The Ninth Gate
Original film poster
Directed by	Roman Polanski
Produced by	Roman Polanski
Written by	John Brownjohn Enrique Urbizu Roman Polanski (screenplay) Arturo Pérez-Reverte (novel)
Starring	Johnny Depp Lena Olin Frank Langella Emmanuelle Seigner
Music by	Wojciech Kilar
Cinematography	Darius Khondji
Editing by	Hervé de Luze
Distributed by	Artisan Entertainment
Release date(s)	August 25, 1999 (Spain, France and Belgium)
Running time	133 minutes
Country	Spain France
Language	English, French, Latin
Budget	$38,000,000
Gross revenue	$58,401,898 (worldwide)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Ninth Gate is a mystery/Horror thriller/Neo noir film based on the novel The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. It was co-written and directed by Roman Polanski, and stars Johnny Depp as Dean Corso, a rare books-dealer who is hired by a rich book collector (Frank Langella) to validate his recently purchased copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th century author Aristide Torchia. Initially, Polanski did not think that Depp was right for the role of Corso because the character was 40-years-old. The director was thinking of casting an older actor but Depp was persistent and wanted to work with him. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (510x755, 54 KB)original movie poster source:www. ... Roman Polanski (born August 18, 1933) is an Academy Award-winning film director, writer, actor, and producer. ... Enrique Urbizu (Bilbao, 1962) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. ... Roman Polanski (born August 18, 1933) is an Academy Award-winning film director, writer, actor, and producer. ... Spanish stamp (2002) tribute to Captain Alatriste, Pérez-Revertes most famous character. ... John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his frequent portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the titular character of Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands. ... Lena Maria Jonna Olin (born March 22, 1955 in Stockholm, Sweden) is an internationally acclaimed Academy Award-nominated Swedish actress. ... Frank A. Langella, Jr. ... Emmanuelle Seigner (born June 22, 1966) is a French actress and former fashion model. ... Photograph of Wojciech Kilar. ... Darius Khondji (21 October 1955 in Tehran, Iran) is the famous Iranian cinematographer. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... USD redirects here. ... USD redirects here. ... Look up mystery in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... Neo-noir (a portmanteau of the Greek neo, new; and the French noir, black) is a type of motion picture that prominently utilizes elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style or visual elements that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 50s. ... A reel of film, which predates digital cinematography. ... Cover of Random House edition The Club Dumas is a 1993 novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. ... Spanish stamp (2002) tribute to Captain Alatriste, Pérez-Revertes most famous character. ... Roman Polanski (born August 18, 1933) is an Academy Award-winning film director, writer, actor, and producer. ... John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his frequent portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the titular character of Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands. ... Frank A. Langella, Jr. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The film premiered in Spain on August 25, 1999 and was a critical and commercial failure in North America as most critics felt that it fell short of Polanski's best known supernatural thriller, Rosemary's Baby. The Ninth Gate managed to turn a profit with a worldwide box office gross of $58,401,898, well above its $38 million budget.^[1] It has since enjoyed a small cult following. is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Rosemarys Baby is an Academy Award-winning 1968 horror film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Mia Farrow. ... This article does not discuss cultist groups, personality cults, or cult in its original sense of religious practice. See cult (disambiguation) for more meanings of the term cult. A cult following is a group of fans devoted to a specific area of pop culture. ...

Plot outline

Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is a swindling rare-books dealer whose only motivation is financial gain. A very rich book collector by the name of Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) hires Corso to validate his recently purchased copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows by 17th century author Aristide Torchia, one of only three surviving copies in the world. The book contains nine engravings which, when correctly deciphered and the interpretations properly spoken, are alleged to summon the Devil. Balkan suspects the book may be a forgery, and hires Corso to travel to Europe, assess the other two known copies, discover whether any are genuine, and if so, acquire them for Balkan at any cost. John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his frequent portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the titular character of Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands. ... Frank A. Langella, Jr. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

Balkan's copy of The Nine Gates had previously belonged to Andrew Telfer, who committed suicide shortly after selling the book to Balkan. Corso repeatedly encounters Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin), who wants the book returned and seduces Corso in a failed attempt to acquire it. Once Corso has the book in his possession, he discovers his apartment ransacked, and finds his business partner and book store owner Bernie (James Russo), whom Corso had asked to stash the book, murdered in the style of one of the engravings in The Nine Gates. Lena Maria Jonna Olin (born March 22, 1955 in Stockholm, Sweden) is an internationally acclaimed Academy Award-nominated Swedish actress. ... James Vincent Russo (born April 23, 1953) is an American film and television actor. ...

