Gosford Park

[cdnchris]

Arrow released it in the States so get that edition and you're good.

[Drucker]

Wow this film knocked me out last night. I've been slowly working my way thru his filmography over the last few years, and generally have loved everything I've seen (excluding Thieves Like Us, at least after one viewing). But if it's possible for a director to "click" with you twice, then last night really helped everything fall into place for me. I'm thinking about the anti-western idea of McCabe, and the way it doesn't follow the normal trajectory of a Western...and I'm starting to realize how present that instinct is in all of his films.

As I'm watching Gosford, I was first struck by how non-traditional it would be in the first morning they are at the house. The first evening we establish the characters, and in the second day, it seems like a bunch of events have occurred overnight to advance their stories and relationships, but we aren't really shown the events that occur we just see people's evolving moods. Altman's filmmaking style allows for so many little details that are obviously rewarded by repeat viewings, but even the first pass gives one plenty to digest. I was especially struck by the various times we'd have an 'upstairs' and 'downstairs' scene mirror each other as the film goes on.

The film does such a great job of playing with expectations. You bring in the 'detective that seems bumbling but actually isn't' archetype (we've been watching lots of Poirot lately), but in this movie he really is stupid, and his assistant is the knowledgeable one. Until the last 20 or so minutes I still wasn't sure if he would come through with the solution or not, and that not-knowing really keeps you so alert as each twist occurs.

When we get to the final act and all of the revelations come into focus, the film shifts moods incredibly effectively. As the events that have transpired come into focus, it becomes so clear how many little details I've missed and that I need to start the film again. And perhaps even go through his entire filmography again.

[bearcuborg]

Great post. The detective always reminded me of Tati. It’s a really fun movie, that holds up in repeat viewings.

[Drucker]

I'm thinking about how in California Split the twist seems to be

Spoiler

that they've actually won all that money!

. What an incredible job of playing with expectations.

[PfR73]

Does anyone know how to get the Geoff Andrew introduction on the disc to play?

[Boosmahn]

I remember selecting "play w/ introduction" under the "play film" option (this was with the UK edition, if that matters).

[PfR73]

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of that menu when you get a chance? I have the US release, and despite the introduction being advertised on the packaging and my computer confirming it is present on the disc, I cannot find any way to access it in an actual Blu-ray player. I have played the disc in separate Region A & Region B players, and there is no "play w/ introduction" option coming up. "Play film" simply goes straight into playing the film.

[Randall Maysin]

I have the US release

A year and a half later and I still haven't bothered to get to the bottom of this, but better late than never, so: what US edition? I can't find any trace of the Arrow edition on Amazon.com; it is seemingly available on Amazon.ca, but there are at least a few customer reviews complaining about the release and how it won't play on their North American dvd player. I have no way of knowing if these comments even refer to the Arrow edition in the first place, although some of them predate the release, and i don't have a bluray player, i want the dvd of Arrow's US edition. Does such a thing exist in the first place? When i click on the dvd option, seemingly for this release, on Amazon.ca, it just sends you to the listing for the old, Universal or whatever, dvd. Any clarification at all I would really appreciate, if anyone has any. Thanks!

[swo17]

Arrow US release (it's Blu-ray only)

[Randall Maysin]

Well god fucking dammit!!

[Boosmahn]

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of that menu when you get a chance?

Here you go. Not sure why it isn't showing up for you.

[PfR73]

Thanks! I've sent an email to Arrow showing them that my disc lacks the options displayed in your photo.

[senseabove]

FWIW, just checked my—per the back cover—Region A-identified copy, ordered from Bull Moose, and it also does not have the option to play with the introduction. On a whim checked both of my players, and it doesn't appear via either. So let us know what you hear from Arrow, PfR73. At the very least I'm curious just how this happened...

[PfR73]

OK, so I received a response from Arrow when I emailed them a few weeks back. They stated "It is indeed an error that the introduction to film isn't appearing and this is only affecting discs from the first pressing. The second pressing was corrected as you can see on your friend's photo where a submenu launches instead of going straight into the film."

They sent me a replacement copy, which I received today. However, the replacement is the UK edition (to my surprise instead of sending me just a disc, they sent me an entirely new sealed copy, though there was no booklet). Now this edition is region-A playable, so I'll take what I got, and it does indeed now allow me to watch the introduction. However, it means that it is still unknown there is any pressing of the acutal US edition that actually has access to the introduction.