Plot
Maverick American filmmaker Robert Altman takes a witty and absorbing look at the foibles of the British class system in this intelligent murder mystery set in the early '30s. Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife Lady Sylvia (Kristin Scott Thomas) are a pair of wealthy British socialites who have invited a variety of friends, relatives, and acquaintances to their mansion in the country for a weekend of hunting and relaxation. Among the honored guests are Constance (Maggie Smith), Lady Sylvia's matronly aunt; Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam), William's cousin who is also a well-known actor and songwriter; and Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban), an American film producer who is friendly with Ivor and researching an upcoming project. Observing the proceedings are the domestic staff of the mansion, including imperious butler Jennings (Alan Bates); footmen George (Richard E. Grant) and Arthur (Jeremy Swift); Probert (Derek Jacobi), a valet to Sir William; housekeeper Mrs. Wilson (Helen Mirren); Mrs. Croft (Eileen Atkins), who oversees the kitchen; and Elsie (Emily Watson), a maid. Also on hand are the guests' personal servants, including Mary (Kelly Macdonald), Constance's maid; Henry (Ryan Phillippe), Weissman's valet; and Parks (Clive Owens), a butler. While the servants are required to display a high level of decorum, they are expected to be passive observers who do not comment on what they see, though the gossip among them travels thick and fast once they retire to the servants' quarters downstairs. And it turns out that there's plenty worth gossiping about, especially after Sir William turns up dead, and everyone is ordered to stay at the mansion while the police investigate the killing. Gosford Park also features Charles Dance, Tom Hollander, Natasha Wightman, and Ron Webster; the screenplay was written by Julian Fellowes, based on a story by Altman and co-star Bob Balaban. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
This handsome whodunit-cum-comedy of manners marks a return to form for maverick filmmaker Robert Altman. Set in a sprawling estate in the English countryside circa 1930, the movie gives Altman the chance to do what he excels in -- namely, juggle a cast of more than two dozen actors and weave a coherent, cohesive panorama of human behavior. As with most Altman movies, that behavior is distinguished by frailty and pettiness. The breezy barbarism of "civilized" people is on display, as is the strange symbiotic relationship that binds masters and servants. Altman commandeers his fluid camera through the halls, rooms, and lawns of the crowded mansion with the assurance of a master storyteller. There seems not one wasted shot in this efficient movie, and yet it breathes with the spontaneity typical of Altman. Also typical is Altman's perfunctory approach to the murder mystery. Never one interested in the rote workings of a genre, Altman sees the mystery less as an engine for suspense than as an opportunity for sad wisdom and sobering epiphany -- you could say it's less a whodunit than a whydunit. Needless to say, the material is familiar: weekends-in-the-country and upstairs-downstairs intrigues have been the stuff of other excoriations of the landed class, most famously Jean Renoir's canonical La Règle du jeu. Altman and his glittering cast -- a who's who of British acting -- wisely do not attempt to excavate new truths from the familiar form. Staying within its parameters, the movie is a lovely addition to a timeworn genre and a graceful echo of a timeless masterpiece. ~ Elbert Ventura, RoviCast
- Maggie Smith - Constance, Countess of Trentham
- Michael Gambon - Sir William McCordle
- Kristin Scott Thomas - Sylvia McCordle
- Jeremy Northam - Ivor Novello
- Bob Balaban - Morris Weissman
- Alan Bates - Jennings
- Richard E. Grant - George
- Helen Mirren - Mrs. Wilson
