Gosford Park
Directed by Robert Altman; starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Eileen Atkins, Michael Gambon, Richard E. Grant, Derek Jacobi, Kelly MacDonald, Helen Mirren, Tom Hollander, Charles Dance, Laurence Fox, Maggie Smith, Claudie Blakley, James Wilby, Geraldine Somerville, Sophie Thompson, Emily Watson, Camilla Rutherford, Jeremy Northam, Bob Balaban, Alan Bates and Stephen Fry.
It seems like years since I’ve had to fill a movie review with earnest exaltation rather than my preferred brand of deprecatory derision. Thanks to Robert Altman, however, I suddenly find myself in unfamiliar territory: that of having to write a rave review.
When Robert Altman’s on his game, Robert Altman’s on his game. And in his latest film, Gosford Park, Robert Altman’s got more game than Michael Jordan circa 1992. Combining the opulent English manners genre with an Agatha Christie-esque whodunit, Gosford Park is the first thoroughly enjoyable cinematic experience I’ve had since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Gosford Park takes place in November 1932 at a country estate called Gosford Park. Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife Lady Sylvia (Kristen Scott Thomas) have gathered a gaggle of friends and relatives for a weekend shooting party. Among the invitees are The Countess of Trentham (Maggie Smith), Lord Stockbridge (Charles Dance), the Honorable Freddie Nesbitt (James Wilby), the English matinee idol Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam) and the American movie producer Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban).
Borrowing a page from the British serial Upstairs, Downstairs, as the esteemed guests gather in the gilded drawing rooms above, their personal maids and valets assemble in the kitchen below. Some of the servants include the butler Jennings (Alan Bates), the housekeeper Mrs. Wilson (Helen Mirren), the cook Mrs. Croft (Eileen Atkins), the footman George (Richard E. Grant), and the head maid Elsie (Emily Watson). To make things easier, the visiting servants are referred to by the names of their masters.
Altman spends the first half of the film establishing rivalries and romances between characters, which, not surprisingly, transcend the tiers. For instance, Sir William is having an affair with Elsie, and Lady Sylvia has the hots for Morris Weissman’s valet Henry Denton (Ryan Phillippe). Midway through the film, Sir William is murdered. Like all good murder mysteries, the carnage upsets the social order as even more connections between the classes are eventually divulged.
By combining genres, Gosford Park becomes so much more than the styles from whence it came. Altman weaves together a Merchant Ivory-esque critique of class with a classic whodunit, all the while maintaining his signature postmodern irony. He even manages to inject a handful of jabs at Hollywood into his painstakingly detailed period piece. For instance, as the butler is about to be investigated, he walks by Weissman who is on the phone with Hollywood exclaiming, "The butler always does it."
Part of the film’s success is the cast. Altman has assembled Britain’s best of the best, with Ryan Phillippe thrown into the mix. Each performance, including that of the callow American, threatens to upstage the others. But, as with Altman’s other successful ensembles, the performances ultimately compliment each other, uniting to create a symphony that rivals the Boston Pops. – JoAnne Steglitz