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Zone's Eye View of "Gosford Park" 

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Synopsis of movie, courtesy of Gosfordparkmovie.com:

Robert Altman, one of Americas most distinctive filmmakers, journeys to England for the first time to create a unique film mosaic with an outstanding ensemble cast. 

It is November, 1932. Gosford Park is the magnificent country estate to which Sir William McCordle and his wife Lady Sylvia, gather relations and friends for a shooting party. They have invited an eclectic group including a countess, a World War I hero, the British matinee idol Ivor Novello and an American film producer who makes Charlie Chan movies. As the guests assemble in the gilded drawing rooms above, their personal maids and valets swell in the ranks of the house servants in the teeming kitchens and corridors below-stairs. 

But all is not as it seems: neither amongst the bejeweled guests lunching and dining at their considerable leisure, not in the attic bedrooms and stark work stations where the servants labor for the comfort of their employers. Part comedy of manners and part mystery, the film is finally a moving portrait of events that bridge generations, class, sex, tragic personal history and culminate in a murder. (Or is it two murders?)

Ultimately revealing the intricate relations of the above and below-stairs worlds with great clarity, Gosford Park illuminates a society and a way of life quickly coming to an end. 

Now for The Zone's Eye View

By Laura Alber

First-The Incredible Cast:

Above Stairs: Michael Gambon - Sir William McCordle
Kristin Scott Thomas - Lady Sylvia McCordle
Camilla Rutherford - Isobel McCordle
Maggie Smith - Constance, Countess of Trentham
Charles Dance - Raymond, Lord Stockbridge
Geraldine Somerville - Louisa, Lady Stockbride
Tom Hollander - Lieutenant Commander Anthony Meredith
Natasha Wightman - Lady Lavinia Meredith
James Wilby - The Hon. Freddie Nesbitt
Claudie Blakley - Mabel Nesbitt
Laurence Fox - Lord Rupert Standish
Trent Ford - Jeremy Blond
Jeremy Northam - Ivor Novello
Bob Balaban - Morris Weissman
Below Stairs: Alan Bates - Jennings -- The McCordles' Butler
Helen Mirren - Mrs. Wilson -- The Housekeeper
Eileen Atkins - Mrs. Croft -- The Cook
Derek Jacobi - Probert -- Sir William's Valet
Emily Watson - Elsie -- Head Housemaid
Richard E. Grant - George -- First Footman
Jeremy Swift - Arthur -- Second Footman
Meg Wynn Owen - Lewis -- Lady Sylvia's Maid
Sophie Thompson - Dorothy -- Still Room Maid
Teresa Churcher - Bertha -- Head Kitchen Maid
Sarah Flind - Ellen -- Junior Kitchen Maid
Lucy Cohu - Lottie -- Junior Kitchen Maid
Finty Williams - Janet -- Housemaid
Emma Buckley - May -- Housemaid
Laura Harling - Ethel -- Scullery Maid
Tilly Gerrard - Maud -- Scullery Maid
Will Beer - Albert -- Servants Hall Footman
Gregor Henderson Begg - Fred -- Bootboy
Leo Bill - Jim -- Oddjob Man
Ron Puttock - Strutt -- Gamekeeper
Adrian Preater - McCordles' Loader
Visiting Servants: Kelly Macdonald - Mary Macreachran -- Constance's Maid
Clive Owen - Robert Parks -- Raymond's Valet
Ryan Phillippe - Henry Denton -- Morris Weissman's Valet
Joanna Maude - Renee -- Louisa's Maid
Adrian Scarborough - Barnes -- Anthony's Valet
Frances Low - Sarah -- Lavinia's Maid
John Atterbury - Merriman -- Constance's Chaffeur
Frank Thornton - Burkett -- Constance's Butler
Outsiders: Stephen Fry - Inspector Thompson
Ron Webster - Constable Dexter

At 77, Robert Altman shows no signs of slowing down. This is obvious after seeing the highly acclaimed and heavily nominated movie “Gosford Park”. In typical Altman fashion, he has assembled an incredible cast for a phenomenal movie.

Gosford Park is set in a huge country estate in England. Guests have been invited for the weekend for a “shooting party”. Each of their guests travel with their own maid, valet or manservant. The guests assemble upstairs while all the servants stay downstairs.  Downstairs, the servants thrive on gossiping about the elite aristocratic group upstairs, while the snobbish guests upstairs are busy discussing how superior they are.

The first hour is mainly characterization, getting to know each and every one of the characters both upstairs and downstairs. This helps give you the concept that, after the “murder(s?)”, everyone is a suspect because everyone seems to have a motive. Another interesting aspect of the movie, is that it makes  a point of "keeping with tradition" (according to "Mrs. Wilson"-Helen Mirren), and all of the servants are called the names of their respective employers, to "keep things simple". 

Only Robert Altman has ever been able to pull off such ensembles and still make sure the audience knows each one of them.

I will not give anything away, but I will say that the success of this movie is not just being “introduced” to each character, but learning each of their motives and backgrounds. It very much keeps you on your toes and guessing the ultimate question…”who done it”?

There is also some great humor in this film. Maggie Smith is a superb! Ryan Phillippe also has quite an interesting and witty character with a great twist. (Also, great Scottish accent!) Kristin Scott Thomas is gorgeous and her wardrobe is as glamorous as you would expect. She is also given quite a few humorous bits.

Some drawbacks for some people “might” be:

-Some of the dialect is very strong and at points they whisper, making it doubly hard to understand.

If you’re a fan of characterization, and don’t need car chases and kickboxing in your movies to enjoy them, I believe you will truly appreciate the movie, as I most certainly did. Also, if you’re a fan of Agatha Christie’s “Upstairs, Downstairs”, you’ll love Gosford Park.

As for the technical aspects, I thought that too was exceptional. Remembering this all takes place in rainy, hazy England, the filming portrayed that “feel” both outside and inside with its muted colors. The casting could not have been better. The music score kept with the period, the same goes for the wardrobe and props, all completely authentic.

This is still a limited release, but if it’s showing anywhere near you, I would highly suggest it. Since Gosford Park has been nominated for nearly every awards ceremony this year, chances are good that it won’t be released to home video or DVD until at least Summer.

There is a reason this film has been so heavily nominated! See it if you possibly can! I rate Gosford Park at an 9.5 overall.