- Eileen Atkins - Mrs. Croft
- Emily Watson - Elsie
Credit
Sarah Hauldren - Art Director, John Frankish - Supervising Art Director, Julian Fellowes - Associate Producer, Shaun Mills - Boom Operator, Benjamin Bober - Boom Operator, Mary Selway - Casting, Jane Frazer - Co-producer, Joshua Astrachan - Co-producer, Jenny Beavan - Costume Designer, Richard Styles - First Assistant Director, Robert Altman - Director, Tim Squyres - Editor, Jane Barclay - Executive Producer, Sharon Harell - Executive Producer, Hannah Leader - Executive Producer, Robert Jones - Executive Producer, Anita Burger - Hair Styles, Astrid Schikorra - Hair Styles, Loulia Sheppard - Hair Styles, Sue Quinn - Location Manager, Patrick Doyle - Composer (Music Score), Norma Webb - Makeup, Sharon Martin - Makeup, Deborah Jarvis - Makeup, Kate J. Thompson - Makeup, Peter Taylor - Camera Operator, Stephen Altman - Production Designer, Andrew Dunn - Cinematographer, Tori Parry - Production Manager, Robert Altman - Producer, Bob Balaban - Producer, David Levy - Producer, Celia Barnett - Research, Anna Pinnock - Set Designer, Peter Gossop - Sound Mixer, Dinny Powell - Stunts Coordinator, Stuart Brisdon - Special Effects Supervisor, Ron Puttock - Technical Advisor, Christopher Northam - Technical Advisor, Arthur Inch - Technical Advisor, Ruth Mott - Technical Advisor, Violet Liddle - Technical Advisor, David Slattery-Christy - Technical Advisor, Ned Paul - Technical Advisor, Kevin Walker - Technical Advisor, Julian Fellowes - Screenwriter, James Fellowes - Screenwriter, Kay Raven - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Animals O Kay - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Julia Wilson-Dixon - Dialogue Coach, Jim Henson's Creature Shop - Digital Effects, Pat Grosswendt - Gaffer, Malcolm Huse - Grip, Pat Garrett - Grip, John Cochrane - Music Editor, Maggie Rodford - Music Producer, Winnie Wishart - Production Coordinator, David Balfour - Properties Master, Robin O'Donoghue - Re-Recording Mixer, Richard Street - Re-Recording Mixer, Penny Eyles - Script Supervisor, Sara Desmond - Second Assistant Director, Mark Tillie - Still Photographer, Nigel Mills - Supervising Sound Editor, Rob Ireland - ADR Editor, Paul Carr - ADR Mixer, Lotta Wolgers - Art Department Assistant, Matt Gray - Assistant Art Director, Anya Keith - Assistant Production Coordinator, Steve Mayer - Assistant Sound Editor, Fergus Clegg - Buyer, Ray Lee - Buyer, Fiona Weir - Casting Assistant, Anna Kot - Casting Associate, Clare Spragge - Costumes Supervisor, Howard Halsall - Dialogue Editor, Sam Bloor - Electrician, Neil Munro - Electrician, Robert Cuddy - Electrician, Gary Nolan - Electrician, Martin Welland - Electrician, Iwan Williams - Electrician, Claire Robertson - First Assistant Accountant, Amanda Pollack - First Assistant Editor, Peter Burgis - Foley Artist, Andi Derrick - Foley Artist, Julie Ankerson - Foley Artist, John Fewell - Foley Artist, Grahame Peters - Foley Editor, Allistair Thompson - Production Accountant, Brock Norman Brock - Production Executive, Luke Morris - Production Executive, Julian Murray - Second Assistant Accountant, John F. Lyons - Second Assistant Editor, Brian Gascoigne - Featured Music, Bruce White - Featured Music, Jamie Talbot - Featured Music, Ralph Salmins - Featured Music, John Paricelli - Featured Music, Richard Bolton - Featured Music, Andy Pask - Featured Music, Nicholas Bucknall - Featured Music, Hugh Webb - Featured Music, Eddie Hession - Featured Music, Perry Montague-Mason - Featured Music, Patrick Kiernan - Featured Music, Chris Tombling - Featured Music, Ivo Van Der Werff - Featured Music, James Potter - Featured Music, Christopher Northam - Featured Music, Robert Altman - From Idea By, Bob Balaban - From Idea By| Gory Gory Hallelujah (2003 Film), Goruden Suramba (2009 Film) | |
| Goshogaoka (1998 Film), Gospel (1982 Film) |
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