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:

Love. At any cost.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ralph Fiennes said of this movie and his Justin Quayle character's relationship with his wife Tessa Quayle, "For me, theirs is a 'retrospective love affair'. There are two equal parts to this movie. On the one hand, it's a political thriller about corporate wrongdoing, malfeasance and manipulation. On the other, it's about the relationship between Justin and Tessa Quayle. Justin's journey traces not only what Tessa was investigating; he's also playing detective about their relationship. This man rediscovers and re-assesses his own relationship with his wife. It's a wonderful part, because he goes from being a reticent nice guy to being someone who is forced to confront some pretty tough truths about the world. I hope that the audience sees him as a kind of Everyman."

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Goofs

When Birgit is leaving on her bike past a "red herring" black sedan, she is shown passing the car, but when the camera cuts back to Justin, she is shown as not having passed the black sedan yet.

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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 DISCLAIMER: Nobody in this story, and no outfit or corporation, thank God, is based upon an actual person or outfit in the real world. But I can tell you this; as my journey through the pharmaceutical jungle progressed, I came to realize that, by comparison with the reality, my story was as tame as a holiday postcard. --John Le Carré

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Connections

Referenced in Se eida...: O epimonos kipouros (2008)

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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

A must see drama! Ray Fiennes and Rachel Weisz are incredible to watch!

Really good and interesting. Had a good plot in it, but I wish Rachel had more screen time in the movie :( she was very beautiful and I liked her character a-lot!

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