Corso travels to Toledo, in Spain, and talks to the Ceniza brothers (Jose Lopez Rodero), twin book restorers who show him that some of the book's engravings are signed "LCF." Prompting Corso to guess who the initials refer to, the Cenizas agree when he responds with "Lucifer." Corso next goes by train to Sintra, in Portugal, and visits Victor Fargas (Jack Taylor), whose copy Corso compares with Balkan's, noting several variations in the engravings. The next morning, Corso is awoken by a mysterious young woman (Emmanuelle Seigner) with whom he has been crossing paths; she then leads Corso back to Fargas' home to find him murdered and the engravings ripped out of his copy of The Nine Gates. Later, the unnamed woman displays supernatural ability when she rescues Corso from an attack by Telfer's bodyguard (Tony Amoni). For other uses, see Toledo (disambiguation). ... This article is about the star or fallen angel. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisboa  - Subregion Greater Lisbon  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Fernando Seara  - Party PSD-CDS-PPM-MPT Area 319. ... Jack Taylor (born 21 October 1936) is an actor. ... Emmanuelle Seigner (born June 22, 1966) is a French actress and former fashion model. ...

In Paris, Corso tracks down the third surviving copy owned by Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford). He records additional differences in her copy before she is killed and pages from her book are removed. Corso, now believing each copy of The Nine Gates to be genuine, suspects that the secret to opening the nine gates can be found in a combination of all three copies. Telfer steals Balkan's copy from Corso, who follows her to a mansion to witness her using it to lead a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Telfer, takes the torn out engravings and his own intact copy, and drives away, revealing that he too believes that all three copies are genuine. Barbara Jefford as Isabella in Measure for Measure, 1950 Barbara Jefford OBE, full name Barbara Mary Jefford (born in Plymstock, Devon, England in 1930), is a British Shakespearean actress best known for her theatrical performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre, and her role... Satanism is a religious or philosophical movement centered around Satan or another entity identified with Satan, or centered around the forces of nature, particularly human nature, represented by Satan as an archetype. ...

Realizing that Balkan is responsible for the deaths of Victor Fargas and Baroness Kessler, Corso locates Balkan and witnesses him preparing to open the gates himself. However, because one of the engravings he uses is a forgery, Balkan's invocation fails and he dies consumed by flames. The mysterious girl has sex with Corso and directs him back to the Ceniza brothers' shop. There he discovers the final authentic engraving, which includes a likeness of the mystery girl herself, thereby allowing Corso to identify the correct location and travel through the ninth portal at the film's conclusion.

Cast and characters

Frank Langella as Boris Balkan and Johnny Depp as Dean Corso.

• Johnny Depp as Dean Corso
• Frank Langella as Boris Balkan
• Lena Olin as Liana Telfer
• Emmanuelle Seigner as The Girl
• Barbara Jefford as Baroness Kessler
• Jack Taylor as Victor Fargas
• Jose Lopez Rodero as Pablo & Pedro Ceniza and 1st & 2nd workmen
• Tony Amoni as Liana's bodyguard
• James Russo as Bernie

The actual name of The Girl is never revealed (when asked her name, she replies "Guess"). While there is speculation that she is the Devil, at the movie's end she is pictured on the missing page from the book riding a Beast, implying she is the Whore of Babylon. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (900 × 600 pixel, file size: 82 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a screen capture from the movie, The Ninth Gate and features Frank Langella and Johnny Depp. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 533 pixelsFull resolution (900 × 600 pixel, file size: 82 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a screen capture from the movie, The Ninth Gate and features Frank Langella and Johnny Depp. ... Frank A. Langella, Jr. ... John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his frequent portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the titular character of Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands. ... John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, best known for his frequent portrayals of offbeat and eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the titular character of Tim Burtons Edward Scissorhands. ... Frank A. Langella, Jr. ... Lena Maria Jonna Olin (born March 22, 1955 in Stockholm, Sweden) is an internationally acclaimed Academy Award-nominated Swedish actress. ... Emmanuelle Seigner (born June 22, 1966) is a French actress and former fashion model. ... Barbara Jefford as Isabella in Measure for Measure, 1950 Barbara Jefford OBE, full name Barbara Mary Jefford (born in Plymstock, Devon, England in 1930), is a British Shakespearean actress best known for her theatrical performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre, and her role... Jack Taylor (born 21 October 1936) is an actor. ... James Vincent Russo (born April 23, 1953) is an American film and television actor. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... The Whore of Babylon rides the seven-headed Beast. ...

