List Price: $14.98You Pay Only: $9.99 You Save: $4.99 (33%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780783271163
Format: Closed-captioned, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
ISBN: 0783271166
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: June 25, 2002
Running Time: 138 minutes
Sales Rank: 2471
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 2001
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Editorial Review:
Description:
The Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay, Gosford Park is a whodunit as only director Robert Altman could do it. As a hunting party gathers at the country estate, no one is aware that before the weekend is over, someone will be murdered - twice! The police are baffled but the all-seeing, all-hearing servants know that almost everyone had a motive. This critically-acclaimed murder mystery features a who's who of celebrated actors. With a diverse cast of characters - all with something to hide - it'll keep you guessing right to the surprising end. Gosford Park proves that murder can be such an inconvenience.
Amazon.com essential video:
Gosford Park finds director Robert Altman in sumptuously fine form indeed. From the opening shots, as the camera peers through the trees at an opulent English country estate, Altman exploits the 1930s period setting and whodunit formula of the film expertly. Aristocrats gather together for a weekend shooting party with their dutiful servants in tow, and the upstairs/downstairs division of the classes is perfectly tailored to Altman's method (as employed in Nashville and Short Cuts) of overlapping bits of dialogue and numerous subplots in order to betray underlying motives and the sins that propel them. Greed, vengeance, snobbery, and lust stir comic unrest as the near dizzying effect of brisk script turns is allayed by perhaps Altman's strongest ensemble to date. First and foremost, Maggie Smith is marvelous as Constance, a dependent countess with a quip for every occasion; Michael Gambon, as the ill-fated host, Sir William McCordle, is one of the most palpably salacious characters ever on screen; Kristin Scott Thomas is perfectly cold yet sexy as Lady Sylvia, Sir William's wife; and Helen Mirren, Emily Watson, and Clive Owen are equally memorable as key characters from the bustling servants' quarters below. Gosford Park manages to be fabulously entertaining while exposing human shortcomings, compromises, and our endless need for confession. --Fionn Meade
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Commentary by Julian Fellowes is most enjoyable!
I'm glad this DVD belongs to me for I will watch it many times. The music is lovely and Jeremy Northam and Clive Owen are easy on the eyes.
Julian Fellowes has an excellent commentary explaining the aristocracy and the servant class which made the story-line all the more understandable and therefore more enjoyable. Thank you, Julian Fellowes!
Rating:  - A Poisonous Paradise
In a screenplay by Julian Fellowes, and through the imaginations of Bob Balaban and the late director, Robert Altman, viewers find themselves transported to the upper crust society of 1932 England, where the devious Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his elegant and aristocratic, but cold wife,Lady Sylvia(Kristen Scott Thomas) host variegated guests at their country estate for a weekend shooting party.
Young Mary Maceachran(Kelly Macdonald)accompanies her employer, Constance, the Countess of Trenham (Dame Maggie Smith)to her niece's estate, encountering actor/singer/composer, Ivor Novello, Sir William's second cousin (an amiable and very gifted Jeremy Northam), on the road with friend and producer, Morris Weissman (a crude Bob Balaban) en route to the same destination.
Others arriving at the estate on that rainy November day include the hostess' sisters Louisa and Lavinia(Geraldine Sommerville, Natasha Wightman) and Lord Stockbridge and Commander Meredith (Charles Dance and Tom Hollander). The McCordle's daughter Isobel (Camilla Rutherford), greets her suitor, Lord Rupert Standish (Lawrence Fox), who is accompanied by his friend, Mr. Jeremy Blond (Trent Ford). The Nesbitts, Freddie and Mabel (James Wilby and Claudey Blakely) are a couple who happen to be broke, and their relationship is tense and volatile.
The butler, Jennings (Alan Bates) greets the guests at the entrance and directs the servants upon their arrival. Indoors, the downstairs set are directed by Mrs. ... Read More
Rating: - Many-layered: Every performance is perfect.....
This film can be seen many times and each time, you see something you missed the time before. Both of the commentaries are fascinating. The screenwriter has experienced knowing people who really lived like this, so he is very interesting to listen to. The cast is filled with excellent actors, who, I think, took smaller parts because they wanted to work in a Robert Altman film and they are sublime. No one ever puts a foot wrong. Watch facial expressions and "thrown away" remarks, that are really vital to the story. I would suggest putting on the "caption" feature so you can follow the story while listening to the commentaries, or even to be sure you know what the Scottish Mary Maceachran (Maggie Smith's lady's maid) is saying or any other British speech pattern that may be unfamiliar to your ear. Watch for Meg Wynn Owen, who plays Lady Sylvia's lady's maid- she played Hazel Bellamy in the "Upstairs, Downstairs" series back in the 1970's (a matchless series, in my opinion- don't miss it). Sophie Thompson (Emma's sister) is quietly perfect as Dorothy, the still room maid, who worships Jennings, the butler. She played a perfectly silly woman in "Four Weddings and a Funeral"- she was the second bride, but she really shows her acting chops in this film. Watch for the "strawberry jam" scene with Tom Hollander and her speech about the meaning of love, even though your love isn't returned. I couldn't recommend it more. Jeremy Northam plays Ivor Novello (look him up on Google- Jeremy even looks a little like ... Read More
Rating: - Fantastic Movie
I love this movie. I can honestly say it is one of my favorites. Robert Altman made it for intelligent, patient viewers who enjoy character development. It is a murder mystery and a study of English class distinctions. One of the most enjoyable things about it is how un-intrusive the camera is. It simply floats about from room to room catching snatches of conversation and revealing bits of character without one feeling its presence. The overall effect is so natural one almost feels one is looking in the window on these people and their lives.
Another thing I love is that it is told from the servant's perspective. If one watches carefully one will notice that there is never a scene without a servant in it somewhere. Their viewpoint is ultimately the most sympathetic and one realizes just how appallingly dependent the gentry was on their domestics. The entire cast is good but Maggie Smith, Kelly MacDonald, and Michael Gambon are especially eye-catching. I find class system to be a fascinating subject, particularly since the American middle-class is so rapidly deteriorating. People who like action flicks and dumb comedies likely will not enjoy this movie at all, nor will children. But for those who simply like to soak in an insightful, character driven period piece, this is the movie for you.
Rating: - The Work of a Master
As has been stated by so many reviewers before me, "Gosford Park" is a wonderfully written, acted, produced, and most importantly directed piece of cinema history. It comprises a truly stellar cast all delivering solid performances in astonishing surroundings. Especially is the effulgence of the great Maggie Smith hard to ignore.
Other reviewers have described the plot in fine detail, so I shant bother you with that. I'll get straight to the important bits: the directing. Robert Altman was, in my opinion, one of only a couple of directors who could have made "Gosford Park" in a proper way. The character driven story is made believable through his unique style. Especially the dialogue, which bears his trademark clatter, chatter, and ambient noise, really gives the impression that we are in a real, busy household with lots of things to take care of and all the rest of it. You really have to concentrate to hear what they are all saying, and still you're probably going to miss some things. Yet this is what makes the film work so well. It plays on the gossip that drives both the upper and the lower classes. On the rumours, the hearsay, the beliefs.
The writing of course is equally good. Great characters and witty dialogue. I am laughing out loud every time I see this film. It is funny but not ridiculous, it is dramatic, but not shakespearean. It is, in a word, great.
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