Post by The Dream Warrior on Oct 30, 2005 17:53:17 GMT -5
SPOILERS ALERT!!!
*blows the dust of the Ninth Gate forum* We need to get this board going again! Who's with me?
The ending confused me at first... but then I read this on IMDb and it all started to make sense!
Check this out
(disclaimer: this was posted by aewain on The Internet Movie Database. It was not writen by me. Although I did edit it to make it a little more G rated)
Corso, Balkin and the widow Telfer are all just 'normal' mortals trying to pass through the nine gates to summon Lucifer/transcend to immortality at Lucifer's right hand.
The Girl is a familiar, as Balkin discusses at the lecture at the start of the film. She is Corso's familiar and guardian anti-angel, who protects him from harm and ineffably guides him to the final point.
The dog is a manifestation of Lucifer, watching as Corso makes the transition between doing a job and seeking daemonic power through the Book of the Nine Gates. This is just after he sees the final 3 LCF engravings and wheelchair woman gets whacked out.
Gate: 1 "Silence is golden" - picture of a knight on a quest to a castle
Corso is on a secret quest; he never reveals more than he needs to (e.g. to wheelchair woman). By keeping schtum he passes this gate.
Gate: 2 "Open that which is closed" - picture of old man and dog
This represents Corso having his mind openend to Satanic possibilities that he had previously discounted; by understanding the potential of the book he passes this gate. (As I suggest above, the dog sees this.)
Gate: 3 "Wasted breath keeps a secret" - picture of death from above
This represents the old Portugese book experts and the scaffolding collapsing as Corso legs it. They appear to be minions of Satan, and they are certainly talk crap about forgeries of the book while still holding the true copy of the engraving of the Ninth Gate (ha!). By surviving this Corso passes the gate.
Gate: 4 "Chance is not the same for all" - picture of the jester at the maze
This represents the fact that the people questing for the nine gates take circuitous routes and don't all get the same results. By going through all the palaver and reaching an ultimate conclusion, Corso passes this gate.
Gate: 5 "In vain" - picture of man giving all his coin to Lucifer/death
This represents the fact that Corso/Balkin forsake or spend much cash on their quest; in fact, noone is willing to give up the book for any price (note that Corso does not pick up the cheque that Balkin has waiting in New York; he wants immortality, not prosperity). The "in vain" may represent the fact that Balkin's cash all ended up being worthless at preventing his infernal doom. Corso passed this gate by pursuing the quest and not the dollar.
Gate: 6 "I enrich myself with death" - picture of dead guy hanging by leg
This is the most blatant engraving and represents Bernie's death benefitting Corso by keeping the silence and keeping the secret of the location of the book. Corso passed this gate by being enriched by his only friend's death.
Gate: 7 "The disciple outshines the master" - picture of king playing chess with peasant
This represents Corso winning out over Balkin as Balkin dies in the flames of his own arrogance. Corso was little more than Balkin's serf to begin with, but ends up the true master. He passes this gate in the eponymous fiery death scene.
Gate: 8 "Virtue lies defeated" - picture of guy clubbing praying bloke
This represents Corso's vestigial goodness being battered out of him at the moment of wheelchair woman's death and his realisation of the truth of the book of the nine gates. I alluded to this above (dog, 9 LCF engravings etc.). Corso passes this gate by being a jerk. Hurray for jerks.
Gate: 9 "I know now that the shadows come from the light" - picture of naked bird on top of multi-headed hydra (are there any other sort?)
This represents Corso doing it the Girl, and making his way to the malevolent light of evil shining from the shadows of the castle. The hydra represents the evil that is now Corso, the naked girl represents the naked Girl. Corso passes the ninth gate by doing it with Girl and going to light.
Hurray for Corso!
An interesting side note is that Balkin's incantantation matches Corso's quest, as follows:
To travel in silence by a long and circuitous route,
To brave the arrows of misfortune and fear neither noose nor fire,
To play the greatest of all games and win, foregoing no expense,
Is to mock the vicssitudes of fate and gain at last the key,
That will unlock... the Ninth Gate,
Please of the above with the body text I outlined in detail previously. Note that no matter what happens, or the repercussions, Corso was dogged in his pursuit of power (be it wheelchair woman in flames or Bernie on the noose). An object lesson to us all; try hard and you might become a daemon in satan's pantheon. Sweet.
