Rating: 
Summary: Colonel Mustard with the Candlestick in the Drawing Room
Review: Robert Altman (M*A*S*H*, NASHVILLE, THE PAYER) is one of the most prolific American film directors. So, fans will not be surprised he added a British murder mystery to his lengthy filmography. And, detractors will again be plagued with an episodic nickelodeon with little to no chronological storyline. The first half of the long film is an UPSTAIRS/DOWNSTAIRS type comparison between the elite aristocracy and the lower class servants who live vicariously through their employers. And then, just to shake up things, a murder occurs.Stephen Fry (PETERS FRIEND'S) portrays the detective who comes in to solve the crime, always careful not to obstruct the wealthy vacationers time. Helen Mirren (MOSQUITO COAST) and Maggie Smith (CALIFORNIA SUITE) offer greatly detailed opposing roles. That is where the film gets its strength. But, the storyline seems to be created as the story goes. The film has great production values and detail but the story seems more appropriate to Merchant Ivory.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite Possibly Robert Altman's Winning Ticket
Review: I have always respected and enjoyed Mr. Altman's films. He has never let me down (even Dr. T and the Women was enjoyable, contrary to most critics' opinions). He has always crafted his films skillfully. Gosford Park is by far his greatest work in ten years. The screenplay and actors (including Mr. Phillippe) were what made the film so enjoyable. Bob Balaban and Robert Altman did a splendid job creating the characters and Julian Fellowes should be commended for the way he developed the story and script. I don't really care what the rest of the reviewers said (at least the ones that didn't like the film). They obviously have no understanding of the difference between "movies" and "films." "Movies" end with everything all better at the end with a nice red ribbon wrapped around them. "Films" leave you to ponder the meaning. To truly think about what you just spent your time watching. This falls in the "film" category. Yes, it doesn't end with everything all tied up in a pretty bow. It doesn't explain in great detail the murder or the murderer (like one of the reviewers of this film did). There is no reconciliation. In my opinion, the film shouldn't have been done any other way. It would lose it's mysterious quality if all ended up perfect. See the film. Judge it for yourself. It doesn't matter if you agree with me or with the other people. I know how I felt. It's not how everyone felt and that's not the point. If everyone felt the same way, this world would be very boring. Anyway, all I have to say is that I enjoyed the film and all of it's attributes. It may not when top prize, but I think Robert Altman (at least) deserves Best Director Honors at this year's awards.
Rating:
Summary: Altman Shines WIth "Gosford Park"
Review: For moviegoers who've been around the block enough times to know that Robert Altman, as of late, has not been making the best films he possibly could be (although those recent films, like "The Gingerbread Man" and "Cookie's Fortune," are still lightyears beyond some trite pieces of cinematic garbage that either resort to shameful tricks and gags or use all of their cinematic resources in a desperate attempt that cries "Please! Give me an Oscar!"). So with this knowledge, one can truly appreciate the utter genius that is "Gosford Park." An ensemble piece of the highest quality, "Gosford Park" is, at appearance, a murder mystery of the Agatha Christie variety, but is really a social commentary on the British class system of the early 20th-Century (although I'm sure it speaks just as relevant about the 21st-Century class system just as much). Robert Altman weaves this all together in a way that is not only intelligent, but also surprisingly entertaining and fun. "Fun" is a fantastically important word that is often ignored during the making of a film, but this time around, Robert Altman has strung together a highly stylized, classy film that takes that word and milks it for all its worth. The ensemble also does a fantastic job in "Gosford Park." It's hard to pick people out of an ensemble (which is why ensemble films are called just that) but the calvalcade of British actors and actresses all assembled to play out the various Lords and Earls and their servants that inhabit this movie is outstanding. The few American actors peppered within the cast also manage to hold their own and do an outstanding job (Bob Balaban is wonderfully enjoyable, and even Ryan Phillippe, who I normally am not a fan of, displays an enjoyable air of mysicism about his character). All in all, "Gosford Park" is a sublime mixture of style, fun, and great acting that is a joy to watch. Be warned, that it certainly takes some will power to get into the very slow-moving and subtle plot. But if you're looking for an intelligent movie that tickles the senses, than look no further than "Gosford Park." And thank goodness Altman's back to fine form!
