(Rated R, 137 mins.)
…is a magnificent country estate to which Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) and his wife, Lady Sylvia (Kristin Scott Thomas), gather relations and friends for a shooting party. The eclectic group includes a countess, a World War I hero, the British matinee idol (Jeremy Northan) and an American film producer. But the story is about the story inside the story, namely the servants (Emily Watson, Derek Jacobi and Alan Bates) in a “Remains Of The Day” feeling with Maggie Smith as the Countess Constance that steals the show and the estate’s attentions. Part comedy and part manners Gosford Park cultivates into a murder or two with more a “who cares” than “who done it” air and attitudes. Robert Altman, the director famous for ensembles has gone over the top with British royalty cast and his best work to date since “The Player”. Altman’s master touch manages to interweave subplots so these multiple characters come off snappy rather than long-winded as British flicks often do. Think PBS with punch. Each performance is at such a high-pitched union you won’t need to pay attention to the confusion of who’s who but instead just kick back and enjoy it.