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Gosford Park is a 2001 film, directed by Robert Altman. The screenplay was written by Julian Fellowes, based on an idea by Altman and Bob Balaban.

A period piece, the film is set in 1932 at an English country house Locations were filmed at Syon House, Brentford, Middlesex, for upstairs bedrooms, and Wrotham Park, Barnet, Herts. for the staircase, dining room and drawing room.. A group of wealthy Britons and their American guest—all accompanied by their servants—have gathered at the home of Sir William McCordle for a weekend of pheasant shooting. A murder occurs in the middle of the night. The plot then follows a traditional whodunit format, combining elements of the British murder mystery with those of a comedy of manners.

The film's true central theme, however, is a study of the British class system during the 1930s. In that regard Gosford Park follows in the tradition of Jean Renoir's 1939 film La règle du jeu, as well as the 1970s British television series Upstairs, Downstairs. Many intertwining subplots detail the complex relationships among the characters, both above stairs (the noble guests) and below (the servants), and 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. The film also mentions the decline of the British Empire and the peerage system.

While the story is fictional, the character of Ivor Novello is based on the actor of the same name.

The film stars 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.

It 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. It also won the "Alexander Korda award for the outstanding British film of the year" at the British Academy Film Awards in 2002.

The pheasant shooting scene is an homage to the 1939 film La règle du jeu.

Tagline: Tea At Four. Dinner At Eight. Murder At Midnight.

Soundtrack: Composed by Patrick Doyle and Ivor Novello.

Cast

Track listing

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

Plot elements

  • Sir William McCordle, an unsympathetic character, is "new money". He is married to Lady Silvia, one of three sisters: The Ladies Silvia, Lavinia, and Louisa. Their father is an impoverished aristocrat. Sir William is a cad.
  • Isobel is the daughter of Sir William and Lady Silvia.
  • Lieutenant-Commander Anthony Meredith is married to Lady Lavinia. They are the only love match "above stairs". Anthony Meredith has a business deal with Sir William to supply the Sudanese army with equipment, which Sir William is planning to pull out of.
  • Ivor Novello, an actor, is Sir William's cousin; their mothers were cousins and were both teachers. He brings along his a male friend named Morris Weissman.
  • Raymond, Lord Stockbridge, a war hero, is married to Lady Louisa. The marriage has caused Lady Louisa to drop in rank order of precedence, as her father is an earl but her husband is only a baron. The order of precedence carries over into the staff in the Servants' Hall.
  • Freddie Nesbitt, a rake, is married to Mabel, a middle class minor heiress he married for money but now disdains, having spent all her inheritence. Mabel is disdained or pitied by the others as well, but treated kindly by Ivor Novello. It is implied that Freddie Nesbitt and Isobel had an affair; Isobel terminated the resulting pregnancy, for which a desperate Freddie is now blackmailing her.
  • Mary Maceachran, lady's maid, serves Constance, Countess of Trentham, an insufferable snob who is the aunt of Silvia, Lavinia and Louisa. Lady Trentham's allowance is under threat of being cut by Sir William.
  • Jennings, the butler, had been a conscientious objector in World War I.
  • Elsie is head housemaid and one of Sir William's lovers.
  • Robert Parks valets Lord Stockbridge. He is the illegimate son of Sir William and Mrs Wilson.
  • Henry Denton ostensibly serves Morris Weissman, a Hollywood friend of Ivor Novello, but Denton is really an American actor researching a role and pretending to be Scottish. Denton is functionally bisexual sleeping with men or women to advance his career.

The two young men who arrive late to dinner are Lord Rupert Standish, the younger son of a marquess, who is interested in Isobel, and Jeremy Blond, his pragmatic and amoral friend, who later sleeps with Bertha, a kitchen maid.

Notes

  • There is never a still shot in the film. The camera is always in some state of movement.
  • Although seen on screen, the words "Gosford Park" are never said in dialogue.

External links

2001 films | Drama films | Crime films | Period films | British films | Best Picture Academy Award nominees | Films directed by Robert Altman | Films shot in Super 35

Gosford Park | Gosford Park | Gosford Park | Gosford Park | פארק גוספורד | ゴスフォード・パーク | Gosford Park | Gosford Park | Gosford Park

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Gosford Park".

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