Rating:
Summary: a great escape
Review: This movie provided a great afternoon's entertainment. Well acted, well written and kept to the period it represented. Some of the dialogue(not much) was a little hard for the average non Brit to comprehend, but what a great excuse to see the movie over again!
Rating:
Summary: In the dark at Gosford Park
Review: I was *so* lost for the first hour. Altman could have done a little more (better) upfront character development. I didn't understand who was whom, what was what or who was doing what to whom. Also, (it may have been the acoustics in the theater) I had a difficult time understanding some of the dialog. Finally, in the last half, I got the role of most of the characters. I'll probably see it again "knowing now what I should have known then", because I *loved* the cast and the roles they played. I just wish I could have had the info from the beginning. I would have even gone for a longer film to get better character development.
Rating:
Summary: A BEUTIFUL MOVIE
Review: It is November 1932. Gosford Park is the magnificent country estate to which Sir William McCordle and his wife, Lady Sylvia, gather relations and friends for a weekend shooting party. As the guests assemble in the gilded drawing rooms above, their personal maids and valets swell the ranks of the house servants in the teeming kitchens and corridors below-stairs. But all is not as it seems: neither amongst the bejeweled guests lunching and dining at their enormous leisure, nor in the attic bedrooms and stark work stations where the servants labor for the comfort of their employers...
Rating:
Summary: The Decline of the Aristocrats Between the World Wars
Review: Robert Altman brilliantly tackles a subject matter that we normally expect from the team of Merchant & Ivory. It is 1932 and the devastating loss of life during World War I has a few years later left the the British Empire unable to reverse its rapid decline. A weekend pheasant hunt takes place on the aristocratic grounds of Gosford Park. The event brings together members of the upper crust who are uneasy about their future prospects. The British mainstream culture is becoming more meritocratic and questioning the respect due to an elite born into unearned wealth and privilege. The radical egalitarians of the French Revolution would have likely decapitated them, but modern Britain is unsure on how to deal with these relics of a bygone era. Their fragile self esteem is also threatened by this new and uncaring age. They must therefore look to each other to resolve both their existential angst and falling bank accounts. The servants take for granted that there is no sense in being ambitious. Rising above their lower class origins is not deemed a realistic goal. Many instead opt to vicariously identify with their self centered bosses. Sexual gratifying the latter is even sometimes tacitly required. The murder of the wealthy and offensive lord of the manor compels both set of classes to reassess the direction of their lives. Earlier moral compromises come back to haunt them. Every scene in this film is justified and adds to the story. There are no extraneous takes to satisfy the egos of its impressive all star cast. Herding cats might be easier, but Altman commands the respect of the actors to see it through. "Gosford Park" is a masterpiece and deserving of many honors. It should be on your must see list.
Rating:
Summary: No man is a hero to his valet, or his housekeeper either
Review: Marvelous ensemble work characterizes this depiction of 1930s British aristocracy and their equally interesting servants. My only complaint? The wealthy characters needed to be called by their names often, early on in the picture. Since so much of the dialogue is below stairs gossip, if you can't put a face to the name, you're sunk! That's why I had to see the movie a second time, to get it all straight. However, even if that hadn't been the case, I still would have seen "Gosford Park" a second time, and I will probably acquire it for my private libary once it's available. Beastly old chap with a youngish bored wife and a neurotic daughter has a bevy of houseguests for a weekend shooting party: a sharp-tongued countess with her hand out for more money, a cinema star along with a Hollywood movie producer, a titled suitor for the daughter along with his somewhat undersexed sidekick, one sister-in-law with whom the old chap displays a tad too much familiarity, another sister-in-law with her vertically challenged husband whose business deal is just about to be pulled out of by the old chap, and a cad (plus wife) who's looking for a job and blackmailing the daughter. Had enough yet? Well, there's the whole downstairs staff, both those living regularly in the great house and the servants of all the visitors. In their way, they're bigger snobs than the upstairs crew, with their emphasis on place and hierarchy. Well, seems there's a type of social mobility around here, at least sexually, as innuendos abound about who's sleeping with whom, or at least did once upon a time. But don't get me wrong--this isn't any romp or bedroom farce. It's an excellent serious study of life in service in England between the wars and the somewhat immoral ways of the aristocracy being served. There is comedy, but mostly black humor, especially after a certain someone is found murdered and a police investigation sheds some inadvertent light on long-ago secrets. Do note, though, that only those who know something about this sort of thing already will be able to enjoy it. The first time I saw this, it was with a German woman and an Argentinian man. I think Sabine did okay, but Jorge was out to sea, what with the myriad of British Isles accents, 1930s slang expressions, and country gentry mores. My brother, on the second outing, summed up by saying, "Doesn't put a foot wrong once, except that it's a little long." Definitely an acquired taste, but what a taste!
