar. Another 35 wins & 68 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes	...	Justin Quayle
Rachel Weisz	...	Tessa Quayle
Hubert Koundé	...	Dr. Arnold Bluhm (as Hubert Kounde)
Danny Huston	...	Sandy Woodrow
Daniele Harford	...	Miriam
Packson Ngugi	...	Officer in Morgue
Damaris Itenyo Agweyu	...	Jomo's Wife
Bernard Otieno Oduor	...	Jomo
Bill Nighy	...	Sir Bernard Pellegrin
Keith Pearson	...	Porter Coleridge
John Sibi-Okumu	...	Dr. Joshua Ngaba
Donald Sumpter	...	Tim Donohue
Archie Panjabi	...	Ghita Pearson
Nick Reding	...	Crick
Gerard McSorley	...	Sir Kenneth Curtiss

Storyline

In a remote area of Northern Kenya, activist Tessa Quayle is found brutally murdered. Tessa's companion, a doctor, appears to have fled the scene, and the evidence points to a crime of passion. Members of the British High Commission in Nairobi assume that Tessa's widower, their mild-mannered and unambitious colleague Justin Quayle, will leave the matter to them. They could not be more wrong. Haunted by remorse and jarred by rumors of his late wife's infidelities, Quayle surprises everyone by embarking on a personal odyssey that will take him across three continents. Using his privileged access to diplomatic secrets, he will risk his own life, stopping at nothing to uncover and expose the truth - a conspiracy more far-reaching and deadly than Quayle could ever have imagined.

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Plot Keywords:

government corruption | conspiracy | pharmaceuticals | female rear nudity | cleavage | 

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Taglines:

The highly anticipated international thriller from John le Carré & Fernando Meirelles the Academy Award nominated director of City of God

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violent images and sexual content/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Production Notes

Country:

UK Germany Kenya France USA China

Language:

English Italian Swahili German

Release Date:

31 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Constant Gardener

Filming Locations:

Loiyangalani, Lake Turkana, Kenya

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,577,000, 4 September 2005

Gross USA:

$33,579,797

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$82,466,670

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, UK Film Council, Potboiler Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (as dts) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The German word ('waghalsig') that Birgit (Anneke Kim Sarnau) cannot translate into English for Tessa means something like "dare-devilish".

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Goofs

After Crick beats Justin Quayle, Quayle is left with wound on his left cheek and the right side of his lower lip. In subsequent scenes in the same time frame, the wounds disappear, then re-appear.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Justin Quayle: Oh, thank you Arnold. I... I can manage that. But I still don't see why you couldn't wait a couple of weeks. Why go all the way up to Loki?
Tessa Quayle: Well, we want to hear Grace Makanga speak, and she won't be coming to Nairobi.

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Crazy Credits

END CREDITS DEDICATION: This film is dedicated to Yvette Pierpaoli and all other aid workers who lived and died giving a damn.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Whistleblower Movies (2014)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday to You
(1893)
Written by Patty S. Hill and Mildred J. Hill
Performed by Rachel Weisz
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd.

User Reviews

Stunning....

This is a rare gem in today's gravel pit of features. Rachel Weisz is truly transcendent. She is just so immensely real and powerful and alive! Fienne's role as that of a somewhat distant man is the perfect complement to this.

Visually, this is one of the finest films I've seen in years; the editing is brilliant and the cinematography is beautiful; the DP gives us subtle stylistic cues and approaches which highlight the many different worlds we encounter, from the abject poverty of Africa to the interior of a private London club.

See this film...and see what a movie can really be.