THE CONSTANT GARDENER
Setting Notes
TIME: The story takes place in 2004. This information comes from the date on the back of the Dypraxa packet and is confirmed by the dates on the computer screen for Grace Makanga's tour. The scenes of Tessa and Justin meeting probably happened a couple of years earlier.
PLACE: The Constant Gardener was shot on location in Kenya, where it was set. This makes the story more naturalistic. The majority of the film takes place in Kenya but there are also scenes in London, Berlin and the Sudan
REPRESENTATION OF PLACES THROUGH PEOPLE
The British are mostly wealthy and of the 'ruling class' – this includes Tessa and Justin. He is from a diplomatic family – "Quayles have always made reliable foreign service men," says Pellegrino – and she comes from money: "Tess left you bloody well off."
The Kenyans are represented by Wanza Kilulu (the patient who dies after her treatment fails), her brother Kioko Kilulu, Dr Ngaba, the Health Minister, the various health workers; the corrupt police; and the many locals at the other end of the social scale: the servants, the children in the slums, the patients in the hospital. Most of them are poor and many suffer from poor health.
KEY SETTINGS IN THE FILM
EUROPE – First world settings / AFRICA – Third World settingsLONDON, ENGLAND
Justin / Tessa’s flats
Pellegrin’s club
Heathrow airport
High Commission
Church for Justin’s funeral
Berlin, GERMANY
HIPPO headquarters
British High Commission in KENYA
(a little piece of Britain) / KENYA
Lake Turkana (where Tessa/Justin are murdered)
Nairobi urban scenes
the slum, Kibera
Hospital
Markets
SUDAN – Village where Lorbeer works
1. Opening / Closing scenes: Lake Turkana, Kenya
· Site of Tessa and Justin’s death. Shown in the opening and closing scenes.
· It signifies the beginning of the end for Justin’s and Tessa. Show the lyrical beauty of Kenya’s nature but the way it is shot is also haunting and sad.
· Vast salt flats with craters; striking colours: blue and green water, whites and rust-red of shore; flocks of flamingos; absence of any other life.
Techniques used:
· AERIAL shots, High angles, Extreme Long shots to emphasise the expanse of land; TRACKING shot of birds. Suggestive of something spiritual - the flight of Tessa and Justin’s souls? Lots of close ups of Justin's head.
2. London, England.
Events:
1. Justin and Tess meet in the lecture theatre in London
2. Justin and Tessa go back to Tessa’s house in London; Justin later goes back to the house while mourning for Tessa
3. Justin at Heathrow Airport
4. Justin and Pellegrin meet at Pellegrin’s club in London
5. Ham’s house with Justin, Ham and Tessa’s nephew as Justin starts to discover the extent of Tessa’s research and work into the illegal drug testing in Africa
6. Justin’s funeral at a church in London – Ham makes a speech about Justin and Tessa’s work in Kenya, Pellegrin leaves in conviction
How is London presented?
Mise en scene / colour / lighting: London is very cold looking, with the lots of greys and blues – seems to give the impression that it is winter time. Everything is very rigid and serious – the techniques used to portray London reflect this well.
Most of the buildings (e.g. airport, lecture room) are grey, shiny (mirrored surfaces), modern architecture and commercial in feel indicating the wealth/anonymity of a 21st C metropolis. Others, like the Gentleman’s club – have classical architecture (columns, pillars of marble, rich furnishings) suggest the British Empire and ruling class
Shots tend to be very still and focussed mid shots – which in comparison to the fast paced documentary type shots of Kenya, repeatedly showing ELS of the land and people, proves a seriousness and intensity about London. It comes across as a very sterile environment.
Contrast between settings: Many shots emphasise the mobility and opportunity Westeners have. They can go wherever they want and have total autonomy i.e., access to cars, trains, European passports. In contrast, many of the African people we are in poverty, stuck in a village or slum and vulnerable to attack or raids. They have few choices available to them. For example when Tessa wants to take Kioko home, they have the ability to take them in their vehicle but they chose not to – they have a choice, the Kenyans have no alternative options than to walk or bike.
Justin’s House
Colours – blues, greys, greens. Sombre feeling to it
Lots of plants à relates to his interest, gardening
Tessa’s Home - before and after they meet.
After Tessa has died and Justin goes back to London to this setting the audience experiences an extreme sense of loss, the house is empty, very dull and grey. The garden is extremely overgrown and we see close ups of Justin’s face from inside the rain splattered glass, he is trapped and shut off from his old life, it is gone and its just a memory. We see Tessa and he can no longer get to her. This creates a strong sense of longing for her and his old life. This all represents Justin’s loneliness opposed to when they first meet.
In the flashbacks a light sensual mood is created in her house, the room is much brighter, presented through the colour white and yellow. There are close-ups of both Justin’s and Tessa’s faces swell as their movement, which shows memories of when they used to be together. There is slow, sad somewhat oriental music in the background.