Rating: 
Summary: Gosford Park - Academy Nominee? Are You Kidding ME?
Review: Gosford Park was probably the worst movie I have seen in a long, long time. The plot is pathetically boring, the characters are lifeless and unengaging, and the dialogue is unbelievably hard to follow. I kept thinking throughout the movie "this has to get better." It never does. As another reviewer mentioned, even the inevitable murder is boring. In my opinion, the movie industry should be held accountable for putting out a movie this bad, and should dig deep into its pockets and offer anyone who paid an admission to this movie a refund. How did this movie get nominated for so many Academy Awards, you are probably asking? Your guess is as good as mine. In the immortal words of Rodney Dangerfield, this movie "bites!"
Rating:
Summary: OMG, wasn't that Charles Dance?! No, wait, Ryan Phillipe!!
Review: Surely a movie with such an enormous and famous cast of world renowned actors and actresses cannot fail to please, wonder and delight. And this movie does that, now and again. Of course, now and again the movie actually bothers to make sense. By the end of the film, you have a vague sense of having watched something that should have been substantial and moralistic, but you are left with a slight sense of unease, emptiness, and somehow complete pointlessness. Such are the powers of untied loose ends, which this film has a lot of. The plot revolves around a gathering of wealthy aristocrats (which have servants and valets, one of which has a totally hokey scottish accent). A murder takes place. Mayhem ensues. Notice the keyword: mayhem. I'm not saying this film is bad; it has its moments, and certainly brilliant performances are brought in by its cast. However, so many subplots are woven into this that the actual murder is overshadowed and becomes just one more subplot. The detective who is called in hardly makes an appearance and disappears within about twenty minutes, never to have contributed towards the identity of the murderer. Film buffs will read this review and say "The point of the movie wasn't the murder, but the moral divide between the servant's lives and the aristocrat's lives". Sure. OK. But as there are so many characters, the ending is slightly "wrapped up", an anticlimax, and you don't really know each of them well enough to be moved when one of them breaks down in emotion. Many movements, words, and poignant and often thought-provoking actions and lines that you are positive will develop into something later on in the movie are never touched upon again, and this is where I bring in the theme of my review; pointlessness. If every interaction and tense moment between characters was to contribute to the plot(s) of this movie, that would be intriguing and complex. However, almost half of these interactions are completely pointless, reveal almost nothing about the character himself/herself, and seem just to be there to fill up empty spaces. Many characters seem to just be there to fill up holes in the opulent, grand-scale plot. And romantic liasons? Might as well not be there, for the matters they contribute. Tea at Four. Dinner at Eight. Murder at Midnight. These are not the actions upon which the film revolves. It does its best to deliver a moral message and to leave you with the sense of an underlying meaning. It does deliver, in some respects, but in others it simply falls flat. By all means, go see this movie. It is a bittersweet, witty and often intriguing display of interactions between different classes of people. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Only let me warn you that you might be left with a slight sense of dissatisfaction as the ending credits roll down the screen. The only part of this movie that really moved me was the lyrical, poignant and incredibly appropriate choice of song that flowed through the speakers at the end of the movie. "I shall never know that land below where I used to be, I shall not be King of it nor you shall be my Queen...." Or something like that, anyway.
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