Production

Roman Polanski received the screenplay by Enrique Urbizu that adapted the book, El Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. The filmmaker was so taken by Urbizu's script that he read the novel. He liked the novel because, "I saw so many elements that seemed good for a movie. It was suspenseful, funny, and there were a great number of secondary characters that are tremendously cinematic."^[2] Pérez-Reverte's book featured several intertwined plots and so Polanski decided to write his own draft with long-time screenwriting partner, John Brownjohn (they had collaborated previously on Tess, Pirates and Bitter Moon). The source novel contains numerous literary references and a subplot concerning Corso’s investigation into the original manuscript for a chapter of The Three Musketeers. Polanski and Brownjohn jettisoned these elements and focused on one particular plot line: Corso’s pursuit of the authentic copy of The Nine Gates. Enrique Urbizu (Bilbao, 1962) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. ... Cover of Random House edition The Club Dumas is a 1993 novel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. ... Spanish stamp (2002) tribute to Captain Alatriste, Pérez-Revertes most famous character. ... Tess is a 1979 English language romantic drama film directed by Roman Polanski, an adaptation of Thomas Hardys 1891 novel Tess of the dUrbervilles. ... Pirates is an adventure/comedy film written by Gérard Brach, John Brownjohn, and Roman Polanski. ... Categories: 1992 films | Stub ...

Polanski approached the subject matter with a certain amount of skepticism as he said in an interview, "I don't believe in the occult. I don't believe. Period."^[3] He wanted to have fun with the genre. "There is a great number of cliches of this type in The Ninth Gate which I tried to turn around a bit. You can make them appear serious on the surface, but you cannot help but laugh at them."^[3] For Polanski, the appeal of the film was that it featured "a mystery in which a book is the leading character" and its illustrations "are also essential clues."^[4]

While reading the book, Polanski thought of Johnny Depp as Corso. The actor became attached to the project as early as 1997 when he met Polanski at the Cannes Film Festival promoting his directorial debut The Brave that was in competition.^[5] Initially, the veteran filmmaker did not think that Depp was right for the role of Corso because the character was 40-years-old. Polanski was thinking of casting an older actor but Depp was persistent and wanted to work with him. Corso's disheveled look was modelled after Raymond Chandler's famous sleuth, Philip Marlowe according to the director.^[3] The Cannes Film Festival (French: le Festival de Cannes), founded in 1939, is one of the worlds oldest, most influential and prestigious film festivals. ... The Brave (1997) is a film adapted from the Gregory McDonald novel of the same title directed by and starring Johnny Depp. ... For other persons named Raymond Chandler, see Raymond Chandler (disambiguation). ... Ed Bishop had the title role in BBC Radios The Adventures of Philip Marlowe. ...

Polanski cast Frank Langella as Balkan after seeing him in Adrian Lyne’s version of Lolita. Barbara Jefford was a last minute casting decision because the German actress originally cast was struck with pneumonia and another actress couldn't learn the lines. Jefford came in with only a few days notice, learned her lines, and affected a German accent.^[2] Adrian Lyne (born 4 March 1941 in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England) is an English filmmaker and producer. ... Lolita is a 1997 film directed by Adrian Lyne and was the second screen adaptation of the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. ... Barbara Jefford as Isabella in Measure for Measure, 1950 Barbara Jefford OBE, full name Barbara Mary Jefford (born in Plymstock, Devon, England in 1930), is a British Shakespearean actress best known for her theatrical performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre, and her role... This article is about human pneumonia. ...

