Gosford Park
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Movie Reviews of Gosford Park
Movie Review: Not for 14 year old boys?
Summary: 5 Stars
While taking all those guided tours through cavernous estate houses in England and Ireland (and even a few on the north shore of Long Island), I always wondered what it was like to live that lifestyle. But of course, walking around those still houses doesn't really tell you about the people who lived there anymore than a stage tells you about its actors. However, Gosford Park was a great way to fill in those blanks. The way it pulls you into the world of 1930's English high society and all its pretense and hypocrisy is great. This movie definitely enlivened my understanding of class in old European societies. The reason Gosford Park has such great insight is the film's screenwriter, Julian Fellows who himself grew up as part of the English aristocracy. Much of what makes this film fun is the idiosyncrasies of its characters and their world that Fellows has personal experience with. A maid and driver stand in the pouring rain until their mistress gets in the car. Servants only refer to each other by their master's name, and they maintain the same hierarchy as their masters so that a duke's servant is treated better by other servants than a baron's. Only married women are allowed to have breakfast in bed; unmarried women must go to the dining room. What a strange world they lived in, especially to someone like me who grew up in a middle class New York neighborhood.
The spine of Gosford Park is, without question, NOT the murder mystery. In fact, the murder mystery plot is about 5% of the movie-if that. It's what's known in film lingo as a McGuffin, a device that helps propel the plot in a story but is of little importance in itself. If a viewer turns to the murder mystery plot for what this movie is all about, they will most likely be sorely disappointed, seemingly like many of the negative reviewers here were.
The key to enjoying this movie is to think about what it's like to live in a society that is extremely oriented by class. What must it take to keep it going? As I alluded earlier, pretense and hypocrisy grease the gears of high society. From scene to scene, we peep around corners and into bedrooms to see characters trying to hide one secret or another. And in the end, we see the unpleasant consequences of this duplicity.
This is definitely not a film that lays out its purpose before the audience. Since the almost 60 characters (for a chuckle, look under product details above for the colossal cast list) each add something unique to the larger picture, and since the audience is usually only told something once, you definitely have to be your own detective. However, Julian Fellows does a brilliant job interweaving these characters into a solid whole, and he definitely deserves the Oscar he received for the screenplay.
Since this is a complex and subtle film, multiple viewings are helpful, but unlike some other reviewers, this is something I really enjoyed. Like a good album, each time with it reveals another layer and increases your appreciation. Robert Altman, the director, says in his DVD commentary (which was boring except for a few insights, but Julian Fellow's commentary was excellent) that the film is "like looking in through the windows of a house, you only get part of the picture at a time." I think this analogy fits nicely, especially since the film is set in a house. Altman also acknowledges what some of the negative reviewers complain about, saying he meant the audience to be left wondering after the first viewing. He didn't intend this movie for the "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" set. In fact, Altman went out of his way to insert curse words, guaranteeing an R rating so that "14 year old boys couldn't walk off the street and watch it."
And of course, last but not least, the acting was great. Gosford Park has an excellent ensemble cast with not a single weak link. Maggie Smith as the snobbish Aunt makes you smile; Kelly MacDonald as the Aunt's young, innocent maid makes you want to give her a big wet kiss (maybe that's just me); and Clive Owen's cool restraint as a mysterious footman keeps you following him around the screen.
All through, Gosford Park is a movie very well done.
Movie Review: Gosford Park, November 1932, where events take place that bridge generations, class, sex, personal tragedy......and murder.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Film
Gosford Park is a magnificent country estate owned by Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his bored trophy wife Lady Sylvia (Kirstin Scott Thomas) they have extended a hand of hospitality to their relations and friends to join them for a shooting party weekend. People of consequences gather for a bit of sucking up, bringing their personal valets and maids behind them to jump to their every whim. For life above stairs Lords, Ladies and any other hangers on all seem locked in their own boredom flocking and circling like vultures trying to remain civil to others while flushing out their position and rank in society and excising it whenever possible. Everyone has one mission for the weekend to see how rich they can stay, so they can remain to keep their life of boredom. Above stairs is full of talk; each eccentric visitor has their own story.....and a motive.
