Gosford Park

Gosford Park
Original film poster
Directed by	Robert Altman
Written by	Julian Fellowes
Produced by	Robert Altman Bob Balaban David Levy
Starring	Kelly Macdonald Emily Watson Maggie Smith Helen Mirren Clive Owen Ryan Phillippe Jeremy Northam
Cinematography	Andrew Dunn
Music by	Patrick Doyle
Distributed by	USA Films
Release dates	7 November 2001 (LFF) 26 December 2001 (limited) 4 January 2002 1 February 2001
Running time	137 minutes
Country	UK
Language	English
Budget	$19,800,000
Box office	87,754,044

Gosford Park is an Academy award-winning 2001 film, directed by Robert Altman. The screenplay is by Julian Fellowes, based on an idea by Altman and producer Bob Balaban. It features an ensemble cast including Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jeremy Northam, Bob Balaban, Ryan Phillippe, Stephen Fry, Kelly Macdonald, Clive Owen, Helen Mirren, Eileen Atkins, Emily Watson, Camilla Rutherford, Tom Hollander, Alan Bates, Derek Jacobi, and Richard E. Grant.

The film is set in 1932 at an English country house. A party of wealthy Britons and Americans, all accompanied by their servants, gather at the home of Sir William McCordle for a weekend of pheasant shooting. A murder occurs in the middle of the night. The plot presents the murder from the perspective of the servants. But rather than a simple mystery to be solved, the film uses the whodunit format to create a drama showcasing the tensions of the British class system. Many intertwining subplots detail the complex relationships among the characters, both above stairs (the wealthy guests) and below (the servants).

Plot

In the rainy November of 1932, the snobbish Constance, Countess of Trentham (Dame Maggie Smith) and her timid Scottish maid Mary Maceachran (Kelly Macdonald) travel by car from her estate to Gosford Park, her niece Lady Sylvia McCordle's estate, for a weekend hunting party. On the way there, they encounter the matinée idol Ivor Novello (Jeremy Northam) and his friend, Hollywood producer Morris Weisman (Bob Balaban), who are also on their way to Gosford Park. The guests are greeted by Sir William McCordle (Sir Michael Gambon), Lady Sylvia McCordle (Kristin Scott Thomas), and their daughter Isobel (Camilla Rutherford). Besides Aunt Constance, Ivor and Morris, the guests include Sylvia's sisters Louisa (Geraldine Somerville) and Lavinia; their respective husbands, Lord Stockbridge (Charles Dance) and Commander Meredith (Tom Hollander); The Honourable Freddy Nesbitt (James Wilby) and his "common" wife Mabel (Claudie Blakley); Isobel's suitor Lord Rupert Standish (Laurence Fox); and his friend Mr. Jeremy Blond (Trent Ford). The upstairs guests also bring along their own servants; every lady has a lady's maid, and every gentleman a valet. Most notably, Lord Stockbridge's valet is Robert Parks (Clive Owen), Lady Trentham's maid is Mary, and Morris Weisman's valet is Henry Denton (Ryan Phillippe). Noticeably without servants are the impoverished Freddy and Mabel Nesbitt. In secret, Freddy is blackmailing Isobel with some past secret of hers.

Downstairs, Robert and Mary are attracted to each other, and he tells her he will surprise her. At dinner, Henry Denton asks how many of the servants' parents were in service also. Most raise their hands, a notable exception being Robert, who says when pressured that he grew up in an orphanage. Denton acts suspiciously: his Scottish accent is off and he is very nosy. However, he gets to dress the movie producer and Ivor Novello, much to the chagrin of the starstruck footman.

