MovieChat Forums > The Constant Gardener (2005) Discussion > you all missed the point - watch the mov...

you all missed the point - watch the movie again

posted 18 years ago by marwashabbar
58 replies | jump to latest

it is disappointing to see that so many people are not moved by this movie. you have all clearly missed the point.

this movie is about us, the self centred humanity. we have made the third world, the gini pigs of civilization and the scape goat of every possible sin know to man. and all of you are doing it again, turning a blind eye to the message the movie was carrying. no it is not impossible that big drug companies test their new drugs on Africans. the people living in developed countries are not willing to test knew drugs so drug companies got to the third world where the rate of disease is high and people have no other choice but to try the desease for thats all they have (it's a donation). then these drug companies would sell the drugs to these countries hiding any side effect. and people are stll forced to use it because there is no alternative. beside, drug companies were not the main target of the movie. it's the people ignorance that was the goal. we know the facts we have the evidance yet we stand up and say "there are no murders in Africa, only regretable deaths". it sickness me to see that so many people are criticizing the movie when they should be praising it.

what kills me is that there are those people who say, that this film was an entire myth, and africans are not the gini pigs of civilization but merely the less fortunate people of the globe.

if you thought that this movie was bad then think again and perhaps watch it again. if you still think it's bad then you are emotionless

[–] lululita33-1 17 years ago

I agree with you

And the more I read the posts on this board the more convinced i am that north american people are actually very smart.
There are a lot of ignorant people, a lot of haters, but a lot of intelligent people as wel, i was just wondering if you are are applying this on your every day life, i truly hope so

I also belive that the US can change

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ildgrubtrollet 16 years ago

I loved the movie. It was so powerfull and it made me think about humanity. You've got a clear point :)

[–] smoogy_smooger 16 years ago

Yes, we're all minding our own garden. The world outside is unknown. At least for many people who have been indoctrinated in Teletubby style television for decades it's like that.

[–] pet_the_monkey 16 years ago

Seriously, you guys can't all really be that naive can you. What do you think will happen in Africa if the total population survives disease and violence to the same extent we do. Do you think it will suddenly turn into a green paradise? There is such a thing as a carrying capacity for a country and environment and most African populations exceed it.

Saying that people are ignoring the problem makes it worse it ridiculous. There will always be problems in Africa. If any of you wanted to look, you could find problems in your own streets and towns. Why don't you start with those if you want to help people. I say ignore Africa and KEEP ignoring it. We have our own problems.

[–] jd-276 13 years ago

Seriously, you guys can't all really be that naive can you. What do you think will happen in Africa if the total population survives disease and violence to the same extent we do.

Yeah, let someone else die, not us. [rolleyes]

There will always be problems in Africa...I say ignore Africa and KEEP ignoring it. We have our own problems.

I'm just horrified by this. Are you really saying that it's okay for the West to continue to exploit 3rd World countries as a matter of convenience and not take any responsibility for the consequences? Are you really saying that just because there have always been problems in Africa that there always should be because that's the way it is (according to you)?

Geez man, where else would you get the tantalum for your iPhone?

[–] Gnokial 16 years ago

... but the media don't report them unless it is a disaster such as :

In March 2006, eight male volunteers checked into London's Northwick Park Hospital for a weeklong study of TGN1412, an experimental treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and leukemia to be manufactured by Boehringer- Ingelheim. Within minutes of receiving the first dose, six of them began to writhe in pain, vomit, and lose consciousness, according to news reports. Nurses rushed them to the hospital's trauma unit, where doctors treated them for multiple organ failure. The test subjects lived, but all suffered permanent damage to their immune systems and internal organs. One lost fingers and toes. Another developed signs of cancer possibly triggered by the drug.

Further news available at : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4811626.stm

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] greenegg 15 years ago

Would it surprise you to know many people would love to treat the US and Europe the same way you propose to treat the Africans and others in the "cradle of civilization?" I daresay you approved of small pox blankets and other such practices? Talk about bad karma!

As to the other tripe spouted in this thread: It is not the duty of cinema to entertain, but rather to stimulate the viewer's imagination. Likewise, novels, poems and plays do not exist merely to entertain, but also to educate in a provocative manner (without appearing didactic). If one is entertained, then that constitutes a bonus.

