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Behind the Scenes of "Ninth Gate" |
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Other Articles |
Legendary
director, Roman Polanski, first achieved international fame in 1968 with
the release of Rosemary's Baby; and in doing so, he launched the genre
of the "Satanic cult horror film". Now, after more than thirty
years, he returns to his cinematic roots with The Ninth Gate--possibly
to have the last word on this subject?
This new thriller is Polanski's fourth feature to explore organized occult conspiracies. Interested viewers should also rent The Tenant, starring Polanski in the title role, and The Fearless Vampire Killers, featuring Polanski's late wife, Sharon Tate. Filmed on location in France, Portugal and Spain, The Ninth Gate follows the trail of an unscrupulous rare book dealer, (Johnny Depp) hired by a mysterious collector, (Frank Langella) to locate the last remaining copy of a Mediaeval text. This pursuit opens the doorway to a world of ubiquitous Devil worshippers, who murderously seek the same tome to use as a catalyst to launch the Apocalypse! Despite the dark theme, the film is rife with dry humor typical of Polanski, who drew early inspiration from Samuel Beckett's absurdist comedies. Viewers should prepare themselves for a totally unexpected ending that will leave some outraged, but will be found funny by fans familiar with the director's style. One of those longstanding fans is the star himself, Johnny Depp, who jumped at the opportunity to work with Polanski. Explained co-star Frank Langella, "There are only a handful of distinctive directors of a certain generation who still make movies today." Langella said that he found Polanski's films and his approach are "so singular" that he couldn't pass up a chance to work with him, either. The hauntingly beautiful Emmanuelle Seigner is Polanski's current wife and mother of his two children, daughter Morgan and son Elvis. She also acted in her husband's films Frantic and Bitter Moon. In this film she nearly steals the show as an enigmatic, but quite literal, "Hell's Angel". Polanski provides a Faustian tale that is frightening, sexy and fun. |
