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Gosford Park - Collector's Edition

Gosford Park - Collector's Edition

List Price: $26.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Disappointment
Review: As a fan of Altman, and with all the critical praise preceding release of Gosford Park, it was with high expectations that I brough this DVD home recently. Very disppointed. Marble mouthed characters (subtitles may have helped) in whom it was difficult to develop a whit of interest. The corpse may have enlivened this dull movie, but couldn't stick with it that long.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: boring
Review: PROS:Great cinematography, sets, and cast!

CONS: Boring plot and way too long!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Whaaat?
Review: Excellence. Why or how many reviewers here failed to note or add that together stunning camera work, fine acting, deft pacing, intentional (not incidental) use of location, precise writing and character progression creates an incredible film is a bigger mystery than the 'whodunnit' involved in Gosford Park. Yes, we have seen 'Upstairs, Downstairs' all of us, yet this is far more than a retred of a class tale. Sex, power, & priviledge are explored with the long overdue understanding of gender as well. Just when you think you know what this film is about, keep watching and think again. While keeping track of the actual and temporary names of the characters rivals a Russian novel, this identity confusion serves to extend the scathing censure of classist/sexist foundations of a society rather than obscure the plot. And frankly, it is not all that difficult. A near flawless film.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: GosBORED Park
Review: (Sigh...) Another movie that has received a lot of hype, and surprise surprise, fails to live up to it. Trying to keep track of the characters, especially their names...ha!, is so frustrating that I felt like turning off the movie then. But I didn't and continued on.

There are a lot of talented English actors...many of whom I have barely heard of nor care to see in another movie. Everything about this movie is like its predecessor, Clue. People are invited to a large house, yada yada yada, someone's killed, yada yada, whodunit??

This is the boring, British version of Clue. I cannot recommend it because it is boring, difficult to follow, difficult to give a damn about any of the characters (truthfully, did there only have to be ONE murder? I was hoping everyone but the butler would get it!!!). Anyway, that's that.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Weird!
Review: While walking around the rental shop, I spotted Gosford Park. I remember it was nominated for some stuff at the Oscars. So I rented it....
Thinking about the other movies nominated for Best Movie, Gosford Park must have last minute choice... there are way to many characters and you dont really care about any of the character because of this. I also figured out who killed the guy right after the murder... it was way to easy!!
it was not worth going to the movies, or renting!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: No so "great"
Review: I can't say anything that hasn't already been said, so I'll be brief.
PRO's:
- Extremely faithful atmosphere. Excellent cinematography.

CON's:
- Too damn long with no good reason to be so.
- Muddy sound. The British characters seem to spend most of their time mumbling to themselves. You'll need to turn subtitles on to follow the story.
- The story is just not that imaginative or good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Involving period mystery
Review: Gosford Park feels like one of those all-star Agatha Christie mysteries of the seventies and eighties, and one half expects Peter Ustinov to make an appearance at any moment. This is far sharper and more involving, however, than any other films of that genre. As usual, Altman's concentration is on the intriguing characters, and the suspenseful and charged atmosphere stems from observing the interplay between them. The mystery is palpably present from the very beginning; we sense something malevolent looming in the atmosphere, but are watching every move in order to see just how it will be manifest. Every word spoken and action made is laden with potential significance; therein Altman provides the audience with a fascinating and gripping look into a world of believable characters where any moment conflict might erupt into something deadly.

Altman spends most of the film building up to the main crime. Thereafter, everything is brought together convincingly and dramatically. Stephen Fry provides by far the film's most hilarious moments in his turn as a grossly incompetent police inspector.

Part of the film's fascination lies in its period setting, which has a feel of authenticity, and also in the clashing of two worlds, that of servants and masters. The veneer of distance between the two worlds, contrasted with the reality of the complex interrelations between them, lends the film a certain ironic undertone.

This is a film that requires repeated viewings, since there are subtle nuances that may not be noticed the first time around, not to mention such a wealth of characters and situations that one might well miss some of the plot details.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I've seen this before but liked it more . . .
Review: This movie can best be described as a long winded and artsy fartsy cross between Murder by Death and Clue. Don't agree? Stop pretending your a snob and admit this kind of thing is best left to Neil Simon and Tim Curry.
Not to say it's not a good movie, it's well acted and written. And it's directing even makes sense, I'm sorry, Altman is usually a terrible director technically, old documantary styles die hard I guess. But this is such a tired idea, done in comedies and dramas from dime store novels to classic films. WHY DID WE NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN AND SO BORING AND MUDDLED AND OVERRATED??!! With so much creative film making going on out there (it's there, get off you chair a LOOK!!)why did all of the critics and the academy want us to see this thing so bad? Tell me it's good but nothing new, please don't lead me to believe they've made film making history because they haven't. Don't buy the hype here people. It's a good movie worth a rental, but don't expect to be terribly entertained.
And they should include a flow chart so you can keep track of who everyone is, especially since no one "downstairs" can use their real name in the presense of anyone who is a resident servant of the host of the guests who have brought the servants who can't use their real names, only the names of the master they've come with. Not light hearted entertainment by any means . . .

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 2.5 stars-Average Altman
Review: Gosford Park is handsome looking and features a few good performances but it's a disapointment of a film. I can't believe that this bland script beat out Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson's (The Royal Tenenbaums) for an Oscar. It's a rehashing of the upstairs/downstairs theme (for about the 500th time-thus nothing new is presented here) with an uninteresting mystery attached. Similar territory was mastered by Renoir nearly 65 years ago with The Rules Of The Game-why try it again? This is an unfunny (and overlong) film that is pulled even farther down by the ... detective who attempts to "solve" the mystery. This character is a huge mistake(the reasons would take too long to explain)that torpedos any steam the mystery may have gathered and almost the the very film itself.As others have mentioned,the sound leaves something to be desired as well.

During the last 10 years I've slowly come to believe that Altman is too spotty to deserve a place among the "great" directors. For every Nashville,Thieves Like Us or McCabe and Mrs.Miller there is a Health,Popeye or Ready To Wear.Can a great filmmaker be THAT hit or miss? More importantly,far too many of his films just end up in the middle-not complete failures but disapointingly average. That's my review of Gosford Park in a nutshell. Maybe it's just that his best years(where the misses had a hit or two mixed in)are behind him-I would rate everything he's done since Short Cuts as average or below. The water he's treading here greatly benefited from his reputation.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Delightful & provocative
Review: Altman's "Gosford Park" is a marvellous broad canvas that, in addition to providing a meticulously detailed view of genteel 1930's "upstairs-downstairs" living, touches on a variety of other deeper matters (the complex relationships between the gentry and the serving staff, the amusing mutual incomprehension between the British and Americans at the house, the intriguing system of control exerted by the patriarch over other members of the household...)

The plot revolves around a murder in a classic "the butler did it..." scenario. However, this melodramatic touch seems almost secondary to Altman's interest in the complex interplay of relationships. The "whodunnit" is ultimately resolved (if in a slightly unsatisfying way.)

In all, a wonderful lush (and wry) period piece. Enjoyable to watch, if occasionally confusing and involved. (There are many characters, many quietly spoken asides & a lot of subtle activities on screen -- a second viewing may be required to unravel the many intricacies.)


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