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Laramie Movie Scope:
Gosford Park Collector's Edition DVD

Whodunit plus social commentary

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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June 18, 2002 -- The new Gosford Park Collector's Edition DVD, coming out June 25, is a good way to get deeper into this very dense Academy Award winning film by Robert Altman. This review relates specifically to the DVD. I assume those reading this have already seen the movie, so there is little discussion of the plot here, or a review of the film as such. For a review of just the film, click here.

The DVD has two optional commentary tracks, one by Julian Fellowes (who won an Academy Award for the screenplay) and one featuring Director Robert Altman, Production Designer Stephen Altman and Producer David Levy. If you listen to both of those commentary tracks during the movie, and if you watch the numerous deleted scenes, it gives you a better grasp of those many subplots like the blackmail subplot and the second will subplot and the others.

One nice feature of the DVD is a hearing-impaired subtitle option. Now I'm not hearing impaired, but I found that by using the subtitles I could pick up about one-third more of the dialogue than I could get from the sound, unless I cranked the sound up loud enough to wake the dead. If I had seen "Gosford Park" in a movie theater with a good sound system I probably could have heard more of the dialogue (I have never seen the film in a theater, only on VHS and DVD). The dialogue may be easier understood with a good surround sound system (I don't have one). I suspect the problem with the sound comes from using wireless microphones for the dialogue recordings rather than sound booms. In a normal movie, the dialogue is as loud as most other sounds in the movie. In Gosford Park there is a large dynamic range of volume in the dialogue sound. Some of it is loud enough, sometimes it is quite soft (and not just when people are whispering). Subtitles were a help to me. A common reaction I had when I saw the movie for the first time with subtitles was, "so that was what he said!"

Altman's commentary focuses mainly on the plot with an occasional reference to camera or production matters (one of Altman's comments was "For you film buffs out there, that was one of the few fades in the film"). One of the interesting comments Altman made had to do with the use of the "f" word. This word is heard a surprising number of times in the film. Altman said he had the word inserted multiple times to ensure an "R" rating in the U.S. He said the reason for that is that he didn't think the film would be enjoyable for the under-18 audience and he did not want them viewing the film by mistake. Fellowes talks a lot about finer details of the social structure of the era in which Gosford Park is set. I was also surprised to learn that he drew upon his own family background for information about the upper classes of that era (the film is set around 1932). One of the funniest lines in the movie is uttered by Constance, Countess of Trentham (played by Maggie Smith of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"), when movie producer Morris Weissman (Bob Balaban of "Ghost World") says he doesn't want to spoil the ending of an upcoming Charlie Chan movie by telling a group of people who committed the crime. Constance says, "Oh, but none of us will ever see it!"

Fellowes talks at some length about the snobbishness of the upper class and how they refuse to partake of popular culture (or at least refuse to admit they do). They are out of touch with the modern world, existing in an earlier age, sort of like those insufferable people who claim never to watch television. Fellowes points out scenes in the film which demonstrate how helpless the rich would be without their servants. He also talks about another theme in the film, love versus money. One character in the film married for love, but became bitter when he tried to pursue money. One of the servants (played by Judi Dench's daughter, I think) puts him back on the right track with a nice little speech about believing in love. He also talks about how the class structure among the servants is as rigid, or more so, than it is among the upper class. Fellowes also talks about how the servants sometimes lose themselves and live vicariously through the lives of their masters.

Altman talks at some length about movie star Ivor Novello (played in the movie by Jeremy Northam of "The Golden Bowl"). It seems Novello was a real person, who starred in a number of films and also wrote the popular song, "Keep the Home Fires Burning." In the film, that is actually Northam's voice you hear singing Novello's songs. Northam even plays the piano in the movie during a couple of songs, but his concert pianist brother plays during three of the songs. Altman describes Novello as one of the tracks of reality upon which this fictional train runs. The other is the movie "Charlie Chan in London" which we hear Weissman constantly talking about on the phone during the film. It is a real film, and all the talk about the production, including the different stars being considered for the roles in the film is historically accurate, Altman says. There was also a historical murder of a wealthy upper class man which actually took place. The circumstances of the murder were in some ways similar to the circumstances of the murder in "Gosford Park."

One of the features on the DVD is called "The Authenticity of Gosford Park." In this segment the filmmakers talk about the effort made to "get it right." This same theme is discussed in the other feature commentaries, too. One of the steps taken to ensure authenticity was to enlist the aid of a former servants, valets and cooks who actually worked in those positions in English estates in 1932. The actors in the film made use of these experts to learn their roles in the film. Actors in the background all know their household chores in the grand scheme of things and everyone in every shot is an actor, not an untrained extra. Even the jewels worn by the actors are real jewels, not fake. In fact a woman who works at the jewelry store from which the jewels were rented is the one who makes the scream signalling the discovery of the murdered victim in the film. She had the best scream, Altman said. Aside from a few minor violations of etiquite, like the footman using the main staircase instead of the servant's staircase, and a valet spiting on silverware (which a servant-consultant strenuously objected to), Altman said the movie was as authentic as he could make it. In his commentery, Fellowes refutes a claim that some of the music in the film is anachronistic.

During his commentary, Altman had nothing but praise for the actors in his film, frequently giving them most of the credit for the quality of the finished product. He often repeated the phrase "I cannot find the weak link." The actors also had high praise for Altman, who is renowned for the freedom he gives his actors. Altman said the most memorable moments in his films are ones which happen by accident. His idea is to let the cameras move, the actors act, and see what happens. Altman said he doesn't even learn the script. He trusts the actors and others to do that. The only thing he asks of the screenwriter or script supervisor at the end of a scene is to make sure some important part of the script has not been left out. Altman said his constantly moving multiple cameras move at random. None of the actors knew when they might find themselves in the forefront of a scene. That fact, and the large cast, meant it was up to the actors to make the most of their short time on the screen. The camera motion also makes the audience feel as though it is a bystander, not being catered to and not being in the center of every scene. This technique worked well with the English actors, Altman said, because many of them are stage actors. They are used to being seen from a variety of angles.

The DVD also has a featurette on "The Making of Gosford Park," a number of deleted scenes with optional commentary by Robert and Stephen Altman and Levy. The deleted scenes include a whole subplot involving a second will that was dropped from the finished film. There is also more about the blackmail plot and more on some of the other various subplots in the film. It would have been nice to have the option of playing the film with the deleted scenes reinserted. There is a very helpful illustrated cast and filmmaker list. The cast list includes both the actor's name, his screen name, his photo, and a hint of who he was in the film, like, "snob." There is a cast and filmmakers question and answer session that was filmed prior to the Academy Awards. The Q and A session was held immediately after a screening of the film. Altman makes several interesting comments in response to questions. The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen format. It is dual layered with Dolby (TM) digital surround sound. There are Spanish subtitles, but no Spanish soundtrack. The subtitles are in the black part of the screen below the picture where they are easy to read. The picture quality is good. The sound has the aforementioned dialog problems.

The DVD is essential to fans of the film because this film, more than most, demands multiple viewings. I've seen the film about four times now and I still don't know who some of the minor characters are, like the guy who is having sex with the kitchen maid. The film has a huge cast, many of them using multiple names or titles, and many of them dress alike and look alike. You really need a scorecard to tell them all apart. The filmography section of the DVD helps. This DVD rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2002 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)