Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles followed up the highly acclaimed City Of God with The Constant Gardener. It's a "gripping and intelligent" thriller starring Ralph Fiennes as a mild-mannered diplomat seeking the truth about the murder of his wife (Rachel Weisz) and highlights the nefarious machinations of pharmaceutical giants in Africa. Although it got no joy from BAFTA (despite 10 nominations), Weisz went on to bag the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Planting The Seeds
A gently perspiring Fiennes assures us the locals In Kibera have "no resentment" about the presence of film crews in the featurette Embracing Africa. It's explained that the production is designed to fit around them rather than other way around. Of course shooting in the slum - populated by 700,000 factory workers - threw up some challenges for Meirelles, but it's clear that the noise and bustle is also something he thrives on. The abiding impression left by this featurette is that every care was taken not only to respect the residents of Kibera, but also to involve them in the filmmaking process.
John Le Carré, who penned the novel on which the film is based, gives his assessment of Meirelles rendering in From Page To Screen. He recalls many Hollywood producers turning down the book simply because of the African setting, but he reckons Meirelles was drawn to it because "he could relate it to what goes on in Brazil". This is hardly a blow-by-blow account of the adaptation process although Carré reveals that many scenes from the novel had to be cut and reordered to preserve its essence. Later on, diplomat Edward Clay defends his position as the former British High Commissioner to Kenya.
Reaping The Benefits
Anatomy Of A Global Thriller isn't really a dissection of the story but a series of soundbites from cast and crew. Bill Nighy talks about pharmaceutical companies "using the Third World as a laboratory" while Fiennes comments on the relationship between Justin and Tessa, ie "He accidentally married his conscience." They also credit Meirelles for his ability to bring a "naturalness and spontaneity" to the action, but there's very little from the man himself. It's a greater shame that he offers no commentary to accompany the film.
Four deleted scenes feature more from Danny Huston as "first class creep" Sandy Woodrow and there's an exciting intrigue in Canada where Justin becomes witness to the murder of a scientist. Presented separately is the full version of the AIDS play performed on the street in Kibera, which deals with the social stigma attached to the disease.
Although this batch of extras puts The Constant Gardener neatly into its social context, the lack of input from Meirelles means we don't get nearly as much insight into the creative process. Still, even with these omissions, this DVD is more thought provoking than your average potboiler, digging beneath the surface to uncover a very deeply rooted racism.
EXTRA FEATURES
