September 13, 2002
Gosford Park
Gosford Park is Robert Altman's paen to the days of high society
in 1930s England. More of a character study in the "Upstairs,
Downstairs" family, including the butlers, upper crust,
manservants and rich folk than really having anything to do with the
brutal murder that happens. The patriarch of the family is one mean
old man and virtually everyone involved has a reason to knock him off,
but Altman isn't really interested in that story arc, and concentrates
on the people and their lives.
As is typical of an Altman movie, Gosford Park has quite the ensemble cast. English acting icons from Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith and Derek Jacobi to Kristin Scott Thomas, Helen Mirren and Stephen Fry, and, new to me, the stunningly beautiful Kelly Macdonald. While it can be hard to keep track of all the characters and follow their accented and mixed up conversation (one hint I've read is to turn on the English subtitles!), if you just go with the flow you'll figure out who is who in no time.
The story, such as it is, centers around a weekend at the McCordles, who own an estate and host a shooting party. They all meet here, with the rich folk going upstairs and the servants going downstairs. The film does a great job of showing the controlled chaos downstairs, and gives you an idea of just how elaborate the rituals are. None of the rich come off as particularily nice, but I guess that is to be expected in a movie like this. Sir William McCordle (Gambon) is bumped off late in the party of the second night and bumbling and obsequious Inspector Thompson (played by Fry) shows up with his competent second to investigate. As the murder isn't really what the show is about, it is left unsolved by the police, although we see who has done it and why by the end.
All the performances are stellar, and, again typical of an Altman movie, it is hard to pick out any as better than the others. Macdonald was an eye opener, both in acting and looks, while I thought Fry did a poor job with the Inspector, injecting a little Clouseau into his acting. It was pretty funny how no one let him properly introduce himself, always cutting of his "And my name is...." before he ever got to his name!
The DVD itself is overflowing with extras, although I didn't get a chance to listen to much of the Altman commentary. Gosford Park was a good character study, a bad murder mystery, and a fun ride all around. I'm looking forward to adding it to my collection so I can peruse the extras!
Buy Gosford Park at Barnes & Noble.com
Buy Gosford Park (Special Edition) at DVDPlanet.com
Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Emily Watson, Ryan Phillippe, Bob Balaban
A fun murder mystery, filled with fascinating suspects, long-held secrets, intriguing surprises and comical twists to keep you guessing right to the end! Posted by jdarnold at September 13, 2002 10:40 PM
