In GOSFORD PARK, Robert Altman explores the English class system and master-servant relations via his preferred modus operandi of multiple characters and intertwining storylines,... more
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Gosford Park [2002]
Gosford Park finds director Robert Altman in sumptuously fine form. From the opening
... more
shots, as the camera peers through the trees at an opulent English country estate, Altman exploits the 1930s period setting and whodunit formula of the film expertly. ...
Gosford Park [2002]
Gosford Park finds director Robert Altman in sumptuously fine form. From the opening
... more
shots, as the camera peers through the trees at an opulent English country estate, Altman exploits the 1930s period setting and whodunit formula of the film expertly. ...
Advantages: Agatha Christie-like Disadvantages: Too many characters
Introduction
As soon as I heard about this film, I knew it would be right up my street. Described as a murder mystery, it is set in a stately home in 1930s England. With a large number of famous actors and actresses, including Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Helen Mirren, Charles Dance, Stephen Fry and Clive Owen, it couldn't really go much wrong. And I wasn't disappointed, well, not too disappointed anyway - it takes a while before any action ... ...it's a must-see for anyone that enjoys crime fiction by writers such as Agatha Christie. The director
Robert Altman, who came up with the idea for the story, along with Bob Balaban, was born in Kansas in 1925. He has written, directed and produced a number of films, although the majority of them are not particularly well-known. He is probably best-known for directing Alfred Hitchcock's TV show and writing the script for MASH.
The plot
Sir William ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Impressive cast, nice setting, some good bits Disadvantages: Confusing, too many characters to care about them, dreary in parts
...risible special effects. So reviewing Gosford Park will be a tricky one for me, as I didn’t love it and I didn’t hate it, it was just okay.
We don’t visit Blockbuster often but we had a childfree evening and it was my birthday, so Hubby and I went there and perused the video shelves. I love romantic comedies and chick flicks, Hubby isn’t keen. I hated The Matrix, he loved it. So we carefully inspected the videos trying to ... ...up Gosford Park because of the huge cast list – this film is literally stuffed full of well-known British actors. I watch a film often solely because of the stars in it, so this is always a draw. Hubby likes Stephen Fry. So we hired it and sat down to watch, Indian takeaway and Haagen-Dazs ice cream as an accompaniment.
It’s a long film at 2 hours 17 minutes. However, the pace alters throughout the film, so it seems very long in parts ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Acting, Sets Disadvantages: Too many characters, no one to sympathise with
Impressed by the cast-list of Gosford Park, and by the reviews I had read praising it to the hilt, I rented the video, turned down the lights and settled back for a cinematic treat. Boasting more fine British actors than you could shake a stick out, and Robert Altman at the directing helm, this couldn’t fail to be anything but brilliant. Or could it?
That Cast List:
Maggie Smith ... Constance, Countess of Trentham Michael Gambon ... Sir William ... ...The Plot:
Gosford Park is the country estate of Sir William McCordle (Gambon) and his wife, Lady Sylvia (Kristin Scott Thomas). They gather the above ensemble at the house for a weekend shooting party.
The party includes a countess, a war hero, an American film producer and the famous matinee idol Ivor Novello.
As the toffs gather above stairs, their various valets and maids join the Gosford staff below stairs.
So begins two separate but intertwining ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: A refreshing reinvention of the "whodunnit"! Disadvantages: Potentially confusing multiple plot.
Gosford Park is a beautifully shot satire that comments on the servant master-relationship during the 1930's through the eyes of the servants in a country house over the course of the weekend when the master of the house is murdered - twice! It is a refreshing reinvention of the 'whodunnit'. I have to say that this was one of my 'must see' films at the time it was released, which was quite an achievement! With both 'Ocean's Eleven' and 'Gosford Park' ... ...of which is true of Gosford Park. Gosford Park is predictable (and compared to an action film it could be described as slow) but that is some of its charm. Quite frankly, anyone who doesn't have a pretty fair guess of who they think the murderer is should go and watch 'The Fast and the Furious' (don't get me wrong that is a good film - you just might as well leave your brain at the door.) This doesn't really matter though, because the murder only ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Complex plot, excellent cast, oodles of period atmosphere Disadvantages: Not enough screen time for_some of_the stars, some will find_the number_of characters a_little overwhelming
Gosford Park is your typical "who dunnit" murder mystery... except that, in many ways, it is anything but a typicla who dunnit murder mystery. Featuring a cast absolutely loaded with star names, Gosford Park does indeed contain a murder, and there is a mystery surrounding who dunnit - but this is an extremely small part of the film, in fact it's almost a side point. The build up gives us a chance to see the tensions building between the different ... ...Other Details Director: Robert Altman Rated R for some language and brief sexuality (UK Rating: 15) Runtime: 137 minutes (didn't seem too long) Awards: Apart from an Oscar, Gosford Park won a staggering 26 further awards and 46 nominations from various associations. ...
