Arturo Pérez-Reverte's supernatural mystery novel, "The Club Dumas," makes for an intriguing, labyrinthine read. Set in a universe where antiquarian booksellers are aplenty, the novel follows Lucas Corso, who is hired to authenticate a manuscript by Alexandre Dumas. Corso is soon led down an increasingly dangerous, absurd path that causes him to flit around the world in search of an elusive truth lost to humanity, specifically, the gates to hell.
Roman Polanski's take on Pérez-Reverte's work culminates in the atmospherically tense "The Ninth Gate," which follows the basic beats of the novel except for its open-ended conclusion. "The Club Dumas" also ends on an interpretative note, but the novel's merit lies in reinforcing its literary-heavy references in a meaningful manner, while the film takes a more loose stance in deepening its convoluted mythos. Almost nothing is explained for clarity, as the film assumes that its religio-mythical metaphors speak for themselves.
Roman Polanski's take on Pérez-Reverte's work culminates in the atmospherically tense "The Ninth Gate," which follows the basic beats of the novel except for its open-ended conclusion. "The Club Dumas" also ends on an interpretative note, but the novel's merit lies in reinforcing its literary-heavy references in a meaningful manner, while the film takes a more loose stance in deepening its convoluted mythos. Almost nothing is explained for clarity, as the film assumes that its religio-mythical metaphors speak for themselves.
- 12/11/2023
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
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