Meanwhile in the kitchens and corridors below-stairs the servants run around for the comfort of their employees, filled to the brim with bustling mess, gossip and duties all keeping them extremely busy. While some servant's duties bring them above stairs they remain discreet and in their place, although their all eyes and ears they pretend in front of the upper curst that their antics just didn't happen. Again below stairs every servant has their own skeletons and story.
Events of the weekend begin to bridge generations, class, sex and personal tragedy this finally leads to a midnight murder, the fact being it's a whodunit but the real question lingers in the whole household, Does anyone seem bothered?
My Notes on the Film
Directed by Robert Altman, I love this film it's just wonderful; before I go any further into the mention of cast, I must add Gosford Park is meant to be a satirical film although I didn't realize that until I got into the film, I begun to treat it as just that, although part comedy and part murder mystery the focus of this film is based on the characters and every character has their moment in this film. It's about the goings on above and below stairs in the 1930's with many, many stories of different lives weaved into it, best thing to do would be to sit back and enjoy it, let the film and story line wash over you. Although there is a murder, let that take the back seat with so much else flowing through this film the murder takes the smallest role let it remain a piece of irony.
Cast
Where do I begin.... fantastic cast, a lot of British acting talent in this film, two wonderful actress really stood out, (The Two English Dames) Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith both excelled their talents in this film Mirren portrays Mrs Wilson the perfect servant who's a respected embittered housekeeper and Maggie Smith as Constance, the cash strapped Grand Dame. From the male leads a stand out for me was Jeremy Northam portraying the suave visiting celebrity Ivor Novello his just marvellous.
The rest of the cast would be either British or American, all are equally brilliant, pulling together to keep it really entertaining, some faces are more familiar than others Ryan Phillippe, Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, Kelly Macdonald, Richard E Grant, Clive Owen, Derek Jacobi, Emily Waston, Kirstin Scott Thomas, Michael Gambon, Charles Dance, even Stephen Fry makes a small apperance, The whole cast in this film even the new I have not named would be a great talent to watch.
Robert Altman I praise for doing a wonderful job to this film and Julian Fellows for the screenwriting, Sometimes with a lot of great talent in one film it doesn't always seem to work but for this film it certainly does.
Extras
The making of Gosford Park, The Authenticity of Godford Park, Deleted Scenes, Filmmakers Q&A Session.
A.Bowhill
Movie Review: beautiful filmmaking
Summary: 5 Stars
I rented this out of obligation...with all the Oscar nominations and critical acclaim, it was a must-see despite that its premise and cast weren't instantly grabbing. this is quite a remarkable film. it is never once boring and it features some of the best ensemble acting i've ever seen. i'll admit, this is the first movie i've seen by robert altman, and it has compelled me to seek out his other work, including short cuts, nashville, and cookie's fortune, and now i'm a bonafide fan of his work.anyone expecting a slow moving dull PBS-worthy whodunnit will be pleasantly surprised by how riveting, even moving this film is.
as many have mentioned, its plot is focused on the differences and similarities between the upper class and the servants who wait on their every move during a weekend party at a British mansion, circa 1930's. the upper class have to deal with high social pressures- constant worry about being "in" the group. this movie portrays schmoozing as a skilled art. and if you don't have what it takes, outcast status is always available. the servants, who operate and live downstairs have their own set of conflicts, most of them revolving around dealing with the snobbery of the folks upstairs.
the acting is utterly fantastic. kelly macdonald is perfect in the ingenue role of mary, servant to the snobbish trentham (maggie smith). you might remember macdonald from her role as the love interest in trainspotting. she shows major star potential in this. another supreme performance is given by Emily Watson as a servant whos having an affair with the host of the house (Michael Gambon). Watson's performance is the kind of sublime matching of perfect casting and brilliant acting that makes you realize what a beautiful art form acting in the filmic medium is. clive owen, helen mirren, alan bates, and ryan phillipe also give superb performances as the servants.