Filming took place in France, Portugal and Spain during the summer of 1998.

Hints of friction between Depp and Polanski while working on the film surfaced in the press around the time of its North American release. The actor said, "It's the director's job to push, to provoke things out of an actor."^[6] Polanski told one interviewer, "He [Depp] decided to play it rather flat which wasn't how I envisioned it. And I didn't tell him it wasn't how I saw it."^[6]

Soundtrack

The Ninth Gate (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack by Wojciech Kilar
Released	November 16, 1999
Recorded	April 1999
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	53:58
Label	Silva
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link

The main theme of the film is based on Camille Saint-Saëns' piece for violin and orchestra, Havanaise. A portion of the film score consists of a vocalise sung by Korean soprano Sumi Jo.^[7] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... In film formats, the soundtrack is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound. ... Photograph of Wojciech Kilar. ... is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday Anno Domini (or the Current Era), and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music, owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 3_stars. ... Charles Camille Saint-Saëns () (9 October 1835 – 16 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist, known especially for his orchestral works The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, Samson et Dalila, and Symphony No. ... Sumi Jo is an operatic soprano. ...

Track listing

1. Vocalise: "Theme from the Ninth Gate" 3:56
2. "Opening Titles" 3:31
3. "Corso" 3:24
4. "Bernie Is Dead" 4:31
5. "Liana" 3:03
6. "Plane to Spain" 4:48
7. "The Motorbike" 1:18
8. "Missing Book/Stalking Corso" 4:41
9. "Blood on His Face" 1:13
10. "Chateau Saint Martin" 4:05
11. "Liana's Death" 2:38
12. "Boo! / The Chase" 4:29
13. "Balkan's Death" 3:52
14. "The Ninth Gate" 1:13
15. "Corso and the Girl" 3:20
16. Vocalise: "Theme from the Ninth Gate (Reprise)"

Reaction

The Ninth Gate premiered in Spain on August 25, 1999. On its opening weekend in North America, the film debuted in 1,586 theaters and grossed $6,622,518. While eventually only making $18,661,336 in North America, it went on to make $58,401,898 worldwide, well above its budget of $38 million.^[1] is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Most critics felt that the film fell short of Polanski's best known supernatural thriller, Rosemary's Baby. The Ninth Gate holds a 39-percent rotten rating at Rotten Tomatoes (and a 26% among the "Cream of the Crop" critics). In Roger Ebert's review for the Chicago Sun-Times, he felt that the film's ending was lackluster, "while at the end I didn't yearn for spectacular special effects, I did wish for spectacular information–something awesome, not just a fade to white."^[8] Elvis Mitchell in The New York Times criticized the film for being "about as scary as a sock-puppet re-enactment of The Blair Witch Project, and not nearly as funny."^[9] However, Philip Strick's in Sight and Sound magazine was more sympathetic, recognizing that it was "not particularly liked at first outing – partly because Johnny Depp, in fake grey temples, personifies the odious Corso of the book a little too accurately – the film is intricately well-made, deserves a second chance despite its disintegrations, and in time will undoubtedly acquire its own coven of heretical fans."^[10] This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ... The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 independent horror film, financed and distributed by Artisan Entertainment. ... Sight and Sound is a British monthly magazine about film. ...

After the film's release, Artisan Entertainment sued Polanski for allegedly taking more than $1 million from the budget, pocketing refunds of France's value-added tax instead of turning them over to Artisan's completion bond company.^[11]

References

is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The daily Seattle Times is the leading newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. ... This article is about the day. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... The Toronto Star is Canadas highest-circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within Ontario. ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... The Washington Times is a daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1982 as a conservative alternative to the Washington Post by members of the controversial Unification Church. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... The Boston Herald is a tabloid newspaper (not to be confused with tabloid press periodicals), the smaller of the two big dailies in Boston, Massachusetts, with a daily circulation of 230,543 in September 2005. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sight and Sound is a British monthly magazine about film. ... 2000 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December This is a timeline for events in September, 2000. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ... is the 199th day of the year (200th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• The Ninth Gate at the Internet Movie Database
• The Ninth Gate at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Engravings of The Club Dumas and The Ninth Gate
• Texts, engravings and formatting of the book