::READERS REVIEWS::

REALLY dumb - This flick is promising for the first few minutes. Then not even Captain Sparrow can save it.

Great entertainment, unfairly over-analysed - Movies made for public consumption must be for entertainment, not for analysis for an award. The Ninth Gate is way more enjoyable than iconic movies like Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. There is unjustified over-analysis of this movie, which stifles enjoyment.

The cinematography was excellent, justifying the wide-screen. The DTS soundtrack was impressive. Colour saturation was intense, putting the Blu-ray to good effect. Comments on the Blu-ray version having washed out colours are groundless. When light streams in behind the actors through library and café windows, there is going to be less colour in areas lit by shafts of light: photography 101. There are a lot of scenes taking place in libraries, and there is a lot of backlighting in the movie. There is no colour washout at all: the skin tones are outstanding, as confirmed by the bare bodies of Lena Olin and Emmanuelle Seigner.

Lack of features? Roman Polanski's detailed and non-stop commentary was the best I have heard in a very long time - it is virtually an instructional lecture on movie making. This commentary, pleasantly, is never once self-serving or self-congratulatory. It incorporates into the narrative all the relevant material normally found in "Special Features". Besides one gets to watch this marvellous movie one more time, the original feature not having boring moments helps this exhaustive commentary readily consumable. The drawings in "Special Features" have characters bearing an uncanny resemblance to various actors.

Unresolved ending? Roman Polanski wisely leaves the final encounter between Johnny Depp and the Prince of Darkness to the viewer's imagination. To be fair, no movie interpretation can possibly come out right, nor can any good come out of it.

This Blu-ray does not work on the old Sony BDP-300, but is playable with models Sony BDP-350 and later 2.0 BDPs.

Many movies give the feeling "I could have written this script myself" or "another variation of a worn theme". Not this one. It is compelling and refreshing drama. Since this story was put to film in 1999, there has rarely been another quite as original.

Dumb ! - Since Polanski seems to no longer be able to direct films, he should return from flight, end his fugative from justice status, and serve his time for his crime; plying a 13 year old girl with drugs and alcohol, first raping, and then sodomizing her.

Good movie - until it ended... - Listen, I liked this movie as much as everyone else below. Johnny Depp is an amazing actor - the characters were well defined - good story - the movie was soooo good - and then it ended and you're like "What?" - I did of course figure out what happened but it did not fit the pace of the rest of the movie. It could've been soooo much better. The whole pace of the movie builds you up for some spectacular ending that never happens. The ending was a disgrace to the entire movie and made me hate the whole thing. Whats the point of a great story line if it doesn't carry you through to the end? If they had made a sequel that picked up from the end, I may have reconsidered my position on this movie - but since the sequel never came this movie is a disgrace to good movies.
Needless to say, I was very offended. This movie would've easily been one of my favorite movies but now I will never watch it again.
Great story line, great acting, great directing, TERRIBLE ending.

One of the best occult movies....EVER - This is not a scary movie, unless everyday evil being easy to miss is scary to you.

What this movie does have is depth. Polanski moved it along at a great pace, unfolding the tale bit by bit, but the thing is, there is much more than one story here. I suspect a lot of people will GET the surface but miss what lies at the depth.

There's a lot of thought in this story, and it draws from a rich occult background. If you've a background in Crowley, Hermeticism, OTO or such, you will get much more out of this movie than the person that is not familiar with these things. Careful detail was taken to weave hermetic occultism into the storyline, and if you are familiar with the AE WAITE tarot deck, you will recognize a lot of the symbols on the 'plates' of the book.

If you are looking for monsters, spells, things that go BOO and make you jump, blood, gore...this movie isn't for you. If you are very well read, and like intellectual horror, you just might find you want to own this one.

Great entertainment, unfairly over-analysed - Movies made for public consumption must be for entertainment, not for analysis for an award. The Ninth Gate is way more enjoyable than iconic movies like Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. There is unjustified over-analysis of this movie, which stifles enjoyment.

The cinematography was excellent, justifying the wide-screen. The DTS soundtrack was impressive. Colour saturation was intense, putting the Blu-ray to good effect. Comments on the Blu-ray version having washed out colours are groundless. When light streams in behind the actors through library and café windows, there is going to be less colour in areas lit by shafts of light: photography 101. There are a lot of scenes taking place in libraries, and there is a lot of backlighting in the movie. There is no colour washout at all: the skin tones are outstanding, as confirmed by the bare bodies of Lena Olin and Emmanuelle Seigner.

Lack of features? Roman Polanski's detailed and non-stop commentary was the best I have heard in a very long time - it is virtually an instructional lecture on movie making. This commentary, pleasantly, is never once self-serving or self-congratulatory. It incorporates into the narrative all the relevant material normally found in "Special Features". Besides one gets to watch this marvellous movie one more time, the original feature not having boring moments helps this exhaustive commentary readily consumable. The drawings in "Special Features" have characters bearing an uncanny resemblance to various actors.

