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ERA
Did you know
27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
The Ninth Gate
"Every book has a life of its own."
1999 2h 13m EN
👍
6.5
SOLID
★6.5TMDB · 3,490
MysteryThrillerHorror
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
A rare book dealer finds himself at the heart of a string of paranormal events when he is hired to find the last two copies of a text, The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, capable of summoning the Devil.
“Every book has a life of its own.”
Cast
Johnny Depp
Dean Corso
Frank Langella
Boris Balkan
Lena Olin
Liana Telfer
Emmanuelle Seigner
The Girl
Barbara Jefford
Baroness Kessler
Jack Taylor
Victor Fargas
José López Rodero
Pablo & Pedro Ceniza/1st & 2nd Workmen
Tony Amoni
Liana's Bodyguard
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Roman Polanski
- Writers
- John Brownjohn, Roman Polanski, Enrique Urbizu
- Languages
- Spanish, French, English, Latin, Portuguese
- Countries
- Spain, France
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Spanish, French, English, Latin, Portuguese.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
International production across 2 countries: Spain, France.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
CAST
Did you know
219+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Roman Polanski, shot by Darius Khondji. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Wojciech Kilar. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Hervé de Luze shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Johnny Depp and Frank Langella and Lena Olin carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Roman Polanski directs. Darius Khondji behind the camera. Wojciech Kilar scores. Hervé de Luze cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Spain, France. Dialogue in Spanish, French, English, Latin, Portuguese.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 127 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Spanish, French, English, Latin, Portuguese.
- 3International production across 2 countries: Spain, France.
- 4219+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
- 5Directed by Roman Polanski, shot by Darius Khondji. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 6Original score by Wojciech Kilar. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 7Editor Hervé de Luze shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 8Johnny Depp and Frank Langella and Lena Olin carry the top of the cast.
- 9Marketing tagline: "Every book has a life of its own.".
- 10IMDB entry: tt0142688 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 11Classified under 29 themes, including "hotel", "new york city", "suicide", "library".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Darius Khondji
- Original score
- Wojciech Kilar
- Editing
- Hervé de Luze
- Production design
- Dean Tavoularis
- Costume design
- Anthony Powell
- Makeup / hair
- Paul Le Marinel
- VFX supervisor
- Kelley Ray
- Sound
- Anne Le Campion
- Stunt coordinator
- Dominique Fouassier
- Runtime
- 133 min · 2h 13m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $38,000,000
- Box office
- $58,401,898
- Return
- 154% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
Also by
Roman Polanski
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Dean★ 10/10
This is a beautiful masterpiece. Mysterious, dark and occult. Everything is great about this movie - the soundtracks, the story, the atmosphere... The sets are Gothic and gloomy, the music is aptly fitting, the acting and scripts even more so; nothing breaks the persistent, unshakable scene and tone that is set by Polanski, who has obviously taken into careful consideration every possible factor to create a deeply immersive, memorable experience for the viewer. There's not a single part in the movie which would bore you. I can't think of a single thing wrong with this movie. I can't find any plot mistakes. Actors are delivering superb acting, especially Johnny Depp & movie is very well directed. This movie is a good example that proves that you don't need a ton of action to make a good thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. This movie has so many hidden gems that you need to re-watch over and over to fully grasp the craftsmanship of Polanski's epic movie! And I have seen it more than ten times. That's how great is this movie.
- CinemaSerf★ 7/10
Johnny Depp is near his best in this devilishly demonic detective story. He is an unscrupulous, but knowledgable, New York rare book dealer who is charged by the millionaire Frank Langella to authenticate a text. "The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows" may or may not be able to summon the devil - or, at least, bestow the owner with some semblance of Satanic power. His search for the truth involves deceit, lust, many murders and a cat and mouse game with deadly consequences. Emmanuelle Seigner is suitably enigmatic as "the girl" - a sort of angelic person with ninja skills and Lena Olin hams it all up nicely as the sex-kitten (with claws) baddie. I enjoyed this; it is a complex supernatural thriller that doesn't try to impress with cheap special effects (though the music can be a little annoying at times); it's well written with a strong cast. At 2½ hours, however, it is too long; there are plenty of establishing shots that could have been trimmed/dumped to up the pace a bit more.
Production companies
Who made it
- R.
R.P. Productions
FR
- OR
Orly Films
FR
Bac Films
FR
- KI
Kino Visión
ES
- OR
Origen Producciones Cinematograficas
ES
- VÍ
Vía Digital
ES
Canal+
FR
TF1 Films Production
FR
Key crew
- NovelArturo Pérez-Reverte
- ProducerRoman Polanski
- Executive ProducerMishka Cheyko
- Executive ProducerWolfgang Glattes
- Line ProducerSuzanne Wiesenfeld
- EditorHervé de Luze
- CastingHoward Feuer
- Production DesignDean Tavoularis
- Art DirectionGérard Viard
- Set DecorationPhilippe Turlure
- Costume DesignAnthony Powell
- Production ManagerLaura Stuart
- Visual Effects SupervisorKelley Ray
- Assistant DirectorChristopher Gachet
- Assistant DirectorDavid Campi-Lemaire
- Assistant CameraDavid Nissen
- Assistant CameraHugues Espinasse
- Assistant CameraCendrine Dedise
- Steadicam OperatorCarlos Cabeceràn
- Steadicam OperatorJörg Widmer
- Steadicam OperatorJohn Ward
- SoundKeenan Wyatt
- CostumerLaurence Guindollet
- Makeup ArtistPaul Le Marinel
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- hotel
- new york city
- suicide
- library
- portugal
- obsession
- southern france
- investigation
- antiquary
- picture puzzle
- castle
- satanism
- collector
- lucifer
- devil
- demon
- millionaire
- book store
- occult
- macabre
- rare book
- devil worship
- gnosticism
- irreverent
- bibliophilia
- sinister
- bewildered
- ghoulish
- ominous
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical (limited)1999-12-24R· New York City, New York / Los Angeles, California
- Theatrical2000-03-10R
- Physical2000-07-18R· Artisan Home Entertainment VHS
Also known as
International titles
- Дев'ята брамаUA
- La última puertaUY
- Nionde portenFI
- I enati pyliGR
- 鬼上門TW