The next day, the upstairs men go hunting for pheasants, while the ladies have brunch and make fun of Mabel. During the hunt, Sir William's ear is almost blown off by a stray shot. At lunch the Commander presses Sir William to invest in his scheme, but he refuses and causes a scene. During the dinner service the second night, Elsie impulsively speaks out of turn to Lady Sylvia about her unfair treatment of Sir William. This behavior reveals Elsie's relationship with Sir William and is also grounds for immediate dismissal which she is well aware of. Elsie tries to regain her composure and leaves the dining room quickly. Sir William angrily goes to the library. The rest of the upstairs guests go into the drawing room, but Freddy and the Commander slip out of the room. In the library, Mrs. Wilson serves a cup of coffee to Sir William, but he knocks it out of her hand and asks for whisky. Later on, we see a pair of legs walk out to put on muddy shoes, slip a missing knife out of a fire bucket, go to the study, and stab Sir William in the chest. Louisa discovers the body. Jennings calls the police, who sends an incompetent inspector (Stephen Fry) and put everyone under house arrest. The competent constable notices that there is little blood coming from the stab wound, suggesting that Sir William was already dead when he was stabbed.

That night Elsie tells Mary how she did not love Sir William but did not mind him. She also tells Mary what Sir William used to tell her: "Carpe diem, seize the day." Taking this advice, Mary runs to Robert Parks' room, saying she knows he did not kill Sir William because he would have to hate him in order to kill him. Robert replies, "Can't a man hate his own father?" He broke into the orphanage files and learned that his mother was one of Sir William's factory workers, who died shortly after childbirth. Sir William was the man who dropped him off at the orphanage. Mary tells him that he did not kill William, because he was already dead from poison when Robert stabbed him. Robert grabs Mary and they kiss intensely. Mary runs back to her room. Upstairs, Isobel gives Freddy a cheque to appease him, but Mabel forces him to show it to her, so he rips it up.

The next day everyone is allowed to leave. In front of Mary, Lady Sylvia and the Countess discuss why Mrs. Croft and Mrs. Wilson are such bitter enemies: Mrs. Croft used to be a cook in one of William's factories, and Mrs. Wilson was a lowly factory worker. Now that Mrs. Wilson is the head housekeeper, Mrs. Croft is jealous. The Countess asks if there is a Mr. Wilson. Lady Sylvia believes Mrs. Wilson must have been married because she used to be called Parks. Mr. Blond tells Rupert not to marry Isobel because she will not inherit Sir William's money until Lady Sylvia dies. After everyone else but Louisa and the Countess is gone, Mary confronts Mrs. Wilson. She asks how Mrs. Wilson knew Robert was her son. Mrs. Wilson avoids the question, but admits that she saw the picture of herself on his night stand. She had been William's factory worker and had given up the baby in order to keep the job. William dumped many of his own illegitimate children into orphanages, while telling the mothers that he had placed them as adopted children with good families. She poisoned Sir William because she anticipated that Robert would wish to kill his father. "A good servant anticipates the needs of others." Mary asks Mrs. Wilson if she will tell Robert Parks she is his mother. Mrs. Wilson responds: "What purpose would that possibly serve?" What's important is that she has now made him untouchable: he can never be punished for the crime. And when Mary perseveres, asking what about her life, she retorts: "Didn't you hear me? I am the perfect servant. I have no life." After Mary leaves, Mrs. Wilson gives in to her grief, and Mrs. Croft, who is actually Mrs. Wilson's sister, consoles her, saying that at least her son is alive, while Mrs. Croft quit her factory job but her son died of scarlet fever anyway.

Cast and characters

Upstairs

• Michael Gambon as Sir William McCordle, a cad, husband to Lady Sylvia
• Maggie Smith as Constance, Countess of Trentham
• Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Sylvia, Sir William's wife
• Camilla Rutherford as Isobel, the daughter of Sir William and Lady Sylvia
• Natasha Wightman as Lady Lavinia Meredith, sister of Louisa and Sylvia
• Tom Hollander as Lieutenant-Commander Anthony Meredith, husband to Lady Lavinia
• Geraldine Somerville as Louisa, Lady Stockbridge', sister of Lavinia and Sylvia, wife to Lord Stockbridge
• James Wilby as Freddie Nesbitt, a rake, husband to Mabel
• Claudie Blakley as Mabel, Freddie Nesbitt's wife
• Laurence Fox as Lord Rupert Standish, the younger son of a marquess
• Trent Ford as Jeremy Blond, Lord Rupert's friend
• Jeremy Northam as Ivor Novello, an actor, Sir William's second cousin
• Bob Balaban as Morris Weissman, a Hollywood producer