Unresolved ending? Roman Polanski wisely leaves the final encounter between Johnny Depp and the Prince of Darkness to the viewer's imagination. To be fair, no movie interpretation can possibly come out right, nor can any good come out of it.

This Blu-ray does not work on the old Sony BDP-300, but is playable with models Sony BDP-350 and later 2.0 BDPs.

Many movies give the feeling "I could have written this script myself" or "another variation of a worn theme". Not this one. It is compelling and refreshing drama. Since this story was put to film in 1999, there has rarely been another quite as original.

Aristide Torchia's "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows" -- Prideful, seductive and evil, like all good books should be. - I have seen the film the "Ninth Gate" a few times now. I saw it in the theaters when it first came out, and on DVD when it was released in that form. I have seen the film several times on late-night television. Right now it after one in the morning and the house is dark and the glow of the TV is enthralling me once again. Roman Polanski created a minor masterpiece, along the level of "Rosemary's Baby." This thriller will keep you interested, and you will find the film entertaining. I would suggest having a computer standing by so that you can search out references on the Internet that Polanski alludes to but never fully explained. Once again, the director, Roman Polanski, leaves the mystery for all of us to figure out.

Our protagonist, Dean Corso, an antique book buyer, seller, and authenticator, hired by Frank Langella's character, Boris Balkan, a celebrated antique book collector, wants Dean to confirm that his copy of, "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows," written by the 17th century author Aristide Torchia, is authentic. Divulging plenty of information about the book and legend throughout the film by various book dealers informing us bit by bit, letting us put the clues together ourselves. The Inquisition burns the author of this hideous book on a stake in 1667. Of the five copies of the book, two have differences in the illustrations. The author signs some book illustrations, and other illustrations are signed by the illusive "LCF."

Thus, begins our hero's story, traveling to Europe he must meet with the owners of the remaining four copies available, and compare the books side by side. Johnny Depp, playing Dean Corso as older, graying at the temple, more distinguished, bookish person -- matching his demeanor as a professional book dealer. He goes to see the widow of the book's last owner, Liana Telfer (Lena Olin), after meeting her and discussing the book, she decides that she wants the book back and seduces Depp in order to do so.

Liana Telfer - "Don't screw me,"

Dean Corso - "I thought I already did."

After the seduction, Telfer looks for the book and not finding it, like a feral animal, attacks Corso and whacks him on the head with a bottle and knocking him unconscious. Finding his friend, Bernie, murdered, hanging upside-down, Corso retrieves the book and tries to head home. After the attack Corso calls Balkan, explaining to him that he wants to quit, however, Balkan, throws more money at him and encourages him to proceed.


The plot thickens, as they say. I am fascinated with the illustrations within this mystical book. "The Ninth Gate," reminds me of H. P. Lovecraft's legendary tome of his own, featured in his literary world, the dreaded, "Necronomican." During Depp's quest to authenticate the book he finds himself deeper and deeper into the mysteries that surround this legendary book and people start dying on him. Dean Corso's first meeting is with Victor Fargas, a true lover of antiques, he is later found dead in a pool. Next Corso meets with Baroness Kessler, a woman in love with the devil, history, and myth-- -- a woman in love with Satan--love at first sight. . Appearing to help Dean, when he loses the book and must recover it, a beautiful, mysterious, blonde woman, (Emmanuelle Seigner -- Polanski's wife) with green eyes, appears and saves Corso throughout the movie, guiding him practically though to a riveting and weird finale. We find that the seductive, evil, and breathtaking Liana Telfer, uses the book for satanic rituals, and the story becomes weirder and more compelling. You may have to watch this movie twice in order to catch everything. That's OK, because it is worth the investigation. Balkan appears during Liana Telfer's ritual and suddenly we have a black Sabbath gone horribly wrong, Balkin comes in and pridefully attacks Olin, kills her and takes the books and leaves.

The story is superb; the woman with green eyes is mysterious and all knowing. Lena Olin gives an extraordinary performance as Liana Telfer. The lighting director and cinematographers both deserve applause for setting the eerie mood, the dark pallet, offset by strange orange and red hues, foretelling the evil to come. The direction is sharp, and the editing is well paced, and not over the top. Polanski teases us, hinting to us in every scene, tantalizing us with glimpses into this ancient book and darkness that the legend and wicked secrets of the book "The Ninth Gate." The audience my not care as much about the characters as Roman Polanski would like us to. However, we do care if the book an authentic or a masterful forgery. Being caught up in the story is essential in suspending reality and allowing the movie to works its magic on us. I do have one unfavorable item to point out, and that is Depp's character Dean Corso, doesn't seem to change throughout this film, I don't see him grow; he seems to the same agnostic character till the very end, a non-believer of the super-natural. Depp plays this role low key and serious, and that may be why we don't detect any change in character. Even if you are not a Johnny Depp fan, see this movie, for the story, for the legend, for the weirdness, and most of all for yourself, you won't be sorry.

