Yesterday afternoon, I saw Gosford Park, and the it will take its place on my top five. Altman is as schizophrenic a director as you'll find, the director of a lot of crap, like Dr. T & the Women (2000), The Gingerbread Man (1998), Kansas City (1996), Prêt-à-Porter (1994), Short Cuts (1993) and Beyond Therapy (1987) (but who knew that Goldblum and Lauper wouldn't hit).
Altman has also directed some fine, clever work, like Cookie's Fortune (1999), The Player (1992), and Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982). He is further responsible for a failed masterpiece - Nashville (1975) - and successful ones, like California Split (1974), The Long Goodbye (1973) and M*A*S*H (1971).
I can't decide whether Gosford Park falls in the category of an Altman fine, clever work, or a masterpiece. As he doesn't so much juggle the drawing room murder and British class-comparison genres, but rather, makes the plot device of the former mesh effortlessly and to purposes with the latter, I'm inclined to label it a near masterpiece.
The film is an "Upstairs, Downstairs" hunt country weekend, depicting the lives of the rich and the servants in 1932 Britain, with a murder thrown in to keep things lively. Gosford Park gets beyond the stereotypes and Julian Fellowes' script brings you close to not only to characters well worn by stock depictions in the past, but a whole lot of them. It is witty and sharp, but best (and very unlike Altman, who can be cruel to his characters) it is often, unexpectedly touching.
I read someone else's review, and they complained of the sound. I didn't find it to be a problem, but it was booming in the theater where I saw the picture. I can see how it would be miserable if a sub-par sound system were in place.
Grade: A.