Pellegrin's club
How is it presented? Overpowers the viewer and Justin with the sense of privilege, of class, of the power of the ruling classes, of the establishment. Magnificent architecture, especially the staircase; the chandeliers, busts, sculptures; the rules, the hushed atmosphere – all designed to intimate and control. Genteel bullying starts with the porter – can't take briefcase into dining room. Shot in LS and ELS to start with.
The director conveys the idea that the British are above everyone else. They eat high-class French food. There is an African waiter who barely even gets a glance from Pellegrin. There are the pointing black and white statues. Every table has two men seated, very quiet and there is no sense of life, everything is in a greeny/grey tone.
Heathrow Airport
How is it presented? It’s presented as a place under surveillance, with the presence of CCTV camera’s emphasized through CU shouts. Lots of shiny metallic grey surfaces in London, reflecting dullness
There is a definite and sharp contrast from Arica to London at this time showing the old buildings, the old establishment and overall a very rigid setting.
3. Berlin, Germany:
Starts off at London train station presented by low angle, OTS shots and gives feeling of grey and ham gives him warnings about what he can and can’t do now that Justin is on the run. When on the train to Germany everything is very fast paced everything appears blurry as there is a lack of colour but a blend of greys. The shrieking sounds create an atmosphere of fear and convey that this is now his new world as the shrieking sounds portray the idea that this is his new world as the situation he is currently in the events is unpredictable.]
When Justin meets Tessa’s friend Birgit from Hippo, she is very guarded and does not want to be seen or talk to him in public, this is conveyed through the camera shots of low angles and long shot, Birgit is constantly on the watch this creates a sense of fear and tension.
When Justin is in his apartment while he is getting beaten-up there is the sound of the t.v, the room is green, the curtains are shut this creates a feeling of no escape, as if he is trapped and the audience fears for Justin’s life.
4. Kibera, the slum in Kenya
How this is presented in the film:
no fresh water, no sewerage system - open sewage drains; cooking outdoors, barefooted children; pigeons, chickens, goats; rusted corrugated iron roofs; train runs through it; train line used as thoroughfare, bicycles.
Film techniques used to show Kibera
natural light; aerial and H/A shots; TRACKING shots of children and workers
same distinctive colours – rust-red, sky blue – used by street theatre also
sounds of train, of children, of animals, of drums; plus African music on soundtrack à lively, bustling atmosphere
Even though the Kibera slums are poverty stricken they are portrayed through bright, vivid colours compared with London which is presented as more dull and grey. This indicates that even though the Kenyan people are poor and unable to afford materialistic possession they are happier and satisfied with their lives, whereas the British people believe that it is money and materialistic possessions which will bring them happiness. The Kenyans live a carefree life in their slums whereas the British are living to hide the exploitation and corruption they are causing in Africa.
The African setting is vital – the film is about Africa and the way it is being abused – though there are probably other countries apart from Kenya for which the story could be equally applicable. The contrast between the slums and the BHC is important for underlining the themes; and the emptiness and dangerous frontier aspects of the areas out of the city are important for the plot.
5. Nairobi – urban scenes
Colours – Bright colours, reds and oranges
You get the sense of community, a very upbeat full of life environment – even though the area is filthy and run down. Influence of British society e.g., train – taken ASPECTS into development, but still very much rooted in African culture.
These scenes are filmed documentary style to give a sense of realism and liveliness. Lots of mid-shots of people, and lots of Extreme Long Shots of crowded markets and streets - put an emphasis on the amount of people in Africa.
Hospital in Nairobi
Dark, shifty mood created by low key lighting and mise-en-scene which is slightly chaotic. Not the pristine, sterile feel of a Western hospital. Shots that make people and their discussions look secretive are used – shots that look through doors, shots that let you see ‘around the corner’ as if to show something going on that we shouldn’t know about etc. This foreshadows what we later learn – the secret drug trials that Dr Lorbeer is carrying out on AIDS patients.
6. Sudan
Shot types: Lots of WS and H/A of the many children – showing a level of vulnerability and insignificance of the people. Hand held cameras give it a documentary type feel (therefore realism) – lots of moving fast panning shots.
Lighting is extremely bright; it’s very dusty showing the harshness of the climate. Shots from in the plane also emphasise that it is almost a dead land. Very rocky, earthy colours show that it is not very prosperous countryside.
The director shows us the village lifestyle; they stick together in order to survive their harsh surroundings. Despite their challenging lifestyle, we see the village women dressed in bright colours, covered in large amounts of colourful jewellery the children have smiles on their faces. We also see the primitive lifestyle. They live in huts with mud floors, there are no roads, and the hospital/clinic is practically outside.
When the raid happens, fast cutting and use of steadicam gives the viewer get a sense of desperation and fear come across their small village as everyone’s lives are in danger. The tribesmen kill as many as possible, the village goes up in flames, animals run everywhere and children and adults fall dead to the ground. There is sad, slow music playing but we get the idea that they are a tough and strong culture because they deal with such frequent loss from various diseases and yet they manage to find hope and life in their small village. This is a huge contrast to London where we see people with access to everything they could ever want and yet they have a ‘grey’ society, so many are unhappy and not content with what they have.