Robert Altman is the master at directing ensemble casts and in Gosford Park he seamlessly knits together the stories of more than 20 characters in a British period piece with a pace less Masterpiece Theatre and more West Wing. The camera glides as quickly and silently as the serving staff through the vast halls, upstairs and downstairs, ever observant, catching glimpses and snatches, pieces of a crossword puzzle that the audience is left to put together.
The plot is thin and inessential, for it is the people who matter. Guests gather for a shooting party at a great English country estate. But Altman looks beyond the gentry to the silent, yet ever-present, servants standing in the shadows. His democratic approach in telling everyone’s story further emphasizes the rigid hierarchy of his tableaux.
Update
Today, Gosford Park received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, 2 Best Supporting Actresses, Best Original Screenplay, Art Direction, and Costume.
Certainly an enjoyable movie with an excellent cast.
I really want to see this movie. It seems to have all the elements that I look for in a good movie. I would like to play hookey one afternoon and go see it.