*blows the dust of the Ninth Gate forum* We need to get this board going again! Who's with me?
The ending confused me at first... but then I read this on IMDb and it all started to make sense!
Check this out
(disclaimer: this was posted by aewain on The Internet Movie Database. It was not writen by me. Although I did edit it to make it a little more G rated)
Corso, Balkin and the widow Telfer are all just 'normal' mortals trying to pass through the nine gates to summon Lucifer/transcend to immortality at Lucifer's right hand.
The Girl is a familiar, as Balkin discusses at the lecture at the start of the film. She is Corso's familiar and guardian anti-angel, who protects him from harm and ineffably guides him to the final point.
The dog is a manifestation of Lucifer, watching as Corso makes the transition between doing a job and seeking daemonic power through the Book of the Nine Gates. This is just after he sees the final 3 LCF engravings and wheelchair woman gets whacked out.
Gate: 1 "Silence is golden" - picture of a knight on a quest to a castle
Corso is on a secret quest; he never reveals more than he needs to (e.g. to wheelchair woman). By keeping schtum he passes this gate.
Gate: 2 "Open that which is closed" - picture of old man and dog
This represents Corso having his mind openend to Satanic possibilities that he had previously discounted; by understanding the potential of the book he passes this gate. (As I suggest above, the dog sees this.)
Gate: 3 "Wasted breath keeps a secret" - picture of death from above
This represents the old Portugese book experts and the scaffolding collapsing as Corso legs it. They appear to be minions of Satan, and they are certainly talk crap about forgeries of the book while still holding the true copy of the engraving of the Ninth Gate (ha!). By surviving this Corso passes the gate.
Gate: 4 "Chance is not the same for all" - picture of the jester at the maze
This represents the fact that the people questing for the nine gates take circuitous routes and don't all get the same results. By going through all the palaver and reaching an ultimate conclusion, Corso passes this gate.
Gate: 5 "In vain" - picture of man giving all his coin to Lucifer/death
This represents the fact that Corso/Balkin forsake or spend much cash on their quest; in fact, noone is willing to give up the book for any price (note that Corso does not pick up the cheque that Balkin has waiting in New York; he wants immortality, not prosperity). The "in vain" may represent the fact that Balkin's cash all ended up being worthless at preventing his infernal doom. Corso passed this gate by pursuing the quest and not the dollar.
Gate: 6 "I enrich myself with death" - picture of dead guy hanging by leg
This is the most blatant engraving and represents Bernie's death benefitting Corso by keeping the silence and keeping the secret of the location of the book. Corso passed this gate by being enriched by his only friend's death.
Gate: 7 "The disciple outshines the master" - picture of king playing chess with peasant
This represents Corso winning out over Balkin as Balkin dies in the flames of his own arrogance. Corso was little more than Balkin's serf to begin with, but ends up the true master. He passes this gate in the eponymous fiery death scene.
Gate: 8 "Virtue lies defeated" - picture of guy clubbing praying bloke
This represents Corso's vestigial goodness being battered out of him at the moment of wheelchair woman's death and his realisation of the truth of the book of the nine gates. I alluded to this above (dog, 9 LCF engravings etc.). Corso passes this gate by being a jerk. Hurray for jerks.
Gate: 9 "I know now that the shadows come from the light" - picture of naked bird on top of multi-headed hydra (are there any other sort?)
This represents Corso doing it the Girl, and making his way to the malevolent light of evil shining from the shadows of the castle. The hydra represents the evil that is now Corso, the naked girl represents the naked Girl. Corso passes the ninth gate by doing it with Girl and going to light.
Hurray for Corso!
An interesting side note is that Balkin's incantantation matches Corso's quest, as follows:
To travel in silence by a long and circuitous route,
To brave the arrows of misfortune and fear neither noose nor fire,
To play the greatest of all games and win, foregoing no expense,
Is to mock the vicssitudes of fate and gain at last the key,
That will unlock... the Ninth Gate,
Please of the above with the body text I outlined in detail previously. Note that no matter what happens, or the repercussions, Corso was dogged in his pursuit of power (be it wheelchair woman in flames or Bernie on the noose). An object lesson to us all; try hard and you might become a daemon in satan's pantheon. Sweet.