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Actor(s): Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott-Thomas, Camilla Rutherford, Maggie Smith, Charles Dance, Geraldine Somerville, Eileen Atkins, Bob Balaban, Alan Bates, Stephen Fry, Richard E. Grant, Derek Jacobi, Helen Mirren, James Wilby, Clive Owen, Jeremy Northam, Alan Bates, Derek Jacobi, Sophie Thompson, Kelly MacDonald, Emily Watson, Helen Mirren, Ryan Phillippe, Tom Hollander, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Fry, Helen Mirren, Stephen Fry, Helen Mirren
Director(s): Robert Altman
Genre: Drama
Classification: 15 years and over
Production Year: 2001
Running Time: 2 hours 17 minutes
Video Category: Feature Film
Country Of Origin: United Kingdom
Plot: The action takes place in an old country house in England in the 1930s where friends have been invited for a shooting weekend by the man of the house - William McCordle. He is benefactor to many of his friends and relatives but it seems now that everyone wants a piece of William and his money...
Release details
DVD Region: Region 2 (Europe)
Studio(s): ENTERTAINMENT IN VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date: 23/09/2002
No of Discs: 1
Catalogue No: EDV 9173
Barcode: 5017239191732
Screenwriter: Robert Altman, Julian Fellowes, Robert Jones
Featured: Bob Balaban
Executive Producer: Jane Barclay, Sharon Harel, Robert Jones
Author: Robert Altman
Producer: Robert Altman, David Levy, Bob Balaban, Robert Jones
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Feature Length Director Commentary, Deleted Scenes With Optional Director Commentary, The Making Of Gosford Park Documentary, The Authenticity Of Gosford Park Documentary
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Award information
OSCAR: Best Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen 2002 (Julian Fellowes)
DVD Description
In GOSFORD PARK, Robert Altman explores the English class system and master-servant relations via his preferred modus operandi of multiple characters and intertwining storylines, which he achieved so brilliantly in NASHVILLE. Featuring an all-star British ensemble cast, the film recalls both THE RULES OF THE GAME and THE REMAINS OF THE DAY, with a midpoint shift to an Agatha Christie whodunit. In November 1932, a phalanx of moneyed guests arrives for a weekend shooting party at the estate of Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and Lady Sylvia (Kristin Scott Thomas). Mary (Kelly Macdonald), a fresh-faced, naive new maid accompanies the sniping Countess of Trentham (Maggie Smith), and is shown the ropes by the house's worldly head housemaid, Elsie (Emily Watson). While the masters engage in various financial and sexual intrigues upstairs, the world downstairs has its own curiosities--namely, the predatory valet to a Hollywood producer, Henry Denton (Ryan Phillippe), and the mysterious, cagey servant, Robert Parks (Clive Owen). Mary soon discovers that the image of servants living vicariously through their masters is a false one, and that the upstairs-downstairs worlds are often shockingly interwoven. With GOSFORD PARK, Altman delivers a fascinating, blackly comic look at the treacherous yet poignant gamesmanship between the classes.
Professional reviews
Review: "...Elegant....Nuanced and intricate....The cast, of course, delivers the good, with outstanding performances coming from Emily Watson and Helen Mirren..." (Box Office, p.57, 01/01/2002)
"...Elegantly topsy-turvy....It's full of moments to savor....Altman has a spry mastery that's inspiring. The acting, down to the smallest role, is superb..." (Entertainment Weekly, p.52-3, 18/01/2002)
"...Effective ensemble movies depend on choosing the perfect actors, and GOSFORD PARK has perhaps the most dazzling cast that Altman has ever assembled..." (Movieline, p.46-8, 01/12/2001)
"...What makes the achievement of GOSFORD PARK all the more remarkable is that Mr. Altman is 76....The energy that crackles from the screen suggests the clear-sighted joie de vivre of an artist still deeply engaged in the world..." (New York Times, p.E3, 26/12/2001)
"...GOSFORD PARK abounds in scenes to savor. It's a feast, and one of Altman's best..." (Rolling Stone, p.56, 17/01/2002)
"...A revelation....This is a quintessentially British movie, but one which only an outsider with Altman's energy could have made..." (Sight and Sound, p.45-6, 01/02/2002)
"...A supple slice of entertainment, with some classy acting contributions..." (Total Film, p,93, 01/03/2002)
"...This comedy of manners is so much fun that it wouldn't even need the mystery to be one of the year's top entertainments..." (USA Today, p.3D, 26/12/2001)
"...Taking advantage of a splendid cast, a sharply focused script and the fresh English setting, GOSFORD park emerges as one of the most satisfying of Robert Altman's numerous ensemble pictures..." (Variety, p.27-33, 12/11/2001)
