204. Gosford Park (2001)
If there's one thing I don't look for in a maid, it's discretion. Except with my own secrets, of course.
Title: Gosford Park
Date Watched: 3/10/2013
Original Ranking Out of 10: 8
Revised Ranking Out of 10: 8
Synopsis: A bunch of Brits find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery.
The Good: Huge cast full of great actors. A lot of depth. I feel like I could watch this movie another 20 times and still catch new details.
The Bad: Overwhelming to keep track of all of the characters.
Why Do I Own This Movie?: Previously viewed from Blockbuster
Should I Still Own This Movie?: Yeah.
What Did I Notice That I Didn't Notice Before?: There's a nasty blemish in the blackened part of the widescreen transfer. How does that even happen?
Other Impressions: Gosford Park is a huge Robert Altman flick in the vein of Short Cuts or Nashville or M*A*S*H, doing that thing he does where he puts a ton of actors in the movie, gets a script that they may or may not use, and just lets the magic happen. I love the way that Altman films many of the scenes in this movie, with the camera wandering from person to person, making it seem like there's more going on in the background than the movie is showing. It feels like we're at a party, eavesdropping on multiple conversations.
This, of course, is also the movie's weakness. There's so much going on with so many characters that, in the end -- at least when one of the murders is revealed -- the response is more of a "Who?" than an "A-ha!" I know I didn't catch everything when I first saw Gosford Park in theaters over a decade ago (Jesus Christ, time flies) and I remembered very little before watching it this time so, as a result, I didn't catch much more. I'd kind of like to see it again for that reason -- but who has the time?
For that reason, though Gosford Park works, it feels a little bit like cramming for a test. Who's this again? Oh yeah. What happened between those two? Right. What are they talking about here? Better check the Cliff's Notes.
This, of course, doesn't make it a bad movie and may, in fact, make it a great one. But, based on this one viewing, though I enjoyed what I saw, I wish I had followed it better. Gosford Park is a movie made for multiple viewings or, I guess, single viewings if you're a lot more attentive than I am.
The List
Title: Gosford Park
Date Watched: 3/10/2013
Original Ranking Out of 10: 8
Revised Ranking Out of 10: 8
Synopsis: A bunch of Brits find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery.
The Good: Huge cast full of great actors. A lot of depth. I feel like I could watch this movie another 20 times and still catch new details.
The Bad: Overwhelming to keep track of all of the characters.
Why Do I Own This Movie?: Previously viewed from Blockbuster
Should I Still Own This Movie?: Yeah.
What Did I Notice That I Didn't Notice Before?: There's a nasty blemish in the blackened part of the widescreen transfer. How does that even happen?
Other Impressions: Gosford Park is a huge Robert Altman flick in the vein of Short Cuts or Nashville or M*A*S*H, doing that thing he does where he puts a ton of actors in the movie, gets a script that they may or may not use, and just lets the magic happen. I love the way that Altman films many of the scenes in this movie, with the camera wandering from person to person, making it seem like there's more going on in the background than the movie is showing. It feels like we're at a party, eavesdropping on multiple conversations.
This, of course, is also the movie's weakness. There's so much going on with so many characters that, in the end -- at least when one of the murders is revealed -- the response is more of a "Who?" than an "A-ha!" I know I didn't catch everything when I first saw Gosford Park in theaters over a decade ago (Jesus Christ, time flies) and I remembered very little before watching it this time so, as a result, I didn't catch much more. I'd kind of like to see it again for that reason -- but who has the time?
For that reason, though Gosford Park works, it feels a little bit like cramming for a test. Who's this again? Oh yeah. What happened between those two? Right. What are they talking about here? Better check the Cliff's Notes.
This, of course, doesn't make it a bad movie and may, in fact, make it a great one. But, based on this one viewing, though I enjoyed what I saw, I wish I had followed it better. Gosford Park is a movie made for multiple viewings or, I guess, single viewings if you're a lot more attentive than I am.
The List