Downstairs

• Alan Bates as Jennings, the butler
• Helen Mirren as Mrs. Wilson, the chief housekeeper, eventually revealed as Robert Parks's mother
• Eileen Atkins as Mrs. Croft, the cook
• Ryan Phillippe as Henry Denton. Denton is ostensibly Morris Weissman's servant, but is really an American actor.
• Emily Watson as Elsie, the head housemaid and one of Sir William's lovers.
• Richard E. Grant as George, a footman
• Clive Owen as Robert Parks, valet to Lord Stockbridge and the illegitimate son of Sir William and Mrs. Wilson
• Derek Jacobi as Probert, Sir William's valet
• Kelly Macdonald as Mary Maceachran, Lady Trentham's lady's maid
• Sophie Thompson as Dorothy the Still Room Maid
• Meg Wynn Owen as Lewis, Lady Sylvia's lady's maid
• Jeremy Swift as Arthur, a footman
• Adrian Scarborough as Barnes, Commander Meredith's valet
• Teresa Churcher as Bertha, a kitchen maid

Outsiders

• Stephen Fry as Inspector Thompson, a policeman
• Ron Webster as Constable Dexter, Thompson's assistant

Themes

The film is a study of the British class system during the 1930s. Stephen Fry, Inspector Thompson in the film, says that it shows the upper class's dependency on a servant class. A number of secondary themes are also explored. For example, the film takes a subtle look at sexual mores during the 1930s, and touches on gay issues as well, such as the implied relationship between Henry and Weissman. The film also mentions the decline of the British Empire and the peerage system. As it is set in 1932, between World Wars I and II, the impact of the First World War is also explored in the film's screenplay.

Salon.com critic Steven Johnson notes a revival of the manor house mystery style, popularized by the writings of Agatha Christie, in the screenplay for Gosford Park. He called it a blend between this literary style and that of the 19th century novel. Bob Balaban, an actor and producer for Gosford Park, says that the idea of creating a murder mystery told by the servants in the manor was an interesting one for him and Altman.

Writing for PopMatters, Cynthia Fuchs described surface appearances, rather than complex interpersonal relationships, as a theme of the film.

Production

Casting

In Gosford Park, as well as many other Altman films, the director had a list of actors he intends to appear in the film before it was cast formally. The film's casting director was Mary Selway, who was described by the producer David Levy as knowing many British actors.

Screenplay and improvisation

Julian Fellowes, the film's writer, says the screenplay was "not a homage to Agatha Christie, but a reworking of that genre." Altman did not want to use the script directly for the film, but rather as a starting point for the actors. Fellowes was credited not only as the film's writer, but also as a technical advisor, meaning that he wrote portions of the film as it was being produced. He notes that, when writing a large scene with many actors and characters, not everything that the characters would say during the scene is scripted and instead leaves the actors to improvise other lines.

Filming

Scenes were filmed at Syon House, Brentford, Middlesex, for upstairs bedrooms, and Wrotham Park, Barnet, Hertfordshire, for the exteriors, staircase, dining room and drawing room. Sound stages were built to film the scenes of the manor's downstairs area. Shepperton Studios was used for off-location filming.

The film was shot with two cameras, both moving perpetually in opposite directions. The cameras had no specific area to which they pointed, but were intended to cause the audience to move their eyes throughout the scene. Altman notes that most of the film's actors had experience in theater as well as film, meaning that they have acted in a situation where the view of the audience is not on one specific person and each member sees a slightly different image of the players on stage.