the upper class players are equally intriguing. kristen scott thomas is perfect as the alpha female, the leader and head snob of the group. anyone whos been among a group of close knit people knows someone like her. this is ultimately why gosford park is so powerful. because it thoroughly understands how brutal social life is, and at the same time makes a comment on the the people on the other end of it and how they're problems are so incredibly different yet equally dismal.
i was very impressed by robert altman's directing. it was his goal to never stop the camera from moving. so it is, in fact, in constant motion, creating a kaleidoscope effect that only he can deliver. the script by julian fellowes earned a deserved Oscar. It creates a rich and interesting group of characters. the murder-mystery at the heart of it is less important than the character and social class study at work. gosford park is more concerned with characters than plot which is refreshing.
however, one really has to watch this movie with subtitles making the DVD a must have. the thick british accents and the din of several characters talking at once makes this film very difficult to understand. however with subtitles, you shouldn't have any trouble. additionally, the supplemental material is excellent, including a documentary about the real-life butlers and maids who came to consult altman and the cast. also included is a recording of a Q and A session. the commentary track by bob balaban, david levy, and robert altman is great too. altman includes a hilarious tidbit about how he purposely made the actors say the f word in excess to receive an R rated movie because he didn't want kids to say it. "I don't want teenagers to see it. Especially the teenage boys. Too much testosterone."
All in all, this is an superb movie and a great DVD to match. Gosford Park is an absolute must-see
Movie Review: The Greatest Living American Director just got Great again.
Summary: 5 Stars
The most striking thing about 'Gosford Park' - besides its formal perfection, its visual ingenuity and its supreme entertainment value - is its unabashed irrelevance. These British decline-of-the-Empire upper-class dramas (upstairs/downstairs; fall-out of the Great War; rise of New Money, financial impecunious of aristocracy, etc.) no longer speak to the English in any emotionally meaningful way, their imperial demons having been exorcised in the 80s with works such as 'Brideshead Revisited' or 'The Jewel In The Crown'. There isn't a whiff of elegy or nostalgia in Altman's film - this is a shabby, unjust and unglamorous world we're well rid of. It's not even a detailed character study of the 'Remains Of The Day' type, there being too many characters, few, if any, we can truly care for. 'Park' has been compared to Renoir's 'The Rules Of The Game', another story about death and sex during an upper-class shooting weekend, but it lacks Renoir's tragi-farce discipline, his empathy, or his pre-war urgency.Maybe it's because Altman's best films have been engaged so intensely with America, its self-image, its history, the way it projects itself through popular culture. The way he has best achieved this is in dismantling those Hollywood genres - the Western, film noir, the war and gangster films - that had traditionally served the mythic image of that Americanness. Altman is simply not that engaged with similar notions of Englishness, and so 'Park' feels less rich than, say, 'McCabe and Mrs. Miller'. The 'genre' in this case - the Agatha Christie-type country-house murder - is made (very funny) fun of, but is not rigorously deconstructed in the way 'The Long Goodbye' did hard-boiled detective stories.
