The Constant Gardener
Is John le Carre's The Constant Gardener better as movie or book?
Feb 19, 2007
Great books make lousy movies is the common belief. Apart from a few worthy exceptions, like Mike Nichols' valiant attempt at filming the unfilmableCatch-22, that's usually the case. Books aimed primarily at a children's audience (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter) seem to be much more successful than more literary works. It's easier to film Raymond Chandler than Raymond Carver.
John le Carre's The Constant Gardener is a great 500-page blockbuster of a thriller. It tells the story of Justin Quayle, the constant gardener of the title, who works at the British High Commission in Nairobi. His wife is found killed at Lake Turkana, as she is investigating possible corruption and illegal testing in Africa of a drug, Dyspraxa, that offers a cure for TB.
The Constant Gardener is a complex book that moves from Nairobi to London to Germany and to Canada, as Quayle makes a heroic and moving effort to track down his wife's killers. He glides from being a pillar of the establishment to becoming a pain in their side, as he uncovers the heartless cruelty of the drug companies, and the ruthless lust for money of a capitalist society.
To film a book like The Constant Gardener is undoubtedly a challenge. I recently watched the movie, just a few weeks after reading the book. Does it work? Well, I'd give it one cheer for a valiant attempt. Perhaps one and a half, because there's as much omitted as there is included.
An important part of Quayle's quest takes him to Canada, where he finds one of the drug's main developers. It's a quest that is missing from the movie, as is the whole story of the people behind the creation of the drug. Some of the large cast of characters appear without explanation. 'Who is that woman?' my wife asked me. 'She works at the High Commission,' I explained, though you wouldn't know it from the film. 'And who is that man, and why is he now in London?' 'That's Pellegrin, and he's been transferred back.' 'How are you supposed to know that?' Well, from watching the movie alone, you wouldn't.
Instead of becoming absorbed in the film of The Constant Gardener, I was regularly reminded of how much was missing. A few days later I happened to see the film of Girl with a Pearl Earring, where again chunks of the story were missing to condense it for the screen, but the film was so skilfully made that it wasn't a distraction. At the end of The Constant Gardener I was merely reminded of why movies and literature will forever be different. The book of The Constant Gardener is like a vast ocean, and beside it the movie is more of a village pond. They both have their appeal, but in the end there's no comparison.
Read Sandy Mitchell's review of John le Carre's Mission song by clicking here.
