Gosford Park (2001)

The lives of upstairs guests and downstairs servants at a party in 1932 in a country house in England as they investigate a murder involving one of them.

Director:

Robert Altman

Writers:

Julian Fellowes, Robert Altman (based upon an idea by)

Stars:

Maggie Smith, Ryan Phillippe, Michael Gambon

Won 1 Oscar. Another 35 wins & 73 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maggie Smith	...	Constance Trentham
Michael Gambon	...	William McCordle
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Sylvia McCordle
Camilla Rutherford	...	Isobel McCordle
Charles Dance	...	Raymond Stockbridge
Geraldine Somerville	...	Louisa Stockbridge
Tom Hollander	...	Anthony Meredith
Natasha Wightman	...	Lavinia Meredith
Jeremy Northam	...	Ivor Novello
Bob Balaban	...	Morris Weissman
James Wilby	...	Freddie Nesbitt
Claudie Blakley	...	Mabel Nesbitt
Laurence Fox	...	Rupert Standish
Trent Ford	...	Jeremy Blond
Ryan Phillippe	...	Henry Denton

Storyline

Set in the 1930s, the story takes place in an old-fashioned English country house where a weekend shooting party is underway. The story centers on the McCordle family, particularly the man of the house, Sir William McCordle (Sir Michael Gambon). Getting on in years, William has become a benefactor to many of his relatives and friends. As the weekend goes on, secrets are revealed, and it seems that everyone, above stairs and below, wants a piece of William and his money, but how far will they go to get it?

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Plot Keywords:

england | murder | servant | shooting party | country house | 

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Taglines:

Tea At Four. Dinner At Eight. Murder At Midnight.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and brief sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Altman: [dialogue overlap] Rather than just use a typical boom mike to pick up dialogue, Altman had all of the actors and actresses wear portable microphones to assist in creating overlapping dialogue. He first developed this technique during A Wedding (1978), and used it several times.

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Goofs

When Lewis and Probert are listening to the music, the shadow of the camera is visible just before the cut.

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Quotes

[Morris Weissman is asked about his upcoming movie project]
Lady Sylvia McCordle: Mr Weissman.
Morris Weissman: Yes?
Lady Sylvia McCordle: Tell us about the film you're going to make.
Morris Weissman: Oh, sure. It's called "Charlie Chan In London". It's a detective story.
Mabel Nesbitt: Set in London?
Morris Weissman: Well, not really. Most of it takes place at a shooting party in a country house. Sort of like this one, actually. Murder in the middle of the night, a lot of guests for the weekend, everyone's a suspect. You know, that sort of thing.
Constance: How horrid. And who turns out to have done it?
Morris Weissman: Oh, I couldn't ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Location filming at Syon House by kind permission of His Grace The Duke of Northumberland.

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Connections

References Upstairs, Downstairs (1971)

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Soundtracks

Nuts in May
Sung by Jeremy Northam
Music by Ivor Novello
Lyrics by P.G. Wodehouse
© Ascherberg Hopwood & Crew, Ltd.
By kind permission of Warner/Chappell Music, Ltd.

User Reviews

One of the best films I have ever seen

This film was captivating from beginning to end. The exemplary performances by a veritable who's who would certainly be enough, but the film is a complete package. Altman's impeccable directing knits this amazing cast into a true ensemble. The best of British cinema did the film for scale, and sat around on long shooting days because they wanted to. Add to this a realistic and beautiful English setting and a complex, riveting story, and you have a film that can't miss. Anyone who doesn't enjoy this movie should stick to low budget thrillers and cheap summer teenage trifles, because this is a film for those who can understand plot, character, and the human condition. BackStage West gave it Best Ensemble Cast. Highly recommended.

Details

Country:

USA UK Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gosford Park

Filming Locations:

Ston Easton Park, Somerset, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$19,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$241,219, 30 December 2001

Gross USA:

$41,308,615

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$87,754,044

Company Credits

Production Co:

USA Films, Capitol Films, Film Council

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (Digital DTS Sound) Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1