The Ninth Gate 4K 1999

I’ve loved Arturo Pérez-Reverte’s *The Club Dumas* for a long time and deeply.

That’s why my initial reaction to the film was one of complete rejection. To put it mildly, very little of the book remains in the film: fragments of the plot, the ill-fated book with nine illustrations, and the protagonist’s surname. They didn’t even spare the name. But if you set the book aside and consider the film as a standalone work, it turns out to be quite worthy of attention.
The director is a recognized master, and the production reflects that.

The mystical atmosphere isn’t in-your-face or seeping out of every crack, but is built up very skillfully, gradually, and imperceptibly. The plot and the actors’ performances are deliberately calm and measured, yet the action doesn’t lose a shred of tension because of it.

This is a film about shifting priorities—from false ones to even more false ones. It’s about how the “hero of our time”—a time dominated by cynicism and money—unexpectedly discovers something more valuable than money. It’s about how, in our world that’s been traversed far and wide, well-trodden roads can sometimes give way to paths unknown to anyone. About how light is far from divine when its particles dwell in a witch’s green eyes. This is a very interesting film.

I’d like to give a special round of applause to the magnificent visuals and the wonderfully beautiful music during the end credits—a fitting final chord for this remarkable work of cinematic art.