Gosford Park

A brilliant cast led by Kristin Scott Thomas. Masterful screenwriting combined with Robert Altman’s perfectionist directing. Gosford Park is exceptional in how engagingly it manages to tell a story about practically nothing and, what’s more, in a place as boring as an aristocratic mansion over the course of a single weekend. This is true of the first, better half before the murder. The second half is unfortunately too quiet and modest, and the ending is insufficiently satisfying. It would have benefited more from Hitchcock than the restrained intellectual Altman. That said, it is still a clearly above-average work that ranks among the best films of the given period (where James Ivory’s films reign supreme, particularly The Remains of the Day, in my opinion). (17/02/2007)

This was this film that interested me eminently from Robert Altman's filmography, but I must say that our contact was strikingly similar to a head-on collision. I haven't seen a more boring film in a long time. I admit that the evocation of aristocratic emptiness, hypocrisy, and aimlessness worked out perfectly for Altman, as has the portrayal of the mimetic and ailments of perhaps an even more creepy world of their servants. Unfortunately, however, the depicted fates and the "ironic topography" seemed to me like a tourist detour around places that do not tell me anything. Similarly, the very conservative and rigid style of direction, which only accentuated the characteristics of the depicted world, could not evoke any stronger feelings in me. After an hour and a quarter, certain hysteria and constant pathos got on my nerves, and the murder that was supposed to create the illusion of a detective plot didn't bring much relief. The only part that was excellent for me was the ending, which had a touch of relief for both me and the unbearable snob world, which seemed to end with the death of Sir William and the end of the hunt... Despite respect for craftsmanship and recognition that Altman's creative intent was fulfilled to a great extent, I cannot forget that this film left me aristocratically cold. (11/03/2005)

The main strength of this is the screenplay, not so much in the story with the detective plot, but more in how it works with the characters. The whole time we follow a good twenty characters both downstairs and upstairs, and each of them has their own story and place in this story. None of the characters is here just to look pretty or to make up numbers. And all these characters are precisely cast, played by great actors whose performances are also great; it’s not often that you see such an excellent mass-collective performance. Altman deserves respect for how he manages to present the atmosphere of both worlds in such a small space with so many characters. And it is also amazing that while doing this he doesn’t prefer any single character, but each gets precisely the amount of room that he needs. (10/03/2005)

A typically verbose, costume-drama, whose creator is (or was) even more old-fashioned than old-fashionedness itself. It’s a downright boring film that for about two-thirds is only worth watching for strong-willed individuals who love intense performances, or fans of British culture and dining in the early 20th century with all that entails. The huge cast of quality actors was truly necessary because they are the only thing that make those one hundred minutes watchable and kept me from pressing the OFF button on the remote control. With the onset of the criminal plot, things start happening, at least in passing, and the resolution is interesting. But the screenplay is so extensive that it is practically impossible not to get confused in all those names and characters in the first screening. Oscars should go to better films. (26/11/2007)

It really took a capable director to control such actors and to give them all enough space to work as an ensemble, and Robert Altman proved that he certainly was that. Yet the film failed to draw me in. It's great in terms of directing and acting, and maybe even the costumes, but the story just didn't wow me. (28/02/2018)