Obviously, Constant Gardener is based on le Carre's novel, which in turn was based on his research about the horrors of drug testing in so-called developing nations. John le Carré wrote in CG's afterword, "By comparison with the reality, my story [is] as tame as a holiday postcard." Does anyone really believe the same culture that tested its nuclear arsenal on Pacific atolls or in the southwestern desert would hesitate to test its pharmaceuticals upon people it deems expendable? For years, the west has exported its tainted, unwanted products, from baby formula to food, to developing nations. It's the same mentality behind our habit of reporting disasters aren't so bad when a few or no western people are hurt or killed. I don't think our failure of a government system will change in my lifetime, but that doesn't mean I will abandon my duty to vote intelligently and to protest vehemently when I see us committing atrocities both here and abroad. Rather than killing off these populations, we would do better to steer people away from destructive belief patterns, especially those that inform the fundamentalist branches of the world's major religions. I certainly hope you do not claim the west is civilized. If our system is the epitome of civilization, then call me a wild child.

Put puppy mills out of business: never buy dogs from pet shops!

[–] Matteson81 15 years ago

"Film media has a duty to entertain..."

I think film has a duty to whatever the hell the composer of such media intends for it to be. Its up to us, the viewing public, to decide whether or not it has merit, whether that merit be entertainment or such parallels as knowledge and understanding, etc. To say that film is only one thing pigeonholes a medium that has drastically changed over the years. For example, I dont believe all documentaries are made solely for entertainment value, quite the contrary. For every "Bowling for Columbine" there's five "Dear Zachary"s, and if youve ever seen the latter, I think we could both agree that "Dear Zachary: a Letter to a son about his father" was NOT made for entertainment purposes. You could argue that releasing such a personal film to the public does make it part of the entertainment arena, but I would argue that was not the intent, and that the story bears a universal theme that could be a teaching tool for those who find themselves in similar situations. Do some find "entertainment" in such things? Of course. I wouldnt dare be so obtuse to claim otherwise. But to say that film's only duty is to entertain is a rediculous blanket statement, considering the current climate of the medium.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

@greenegg

Great post.

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer

[–] greenegg 9 years ago

Thanks, PoppyTransfusion. What a lovely blast from the past. I forgot all about that one. I love your signature.

Put puppy mills out of business: never buy dogs from pet shops! 

[–] PoppyTransfusion 9 years ago

Your post was clear and strong. Liked what you wrote about film and art. It's prime function is debatable but it's not to entertain.

In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer

[–] greenegg 9 years ago



Put puppy mills out of business: never buy dogs from pet shops! 

[–] CharlesMartel80 15 years ago

This is obviously the effect it is supposed to have on you. Evil whitey exploiting the noble savage. Utter crap.

[–] jd-276 13 years ago

Prove it.

[–] dwarol 13 years ago

Sure, that's part of the movie's message. But it would be a very dull and strident movie if that's all there was. It would even validate others' criticism that the movie is told from a white westerner viewpoint instead of an African's.

But it's really about the central romance and the corruption of western society. The truth is that drug companies release many drugs to the western world that are questionable (e.g., fen-fen, Celebrex) that were first tested on western populations. Tobacco companies for decades knew about smoking and cancer, but western countries were their first market-of-choice. They focused primarily on the third world only after they got found out in the western world.

To make its point, the movie didn't have to travel to Africa, it could have stayed in Europe. The Africa storyline just added to the interest, as well as making the secondary point you mentioned. And let's not forget that at the end of the movie we are shown Africa's cruelty to its own people with the raid on the refugee camp by Africans.

[–] Helena727 10 years ago

And let's not forget that at the end of the movie we are shown Africa's cruelty to its own people with the raid on the refugee camp by Africans.

A lot of the problems in Africa are directly related to centuries of colonial and imperial rule by European nations; for example, such rule often disrupted relatively stable tribal governance. Read King Leopold's Ghost for a little insight into this.

Similarly, many problems in the Middle East are the result of Europe's carving up the region after WW I. Take a look at maps of the area -- lots of straight lines that created new divisions lumping together disparate peoples with no religious or community ties. Hugely problematic.

The subset of Westerners who lack conscience and choose to ignore these facts should be sufficiently motivated by self-interest to understand that in the global world of the 21st century, we do have to worry about what happens to people on other continents, because their political, ecological, and medical problems will ultimately become ours. For ex., AIDS needed no passport to flourish in the West.

I would rather that Westerners behave responsibly and compassionately bc of some inner humanity. Absent that, I'd settle for decent behavior prompted by self-interest.

"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people."