Shooting Party

Rating:
Summary: Swansong of the British Aristocracy
Review: A weekend shooting party in 1913 at the estate of Sir Randolph Nettleby (James Mason in his last worthwhile role) gives a glimpse of the social and personal interactions of a generation about to be changed forever by the Great War. A wonderful cast of name (Mason, John Gielgud, Edward Fox, Gordon Jackson) and no-name (Robert Hardy, Judi Bowker, Cheryl Campbell, Dorothy Tutin) actors play together and apart with sensitivity and quiet humor. Worth watching if only for the brief scene between Mason and Gielgud - the best scene ever filmed of two men discussing the merits of pamphlet printers.

Rating:
Summary: Bad quality transfer
Review: After a long wait, the quality of this DVD is dissapointing, and not worth it at any price. Without the deep fall colors and contrasts of the original, "The Shooting Party's" minor flaws, its sentimentality and heavy symbolism, take over. The print look like a fifty year old Kodachrome slide--washed out, flat contrast and no shadow detail. And the sound is almost as bad.

That said, the secenes between James Mason as the estate owner, and John Guielgud as the animal rights activist, are priceless. But why should this print be worse than the one shown on television...?

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful film ruined
Review: Having waited for ages to find a DVD of this, one of my favourite films, I was thrilled to find it available Across the Pond in R1. That thrill has now turned to despair, however ! This is a classic example of an otherwise beautiful movie ruined by a truly appalling transfer. The perpetrators of this monstrosity should be punished by being locked in a darkened cell for a year, fed only on a diet of bread, water, and a perpetual tape of Britney Spears (any album will do).
Save you money for the professional version.

Rating:
Summary: "Twilight of the English Aristocracy"
Review: The "Shooting Party focuses on the aristocrats and their country weekends which stretch into five days. The centerpiece of this particular weekend in the country is a shooting party which turns into a contest between two guests. There are the ladies who come to watch the slaughter of thousands of birds, the shooters, the "beaters" whose job it is to drive the poor birds to within range of the shooters, and the "re-loaders" who pass loaded guns to the shooters as soon as they empty the ones they are holding - Nothing should delay their killling spree. Then there are the other servants of the Lord of the Manor; the gamekeeper, and a fanatical bird-lover who attempts to disrupt the hunt. The film shows not only the leisured lifestyle of the rich and titled, but also their disregard for anyone not of their "class," All these characters are woven into a story of great insight and compassion as this group of aristocrats teeters on the brink of World War I. An excellent movie with fine performances from James Mason, Gordon Jackson, James Fox, and John Gielgud. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Bad quality transfer
Review: The "Shooting Party focuses on the aristocrats and their country weekends which stretch into five days. The centerpiece of this particular weekend in the country is a shooting party which turns into a contest between two guests. There are the ladies who come to watch the slaughter of thousands of birds, the shooters, the "beaters" whose job it is to drive the poor birds to within range of the shooters, and the "re-loaders" who pass loaded guns to the shooters as soon as they empty the ones they are holding - Nothing should delay their killling spree. Then there are the other servants of the Lord of the Manor; the gamekeeper, and a fanatical bird-lover who attempts to disrupt the hunt. The film shows not only the leisured lifestyle of the rich and titled, but also their disregard for anyone not of their "class," All these characters are woven into a story of great insight and compassion as this group of aristocrats teeters on the brink of World War I. An excellent movie with fine performances from James Mason, Gordon Jackson, James Fox, and John Gielgud. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: "Twilight of the English Aristocracy"
Review: The "Shooting Party focuses on the aristocrats and their country weekends which stretch into five days. The centerpiece of this particular weekend in the country is a shooting party which turns into a contest between two guests. There are the ladies who come to watch the slaughter of thousands of birds, the shooters, the "beaters" whose job it is to drive the poor birds to within range of the shooters, and the "re-loaders" who pass loaded guns to the shooters as soon as they empty the ones they are holding - Nothing should delay their killling spree. Then there are the other servants of the Lord of the Manor; the gamekeeper, and a fanatical bird-lover who attempts to disrupt the hunt. The film shows not only the leisured lifestyle of the rich and titled, but also their disregard for anyone not of their "class," All these characters are woven into a story of great insight and compassion as this group of aristocrats teeters on the brink of World War I. An excellent movie with fine performances from James Mason, Gordon Jackson, James Fox, and John Gielgud. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful story. Excellent actors. Terrible DVD transfer
Review: The Shooting Party shows the decline of the British aristocracy (and why they became irrelevent) through the story device of a weekend of country shooting and the relationships among the manor head (James Mason), those he has invited, those who are retainers on his estate, and those protesting the shoot.

Mason is absolutely superb. He was a subtle actor who made some awful role choices in his career. This was one of his great roles. In the Shooting Party, he embodies the sadness of the loss of values he treasures as well as an understanding of why these values are being lost.

That said, this DVD, for all practical purposes, is unwatchable. It looks and sounds as if it had been made from a fifth generation home recorded video tape. Color is faded, the images are out of focus, the sound is variable.

If this motion picture had been given even an average DVD transfer, I'd rate it 5 stars.