Reception

The film came into wide release on 18 January 2002 and left theaters on 6 June 2002. According to the film website Box Office Mojo, Gosford Park received a total of $87,754,044 in its combined total gross at the box office. The review aggregator Metacritic listed the film's overall reception at 90 percent, which corresponds with "universal acclaim". Film critic Roger Ebert was enthusiastic about the film, giving it his highest rating of four stars and describing it as "such a joyous and audacious achievement it deserves comparison with his [Robert Altman's] very best movies." Ebert specifically noted a quality of the film that many Altman films share: a focus on character rather than plot.

Gosford Park's cinematography was a focus of several critics. CNN's Paul Clinton praised Andrew Dunn's camera work, describing it as "lush and rich; the camera glides up and down the stairs of the grand estate, the period look is beautifully crafted." Ed Gonzalez of the Internet publication Slant Magazine writes that "Altman's camera is the star of Gosford Park" and that the cinematography is used as an aid to the film's storytelling.

Awards

Gosford Park won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the British Academy Film Awards in 2002. It also won the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Helen Mirren), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Maggie Smith), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Director and Best Picture.

Soundtrack

Untitled

Gosford Park's director, Robert Altman, discussed the direction the film's soundtrack would take with Patrick Doyle, the composer. He suggested that the soundtrack should not attempt to direct the audience to any particular part of the film, but to support it. Another potential issue in the soundtrack's composition was the integration of Ivor Novello songs with the overall score, composed by Doyle. Altman noted that both of these aspects were handled well by the composer. Doyle used the film's main character, Mary, as a focal point for his composition, taking influences from her Scottish nationality and incorporating them into the score. He described the collaboration with Altman as "one of the happiest of my career."

The film review website SoundtrackNet reviewed the soundtrack positively, despite a lukewarm review for the film at large. The critic, Glenn McClanan, praises Doyle's scoring as "effective and surprisingly well-developed." He goes on to say that the score was intended mainly for two purposes: to give the audience a sense of the film's setting and a sense of emotion, and that the film is successful in both endeavours.

Track listing

1. "Waltz of My Heart" – Ivor Novello
2. "Mr. Parks" – Patrick Doyle
3. "Gosford Park" – Patrick Doyle
4. "Bored to Sobs" – Patrick Doyle
5. "The Shirt" – Patrick Doyle
6. "And Her Mother Came Too" – Ivor Novello
7. "Walking to Shoot" – Patrick Doyle
8. "No Smoke Without Fire" – Patrick Doyle
9. "Scherzo in G" – Patrick Doyle
10. "I Can Give You the Starlight" – Ivor Novello
11. "What a Duke Should Be" – Ivor Novello
12. "Inspector Thompson" – Patrick Doyle
13. "Pull Yourself Together" – Patrick Doyle
14. "Life Goes On" – Patrick Doyle
15. "Secrets to Hide" – Patrick Doyle
16. "Only for a While" – Patrick Doyle
17. "Rather a Pasting'" – Patrick Doyle
18. "Love Jam" – Patrick Doyle
19. "Why Isn't It You?" – Ivor Novello
20. "The Way It's Meant to Be" – Patrick Doyle
21. "Carpe Diem" – Patrick Doyle
22. "Good Luck" – Patrick Doyle
23. "Your Boy's Alive" – Patrick Doyle
24. "The Land of Might-Have-Been" – Ivor Novello

DVD release

The region 1 DVD of Gosford Park was released on 25 June 2002, with the region 2 release on 3 December 2002. The critic Ed Gonzalez reviewed the DVD negatively, calling the picture quality "atrocious on the small screen", going on to say that "the image quality of this video transfer is downright lousy from start to finish." However, reviewer Robert Mack generally wrote favourably on the picture quality, noting excellence in the shots' detail and sharpness and the lack of compression artefacts, but describing an unfavourable darkness to scenes filmed within the house. Both reviewers commented positively on the film's score and soundtrack. Gonzalez wrote that "Gosford Park sounds amazing for a film so dialogue-dependant" and Mack that "the audio transfer is about as good as it can get on a movie of this style."

External links

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