On G List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Gosford Park (2001)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
5/03, 8/13, 2/24
2/24:
Gosford Park is a film that people either love or hate; there's no middle.
If they hated it, I can understand why. It's boring and overwhelming. But if you understand the history of the "Upstairs,
Downstairs" lifestyle including the sex abuse that went on, then everything changes. On top of it is the über British feel.
Hence, it's an amazing collection of thespians which is too long to list. Only Robert Altman had the genius to pull this off.
I kept thinking the whole thing must have been influenced by La règle du jeu
(The Rules of the Game) which turns out to be correct.
It's impssible to understand what's going on when you see Gosford Park for the first time, but things will be somewhat
clear during the second half. Therefore, I recommend watching it two, three, or, perhaps, four times in a row. The reason is
that there are so many characters to keep up with and the dialogue is very challenging to follow. Once done, it'll become
a satisfying movie experience.
However, I think 1932 is a bit too far ahead when it should've been set ten years earlier or so, but yeah, the whole thing came
crumbling down by the end of WWII, which marked the end of the British Empire, due to not being able to afford a
large estate that required numerous servants. Back then, most especially during the 19th century, there were only
two types of jobs available to women in Britain: domestic work and prostitution. Eventually, more professions opened up to
women, allowing them to leave behind the two traditional jobs.
To be honest with you, I hate most of the characters, especially those who are from upstairs; this is British snobbery
at its finest. But they're absolutely well-played with some standouts: Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren,
Kelly Macdonald, and Clive Owen. For the longest time, I thought Ryan Phillippe was miscast, having no place in such a
prestigious film. After his character was exposed, it started to make sense, so I had to ask this: did Ryan know he
was a bad actor himself and got asked to play a bad actor? Also, was everybody, like Maggie Smith, making fun of him for real?
Actually, the role was meant for Jude Law, but he dropped out at the last minute.
The title Gosford Park bothers me although it's the name of the country estate. Why? Let's go back to what Mrs. Wilson
said: "It's the gift of anticipation. And I'm a good servant. I'm better than good, I'm the best. I'm the perfect servant.
I know when they'll be hungry, and the food is ready. I know when they'll be tired, and the bed is turned down. I know it
before they know it themselves." Then, she reiterated, "I'm the perfect servant, I have no life." So, why not call it
The Perfect Servant?
I know the film was supposed to be about a murder mystery that got ultimately turned into
Murder on the Orient Express, but it's actually secondary in the grand scheme
of things. The primary focus is on the "Upstairs, Downstairs" world, period, hence the creation of the TV show Downton Abbey
at the hands of same writer: Julian Fellowes. Therefore, it's fascinating which is to say you shouldn't pay too much attention
to the dialogue. We just happen to have landed in the middle of it that's only a small sample of their lives, and we'll never
know afterwards when everybody is back to his or her life after leaving the house.
All in all, exacting and historically accurate, Gosford Park is another masterpiece fashioned by Robert Altman.