Gosford Park (2001) is the type of movie which is seldom made these days: a murder mystery set in the past, with a large ensemble cast, a clever plot and witty dialogue. And it had- gasp- an original screenplay. This was written by Julian Fellowes, who is also Baron Fellowes of West Stafford and so familiar with life in swanky English country homes. Robert Altman, determined that the film be as authentic as possible, also hired a former butler, cook, and house maid who had all been employed on estates during the time period. They were on set throughout production, making sure that the acting serving staff behaved properly in their roles. Incidentally, Julian Fellowes also wrote Downton Abbey which was originally intended to be a spin off from Gosford Park, but eventually ended up being set a couple of decades earlier. As mentioned, Gosford Park has a huge cast, many of the actors being academy award winners and/ or nominees. But the film also had a relatively small budget- 19.8 million in total- so it was clear that no one could get paid their accustomed salary. Altman offered the 17 first tier actors the same fee, and the 24 secondary actors a lesser but also equal payment. Considering the size of the cast and the budgetary restraints, this couldn't have worked out to a huge amount of money for anyone, but the actors all signed up eagerly to work on the project, no doubt recognizing its quality. And Gosford Park is very good, reminding me variously of an Agatha Christie mystery, Clue, Upstairs Downstairs, and Remains Of The Day. One of the main themes of the film- besides murder- is, of course, class. At Gosford Park, we have the aristocratic class represented by the McCordles and most of their guests. The servants downstairs are obviously working class, and then we have a few people hovering awkwardly between Middle and Upper Class. One of these is Sir William himself, who was a factory owner who bought his way into a peerage and then married into the upper class. The same can be said of Mabel Nesbitt, daughter of a factory owner whom the execrable Freddie married for her money- which he promptly squandered. They are allowed into the ranks of the upper class, but are never really accepted as part of it. Ivor Novello also falls into this category; he's a matinee star and Sir William's cousin and so acceptable as a guest at the Park, but he's also expected to 'sing for his supper', so to speak. Unlike the rest of the party, he's expected to make himself useful. It is perhaps unsurprising that Mabel frequently seeks him out; though he's famous, his background is not unlike her own and, instead of the judgement she receives from the other guests- and her own husband- Novello offers understanding and unspoken sympathy. Incidentally, Ivor Novello is the only character in the movie who was a real person. He was both an actor and a composer; among other things, he wrote the W.W. I hit Keep The Home Fires Burning. Played by Jeremy Northam in Gosford Park, the songs he sings are actual ones by Novello: What A Duke Should Be, And Her Mother Came Too, I Can Give You The Starlight, and The Land Of Might-Have-Been. Jeremy Northam sang all of the songs himself (quite well) and they were played by his brother Christopher who is a classically trained pianist. The above stairs/ below stairs reactions to Novello's performance underline the differences between the classes. Most of the other guests are blase, ignoring his singing or rolling their eyes about it. The exception is Mabel who is obviously delighted, highlighting the fact that she's not of the aristocratic, ennui-ridden class. Likewise, the servants gather a close as they dare to listen to Novello, crouching on stairs and hiding behind doors in the dark. Performances by a star of the silver screen are a rare and special treat for them and they have no desire to feign indifference. Morris Weissman is also an odd man out; he's American and the director of Charlie Chan films, and so a vulgar curiosity to his fellow house guests. He is treated with polite- and sometimes impolite- indifference by the other guests, and receives a delightfully barbed put down from Lady Constance. He is less bothered by these snubs than other victims (ie. Mabel, or Anthony Meredith) of them are, probably because he cares less; he's there on business and has no need to curry favour. It is fascinating to see that the servants below stairs have a hierarchy which mirrors that of the aristocrats above stairs and is just as rigidly enforced. The visiting servants are called by their employers' names instead of their own, and seating at the servants dinner table is arranged by the relative prominence of said employers. As one unfortunate ladies maid finds out when she's sharply reprimanded by Mr. Jennings for sitting above Mary, who is maid to a Countess. OK, having now discussed the upstairs/ downstairs denizens separately, in my next post I'll consider the interactions between the two groups... as well as a few other things.
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