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Gosford Park is a film that is absolutely smack-packed with actors and characters. So, who is everybody?



Upstairs, we have:

Sir William McCordle. Owner of the Gosford Park estate, and married to:

Lady Sylvia McCordle. She is the oldest of three sisters, the other two are:

Her younger sister Louisa Stockbridge. Married to:

Lord Raymond Stockbridge.

And the youngest sister, Lavinia Meredith. Married to:

Lieutenant Commander Anthony Meredith.

Sylvia, Louisa and Lavinia are daughters to Lord and Lady Carton. However, the Cartons are not seen in the film, only mentioned, and they were not the original owners of Gosford Park, the sisters were not brought up there as children. Lady Sylvia notes that the manor isn't a family house, and that it had been bought with Sir William's "ill-gotten gains".

Sir William and Lady Sylvia have one daughter:

Isobel McCordle.

She brought two friends to the party:

Lord Rupert Standish. And:

Jeremy Blond.

The most honourable guest is "Aunt Constance", or Countess of Trentham as she would be officially addressed. She is an aunt to Sylvia McCordle, thus a sister to either Lord or Lady Carton.

Other notable guests at the party are:

Freddie Nesbitt. A business acquaintance of Sir William McCordle, also a former love-interest of Isobel McCordle. Freddie Nesbitt is married to: Mabel Nesbitt.

Entertainer Ivor Novello, a second cousin to Sir William. Their mothers were first cousins.

He brought his friend: Morris Weissman, an American film producer.



Downstairs, we have the staff at Gosford Park:

Jennings, the butler.

Mrs Wilson, the housekeeper

Mrs Croft, the cook, and head of the kitchen staff

Elsie, the head housemaid

Probert, Sir William's valet

Lewis, Lady Sylvia's lady's maid

George, first footman

Arthur, footman

Dorothy, still room maid

Bertha, kitchen maid



Guesting staff is:

Mary Maceachran, Lady Trentham's lady's maid

Henry Denton, manservant to Morris Weissman

Robert Parks, valet to Lord Stockbridge

Renée, Louisa Stockbridge's lady's maid

Barnes, valet to Commander Meredith

Sarah, Lavinia Meredith's lady's maid

Yes, Ivor Novello was in fact a real person.

Born in Cardiff, Wales, he lived between 1893-1951. A multi-talented composer, singer and actor, he became one of the most popular British entertainers of the early 20th century. And he was gay. Some of his songs are featured in Gosford Park, performed by the actor Jeremy Northam.

As an actor, Ivor Novello made one of his best performances in Alfred Hitchcock's break through silent classic The Lodger in 1927. However, the version of the film mentioned in Gosford Park is not the Hitchcock version, but a sound-film remake made in 1932 by the director Maurice Elvey. Novello starred in both, but the latter was not as good a success as the earlier one, mentioned by Constance in Gosford Park as "a disappointment".

Link to Ivor Novello at IMDb.

Il pensionante (1927)

The Lodger (1932)

During breakfast the morning after the murder, both of the Americans were confused as to how the breakfast was supposed to be served. Both Morris Weissman and Henry Denton expected to be served, and were surprised to learn that they were expected to provide for their own tray from the buffet table. Now, how could that be? Surely they must've learned by now how breakfast was served?

And the answer is, the party hadn't been served breakfast together in that manner at all before that time, in spite of that being their third day at Gosford Park.

They arrive at mid day during the first day. They are served tea in the sitting room, then dinner during the evening. The morning of the second day, the ladies are being served breakfast in their beds, while the men are already out for the shoot. Instead, they all participate in an elaborate lunch outdoors in the Greek rotunda. On the evening after the dinner that day, the murder takes place. Thus, breakfast the third day is the first breakfast that are served together in the dining room. And that's when the Americans learn how the breakfast is served.