I found myself wondering about halfway through, "Can the '30s British uppercrust have been quite this vacuous, stupid, and boring? Can their servants have been quite so smart, sensible, and superior to their employers? I doubt it." I fancy the upper classes of that time were fairly erudite and educated, though of course there were some fools and freeloaders, as there were--and are--at every level of society. Nevertheless it was an absorbing and amusing movie--no plot to speak of, no denouement, more like a Dagwood sandwich--mustard on the bottom, mayonnaise on the top, slices of ham, pickles, ripe (very ripe) tomatoes, cheeses, baloney, and lettuce (as in, not enough). It was seasoned nicely with humor, irony, pathos, naughtiness, and passion.
I suspect the mechanics of servicing a large house party were portrayed accurately; these scenes rang true, and were quite fascinating in fact. Some of the direction was nothing short of amazing. The shot of the lone butler holding an umbrella at the end of the opening scene--that was a small story in itself. And wasn't it brilliant how the second car just slid into view from around a curve and refocused your attention elsewhere. In fact this sort of thing kept happening throughout the film--you'd be following a line of thought, only to have it nudged away by another.
Some would not care for this kind of disjointed story, but I found I could tolerate it quite well. The cinematography was excellent. The actors were well-cast and really superb. I recognized the lovely Kelly MacDonald not so much by her face as by her lyrical Scottish burr, which was so arresting in "My Life So Far."
This could have been a great film had the social viewpoint been more balanced and realistic, but then perhaps ridiculing Western culture was the whole point--I don't know enough about the writers and director to say.
I would recommend this to persons who delight in nuance and subtlety. Just don't go in expecting a whodunnit. Also, if you're an American, you'd best turn on the subtitles--the English diction is daunting.
6/10
I suspect the mechanics of servicing a large house party were portrayed accurately; these scenes rang true, and were quite fascinating in fact. Some of the direction was nothing short of amazing. The shot of the lone butler holding an umbrella at the end of the opening scene--that was a small story in itself. And wasn't it brilliant how the second car just slid into view from around a curve and refocused your attention elsewhere. In fact this sort of thing kept happening throughout the film--you'd be following a line of thought, only to have it nudged away by another.
Some would not care for this kind of disjointed story, but I found I could tolerate it quite well. The cinematography was excellent. The actors were well-cast and really superb. I recognized the lovely Kelly MacDonald not so much by her face as by her lyrical Scottish burr, which was so arresting in "My Life So Far."
This could have been a great film had the social viewpoint been more balanced and realistic, but then perhaps ridiculing Western culture was the whole point--I don't know enough about the writers and director to say.
I would recommend this to persons who delight in nuance and subtlety. Just don't go in expecting a whodunnit. Also, if you're an American, you'd best turn on the subtitles--the English diction is daunting.
6/10