Great entertainment, unfairly over-analysed - Movies made for public consumption must be for entertainment, not for analysis for an award. The Ninth Gate is way more enjoyable than iconic movies like Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. There is unjustified over-analysis of this movie, which stifles enjoyment.

The cinematography was excellent, justifying the wide-screen. The DTS soundtrack was impressive. Colour saturation was intense, putting the Blu-ray to good effect. Comments on the Blu-ray version having washed out colours are groundless. When light streams in behind the actors through library and café windows, there is going to be less colour in areas lit by shafts of light: photography 101. There are a lot of scenes taking place in libraries, and there is a lot of backlighting in the movie. There is no colour washout at all: the skin tones are outstanding, as confirmed by the bare bodies of Lena Olin and Emmanuelle Seigner.

Lack of features? Roman Polanski's detailed and non-stop commentary was the best I have heard in a very long time - it is virtually an instructional lecture on movie making. This commentary, pleasantly, is never once self-serving or self-congratulatory. It incorporates into the narrative all the relevant material normally found in "Special Features". Besides one gets to watch this marvellous movie one more time, the original feature not having boring moments helps making this exhaustive commentary readily consumable. The drawings in "Special Features" have characters bearing an uncanny resemblance to various actors.

Unresolved ending? Roman Polanski wisely leaves the final encounter between Johnny Depp and the Prince of Darkness to the viewer's imagination. To be fair, no movie interpretation can possibly come out right, nor can any good come out of it.

This Blu-ray does not work on the old Sony BDP-300, but is playable with models Sony BDP-350 and later 2.0 BDPs.

Many movies give the feeling "I could have written this script myself" or "another variation of a worn theme". Not this one. It is compelling and refreshing drama. Since this story was put to film in 1999, there has rarely been another quite as original.

What was up with this ending? - In this film Johnny Depp plays an antique book dealer who is hired by a millionaire named Balkan to investigate two copies of a book on Satan. There are only three copies of this book in existence and Balkan has the third, which he loans to Depp in order to find out if any of the copies are fake.

The movie starts out very promisingly, with a look at how the antique book business works and travel to Europe to look at the other copies and the interesting characters we see along the way. However, several murders happen along the way and I'm still not sure exactly who was supposed to be responsible, or indeed who the female "protector" of Depp is. The book started out very well but towards the end through in some gratuitous sex and a last-minute plot twist and just left a bunch of things unsaid. If the loose threads had been wrapped up before the final credits this could have easily been a 5-star film, since the acting and the cinematography were great, but I couldn't do it.

Wonderful - The DVD arrived much sooner than anticipated and in perfect condition.
Very thankful to the seller and will use their services again!

Interesting detective story at beautiful European locations, adult fairytale - The Ninth Gate is one of those movies that reminds me of how hard it is to write a review that people can agree with. It is a film that I love, but understand that it is not an interesting movie for others. Things I really appreciate, like the anti-movement against rapid cut scenes and numerous close ups, is like a life-saving suck of air for me. A movie about books, that appreciate and put on-screen the finer qualities such as detail shots of the type and illustrations. I see far too many movies today that remind me of what microsoft and apple want the future to be. This movie is like a valentine to book lovers like me, and it is another reason why I adore this movie.

The blue ray edition of the ninth gate has some nice additions. I found the audio commentary by Roman Polanski educational. He warms up to the movie after some time; after all, the commentary was done a year after the movie was released. Polanski is inspired to speak more than just about the MO, into what scenes he personally liked the most, and uncovers some of his artistic process.

This is a movie that is worth paying attention to. There are many details that I found rewarding to find. The ninth gate has some stirring moments such as the curious energy that is within a womans green eyes, that appear un-human. The pages of the book, make you believe that they take life. You see similarities in the faces of the characters you meet with those within the unholy book. And the sometimes horrific scenes illustrated in the book, seem attached to what happens to our detective. A translation from latin, gives warning to danger from above; and then the unpredictable accident occurs from above. A scafolding falls apart to the danger of anyone below. Another eerie illustration gives chase to an immediate scene that faceplants you directly into the page of the book itself.

The ninth gate is a movie that prepares you and intices you, like when you were a child listening to red robinhood. Except this movie is for the adult in you now. It is a story with anticipation, mystery, and unnamed danger lurking around every corner. It borrows iconic moments that we all know and love. A great movie that I highly recommend, but it is a movie that requires some faith on your behalf. Try to appreciate the different qualities of this movie, that seperates itself from what generaly is made into movies today.