Friday, November 30, 2018

Everything You Ever Need To Know About Life...

... you can learn from:

Gosford Park (2001)

Lady Sylvia: Mr Weissman.
Morris Weissman: Yes?
Lady Sylvia: Tell us about the film you're going to make.
Morris Weissman: Oh, sure. It's called Charlie Chan
In London
. It's a detective story.
Mabel Nesbitt: Set in London?
Morris Weissman: Well, not really. Most of it takes place
at a shooting party in a country house. Sort of like this one,
actually. Murder in the middle of the night, a lot of guests for
the weekend, everyone's a suspect. You know, that sort of thing.
Constance: How horrid. And who turns out to have done it?
Morris Weissman: Oh, I couldn't tell you that.
It would spoil it for you.
Constance: Oh, but none of us will see it.
I was thinking about Ivor Novello a few days ago and as always that thought process leads me to Jeremy Northam playing the homosexual movie star in Robert Altman's Gosford Park -- it has been far far too long since I've sat down and watched Altman's down-up masterpiece and so I was pleased as liquor punch to see that our beloved Arrow Video was putting out a beautiful brand new blu-ray this week stuffed to the stiff collar with brand new extras, from a new restoration of the film on down. Have you seen Gosford Park lately? I do wonder how it plays in a post-Downton world. Anyway if you'd like to see the full list of Special Features on the blu-ray hit the jump...



SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
  • Brand new 2K restoration from a 4K scan, carried out by Arrow films exclusively for this release, supervised and approved by director of photography Andrew Dunn
  • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
  • DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • Audio commentary by director Robert Altman, production designer Stephen Altman and producer David Levy
  • Audio commentary by writer-producer Julian Fellowes
  • Brand-new audio commentary by critics Geoff Andrew and David Thompson (author of Altman on Altman)
  • Introduction by critic Geoff Andrew
  • Brand new cast and crew interviews recorded exclusively for this release
  • The Making of Gosford Park archive featurette
  • Keeping Gosford Park Authentic archive featurette
  • Q&A Session with Altman and the cast
  • Fifteen deleted scenes with optional Altman commentary
  • Trailer
  • Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin
  • FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Sheila O Malley and an archive interview with Robert Altman
  • ...

    3 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    As time goes on the 'upstairs' are portrayed nicer and nicer towards the 'downstairs' in films/series. I died when Lady Mary told her old butler to hire the good looking applicant for the footman job to give the female servants an eye candy. Even Countess Trentham in Gosford Park seems approachable compared to the attitudes you see among the aristocracy in old Pathé videos.

    Anonymous said...

    the old Julian Barnes commentary is fantastic

    Anonymous said...

    I mean Fellowes.