Robert Altman directs this unusual comedy/romance/suspense story with hisusual flair, making a movie with a witty and, albeit sometimes, slow-movingplot. Any anglophile would be pleased with the setting and the collectionof actors. I can't tell you how many times I sat forward to look closer toremember each actor's real name and character's name. This is amulti-plotlined story. British period movies, especially taking place inthe beginning of the 20th Century, can be interesting particularly aboutthe "going ons" of the rich. This one shows a kind of emptiness. SirWilliam McCordle (Michael Gambon), together with his wife, Lady Sylvia(Kristin Scott Thomas), invite a group of their peers for a shooting partyat their estate in the country. The downstairs servants are required tobunk with the servants of the la-de-das for the weekend.
The upper and lower classes are portrayed probably more realistically thanin the British Series, "Upstairs, Downstairs." In the latter story, Iremember the upper class seemed much more concerned for their downstairsstaff. In Gosford Park, the upper class is crass and selfish and expecttheir servants to act as their slaves night and day. The cruel ways of theupper class characters did disgust me, swaying my anglophile likes just alittle to the left. But never mind that... I went on to watch and pick outgreat actors and their characters, all British. What a roster! Such a jollygood cast. With such a list of characters, it's difficult to keep up. Theshooting party begins the next day and the upper class have their sickeningfun. The murder doesn't occur until halfway through the movie and, perhapsto some, would seem much too late. With a runtime of 2 1/4 hours, it isjust too long and could have been cut, but I'll be darned if I know where.Here's a list of the actors: Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, Charles Dance,Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren,Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, Kristin ScottThomas, Emily Watson and James Wilby.
I'm not going to tell you any more about the story, except to say you areshown a glimpse of how the upper crust and lower class lived. I must admit,I missed a lot of detail so this one is a definite must-see-again for me.At which time, I'm making the popcorn before I start the film.
Judith Fox
Gosford Park
Robert Altman directs this unusual comedy/romance/suspense story with hisusual flair, making a movie with a witty and, albeit sometimes, slow-movingplot. Any anglophile would be pleased with the setting and the collectionof actors. I can't tell you how many times I sat forward to look closer toremember each actor's real name and character's name. This is amulti-plotlined story. British period movies, especially taking place inthe beginning of the 20th Century, can be interesting particularly aboutthe "going ons" of the rich. This one shows a kind of emptiness. SirWilliam McCordle (Michael Gambon), together with his wife, Lady Sylvia(Kristin Scott Thomas), invite a group of their peers for a shooting partyat their estate in the country. The downstairs servants are required tobunk with the servants of the la-de-das for the weekend.
The upper and lower classes are portrayed probably more realistically thanin the British Series, "Upstairs, Downstairs." In the latter story, Iremember the upper class seemed much more concerned for their downstairsstaff. In Gosford Park, the upper class is crass and selfish and expecttheir servants to act as their slaves night and day. The cruel ways of theupper class characters did disgust me, swaying my anglophile likes just alittle to the left. But never mind that... I went on to watch and pick outgreat actors and their characters, all British. What a roster! Such a jollygood cast. With such a list of characters, it's difficult to keep up. Theshooting party begins the next day and the upper class have their sickeningfun. The murder doesn't occur until halfway through the movie and, perhapsto some, would seem much too late. With a runtime of 2 1/4 hours, it isjust too long and could have been cut, but I'll be darned if I know where.Here's a list of the actors: Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, Charles Dance,Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Derek Jacobi, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren,Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Maggie Smith, Kristin ScottThomas, Emily Watson and James Wilby.
I'm not going to tell you any more about the story, except to say you areshown a glimpse of how the upper crust and lower class lived. I must admit,I missed a lot of detail so this one is a definite must-see-again for me.At which time, I'm making the popcorn before I start the film.
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