FFVP review - The Ninth gate

"The Ninth Gate" is, to put it simply, a detective story with an occult theme. After an intriguing start with a mysterious suicide and a scene that establishes the unscrupulous character of a broker in rare books, the movie resorts to the Hardy Boys school of filmmaking. The movie’s busiest scenes, surprisingly, have no sense of urgency. There is an abundance of dank atmosphere in the dark recesses of antique book stores and private libraries, but all they stir is the threat of an asthmatic attack from all the implied dust. The underlying tension that threatens to explode and does in director Roman Polanski’s best films, like "Repulsion" (1965) and "Chinatown" (1974), is sorely lacking, despite the credible performances of the actors.

Johnny Depp is Dean Corso, a book detective for hire. Recognized by book collectors as one of the best, he knows an original when he sees it. He knows when they are undervalued or overpriced, like a good stockbroker. There are also books that are priceless, like the legendary manual of satanic invocations, The Nine Gates of the Shadow Kingdom. Several people believe they possess the one true original copy while others believe each is slightly different making them equally valuable. All believe the book(s) hold the secret of unlimited Satanic power. None have been able to unlock it. The devil himself is said to be the author of the texts. Each book does hold a piece of a puzzle, a variation on a medieval picture that leads from one portal - gate - to another. Some are forgeries. Corso is hired to find the real thing(s) for his client, Boris Balkan (Frank Langella). He is a master of demonology who thinks he has discovered the secret of the nine gates. Once Corso gets going, the narrative of "The Ninth Gate" plods along like a pedestrian B movie. Bad guys follow him, people die in his wake, and strange things begin to happen when a guardian angel/devil in the person of Emmanuelle Seigner, shows up flying down from a tree here and delivering karate chops there to protect him. There are a few remarkable set pieces with the dead Baroness (Barbara Jefford), another Satanist, bouncing from wall to wall in her electric wheelchair, and the seduction of Corso by his protector, but they demonstrate what could have been.

It is interesting to point out that the writers and co-authors of many of Polanski’s moives reflect his approach to each film. Gerard Brach worked on three of his kinkier films from the sixties, "Repulsion," "Cul-de-Sac," "The Fearless Vampire Killers," as well as "The Tenant" from 1976. His two big mainstream Hollywood hits, "Rosemary’s Baby," based on a book by Ira Levin and the original "Chinatown" by Robert Towne, reflect the interests of their authors. The implication is that Polanski needs the assured hand of a good collaborator if he is to reclaim his reputation as one of the Greats.

"Repulsion" (1965) - Catherine Deneuve goes bonkers as a sexually repressed woman who turns her apartment into haven for her insanity, offing a few people in the bargain.

Polanski stunningly visualizes the world seen through her sick mind in gruesome Black and White that owes as much to the original silent "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" as any modern movie. A tour de force.

"The Tenant" (1976) - Roman Polanski goes bonkers as a recluse intimidated by the aura - ghost - memory (call it what you will) of the suicide victim who once roomed in his apartment. This is - admittedly - painfully slow to start but the almost imperceptible transition from the reality to insanity - with (if memory serves me correctly) one crucial shot - is guaranteed to send chills down your spine - and the ending tops that.

"The Fearless Vampire Killers" (1976) - This is a campy Dracula send up that gets better every time you look at it. The dark humor has more to do with the stylized attitude of almost everything in it from the delivery of the lines to the set design, which is pure period kitsch.

Okay! - Then there’s "Rosemary’s Baby" (1968) and "Chinatown" (1974).