So, we are forced to admit that 'Park' is mostly a formal exercise, a genuine heritage movie in that the manor, the decor, the rolling grounds, the costumes, the large 'prestigious' cast exist solely to provide the particular elements of Altman's mise-en-scene. The reason critics have gone ape for 'Park' is probably because Altman has returned to his trademark 70s style, which says more about the decline of cinema since that heyday than any development in Altman's genius. But what a style! The supple, prowling widescreen camera, so packed with tiny, missable details (look out especially for Alan Bates' hilarious bits of off-centre business), yet so light it can switch between whole worlds in a flourish; the freedom of its movement in two constricted spaces (the house itself, and the hierarchical social milieux within it); the lapping, musical editing that facilitates its fluidity. From the seemingly ramshackle first half, with the bustle of people flooding into this static space, bringing it to lfe, their characters revealed gradually through the tics of (marvellously observed) social interaction; through the set-pieces that never announce themselves as such, but seem to have been stumbled on until they reach such devastating pitches; to the murder scene, that cuts through the surface aimlessness like a knife, bringing out (for the viewer at least) the various lies and concealments and evasions hidden with such apparent casualness beforehand. Altman, of course, is on the side of the servants - subsumed under their employers' identities, he gives them a modicum of inner life (see in particular the central, spine-tingling Ivor Novello medley sequence), even melodrama; a conspiratorial wit; a Henry Green-like roundness away from their largely-caricatured betters. The detective plot, the murder of a peer, paradoxically foregrounds them, making the upper classes ultimately irrelevant. And, all the while, Hollywood visitors spy and deceive gathering material for a Charlie Chan movie. Bet it was nothing like 'Gosford Park'.
Movie Review: 20th Century Jane Austen mystery.....
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband and I saw Gosford Park last night, and from the comments we heard and our own impressions, I think this film will appeal to a particular market segment consisting of those who: know, love, and appreciate Jane Austen's irony and view of the upper classes and those who pretend to be like them; are fans of Mr. Altman's film "Short Cuts"; are Anglophiles who have gone beyond mere adulation and truly love the British with all their strengths and shortcomings; understand British accents and British humor including the 'Black Adder'; voted for Al Gore; saw at least some of the Masterpiece Theatre presentations; understand British class differences; read British mysteries particularly P.D. James; are fans of PBS Mystery who recognize Clive Owen ('Second Sight'), Helen Mirran ('Prime Suspect'), Michael Gambon ('Maigret'), Charles Dance ('Sherlock Holmes' and 'Jewel in the Crown'), Derek Jacobi ('Cadfael'), Eileen Atkins ('Vanity Fair'), and scores of others including Kristen Scott Thomas, Alan Bates, Stephen Fry, and the delicious Maggie Smith who just keeps getting better and better; don't own anything Burberry makes (especially after seen Jennifer Saunders wearing it) or keep it hidden in the back of the closet.This is undoubtedly one of the best films I have seen in a while (maybe ever) and it's been nominated for five Golden Globes including Best Picture. I WILL buy the DVD version. Hours after seeing the film various bits of information kept popping into my head. Probably one of the most subtle aspects of the film is the story inside the story inside the story. The plot is very clever. And there's the rub. Although some of the critics have likened the movie to tales by Evelyn Waugh I would not. This film is not nostalgic about a disappearing Empire. Nor is it light enough to be a Noel Coward imitation as others have suggested although Jeremy Northern's performance certainly has aspects that will remind one of the "Top Hat and Tails" of the 1930s. Like Jane Austen's 'Mansefield Park', this film has a grim side and is about morality or the lack of it. I find the screenplay more akin to Hamlet-MacBeth-Lear as it is truly a tragedy. Familiar connections are everything in life and everthing in the plot of GOSFORD PARK.
A few other comments: Unlike other films with dozens of talented actors, the actors do not fall all over each other, nor do they attempt to steal scenes. The acting is incredibly professional and seamless. You would never know unless you were familiar with the biographies of these individuals that most of them have won various 'best acting' awards and several of them are OBE (Order of the British Empire=Dames and Knights).
One negative--We saw the film on the big screen, and both developed motion sickness as the film is really designed for a smaller screen. We stuck it out until the end because the film is that good. We had the same experience with 'Persuasion' which was really made for tv but released on movie screens. GOSFORD PARK will be much better on a smaller screen. It is definitely PBS bound unless A&E snatches it up first which not likely for many reasons. The film definintely champions the underclass, the working class, the exploited. I love this film. It's a sock in the eye to those who believe they are better than others. Illustrious ancestors don't count. There are plenty of "commoners" who can trace their ancestry back to an errant Knight, and plenty of people living lives of conspicuous consumption whose origins are suspect.