Mubi Monday: Gosford Park (2001)

There are many things that could be compared to Gosford Park. It was basically responsible for the hugely successful TV show you may have heard of, Downton Abbey, it explores the class divide in a way that has been a staple of British entertainment for decades (I am sure many came beforehand, but I always view this kind of thing as a relative of the wonderful Upstairs Downstairs), and it shows people bickering and veering off into conversations as they figure out who they are obliged to be nice to and how they can maintain, or improve, their own social standing. I couldn't help thinking of another unlikely comparison point though, and that was Blow-Up. There's a murder at the heart of the plot here, but is it as important as the ongoing hustle and bustle of everyone trying to go on about their lives?

The plot here is quite simple, although things get a bit more complicated in the third act. It's the 1930s. A group of rich and famous (some famous in the arts, some just famous for being rich) gather at a large estate for a weekend of relaxation and shooting, two things that many other people wouldn't assume go hand in hand. Many of those in attendance have their own agendas, whether they are part of the posh crowd or part of the serving staff, and there are one or two people doing their best to portray themselves as something they're not.

If there is anyone in the cast list that you dislike, don't worry about that. Like an anthology movie, this is so stuffed with variety that you just need to wait a moment or two until you get to something more suited to your personal preference. I won't summarise every character, and will undoubtedly forget to mention a couple of notable names, but this cast includes the excellence of luminaries such as Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Richard E. Grant, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kelly Macdonald, Stephen Fry, Jeremy Northam, Bob Balaban, Tom Hollander, Clive Owen, and Ryan Phillippe (don't be too put off by his accent, it's a deliberate choice). Everyone is doing absolutely stellar work, possibly boosted by their chance to work with the celebrated Robert Altman.

As well as directing, Altman gets himself a writing credit alongside Balaban and Julian Fellowes, although it certainly feels as if the majority of the groundwork was put in place by Fellowes. There's the usual busy dialogue, with many conversations continuing as the camera moves to and from wherever it seemingly decides to wander in each scene, and everything is pieced together incrementally to eventually give viewers more information about each of the most central characters and the deadly development that causes the weekend plans to be derailed.

Please don't come to this if you are looking for an intricate and well-plotted murder mystery. Although it has that element at the heart of it, and that was at the heart of the marketing (from what I recall), Altman and co. are much more interested in the relationships between all of the characters, the fragile spiderwebs that wrap around a huge room, sticking together in some places and easily snapping apart in others. 

Much like a wedding at some large country venue, this is a gorgeous affair that gives you time and space to wander around and admire your surroundings, eavesdrop on numerous conversation and make snap judgements about people, and then be stuck there while arguments start to develop and you become increasingly anxious and uncomfortable as nerves fray and composures crack. Not literally, but it does a great job of bringing those feelings to the surface as you watch things unfold from the comfort of your safe viewing environment.

8/10

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Mubi Monday: Images (1972)

A strange psychological horror movie from Robert Altman, Images is a film that deserves to sit alongside the likes of Repulsion and Persona. It's well worth your time, and very much open to a number of different interpretations.

York plays Cathryn, a children's author who has suspicions about the behaviour of her husband (Hugh, played by René Auberjonois). The two of them head off for a little holiday to an isolated cottage in the countryside, but the isolation seems to cause Cathryn's mental health deteriorate further, as she starts to see people who may or may not really be there. The main figures who appear are Marcel (Hugh Millais), an ex-lover, and his young daughter, Susannah (Cathryn Harrison). As well as meeting, or not meeting, these figures, Cathryn ends up getting rid of them in a variety of ways, that also may or may not be real.

As Cathryn struggles to grip reality as tight as she needs to, and as characters transform into other characters, or change their personalities and intentions, Images quickly becomes a disorientating and difficult watch, for all the right reasons. It is, to me, one of the best cinematic portrayals of schizophrenia that I have seen (and would make a great double-bill with the excellent Patrick’s Day).

York is very strong in the lead role, a woman constantly frayed at the edges without falling into overcooked histrionics. Working in collaboration with Altman, everyone finds just the right approach to the material, with Auberjonois, Millais, and Harrison acting in a way that often stays oblivious to how tense York is. People often react in ways contrary to what you would expect, but that is all down to the fact that what is being shown isn’t always what is actually happening.

Altman may seem as if he is just piecing together various fragments, but things build to a definite climax, with Cathryn due to get better or worse as she battles against the visions causing her so much confusion. The ending is as impressive and powerful as it is ambiguous, given the “unreliable narrator”, and it is as the end credits roll that viewers can consider the full horror of what has just unfolded.

Some may view this as a masterpiece, and I wouldn’t argue too forcefully in opposition of that view, but I didn’t think of it as being at quite that level. I may, however, change my mind during any future viewings. And I certainly aim to rewatch it.

8/10

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Noir November: The Long Goodbye (1973)

Also known as THAT Philip Marlowe movie that starts off with an extended sequence that shows him trying to feed his cat, The Long Goodbye is to noir what Blow-Up is to traditional whodunnits. Director Robert Altman, working from a script by Leigh Brackett (which is based on the tale by Raymond Chandler), keeps a lot of familiar touches here, but he derives a lot of subversive fun by placing Marlowe as a man out of time. He's an anachronism who can still manage to get results, mainly because he's underestimated by everyone he comes into contact with,

Gould plays Marlowe, and that famous opening sequence leads straight into the first main plot point. It's the middle of the night, but a friend named Terry (Jim Bouton) turns up on Marlowe's doorstep, looking for a favour. He's in a bit of trouble and would like a lift to Tijuana. Marlowe obliges, because that's the kind of friend that he is, but that just leads him into trouble over the course of the next few days. It turns out that Terry is supposed to have murdered his wife, and he owed a lot of money to someone who doesn't take kindly to being taken advantage of. Meanwhile, the detective is also hired by a woman (Nina van Pallandt) who wants to find out exactly where her husband (Sterling Hayden) has got to. The two situations soon start to intertwine, and Marlowe starts to suspect that there are connections he has yet to figure out.

As much a product of the time as the many classic noirs that influence it, The Long Goodbye is a fine example of how to have your cake and eat it. Altman has his fingerprints all over the thing - the camera movement, the overlapping dialogue, the focus on characters taking precedence over the plot getting from A to B - but he also keeps everything that makes Marlowe who he always has been. Of course, a lot of credit should go to Brackett's screenplay, but there seems to have been a lot of improvisation on the set (particularly from Gould and Hayden) and leaving in what worked is as beneficial to the movie, of course, as cutting out whatever didn't.

Gould gives a fantastic performance as Marlowe, and I'd go as far as saying it may well be his career-best. Making the most of the chance given to him by Altman (his behaviour had led to him being slightly ostracised from major productions for a while), he makes the character his own, yet retains the essence of the character. Smart, laid-back, funny, cynical - he and the film are one and the same in their approach. Van Pallandt and Hayden both do brilliant work in their supporting roles, with the latter particularly memorable, thanks to his character being louder and slightly larger than life. Mark Rydell is the man who wants the money owed to him, and he's pretty good. Initially coming across as not particularly threatening, he has enough heavies to back him up anyway, but shows just how ruthless he can be with a shocking moment of violence that really hammers home the point about just how far he is willing to go to deal with any problem.

Despite the style of the movie seeming to push against the entire history of noir, The Long Goodbye earns its place among the classics. It's a GREAT Philip Marlowe film. It just happens to be a very different type of Philip Marlowe film.

9/10

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Goodbye-Blu-ray-Elliot-Gould/dp/B00MYMTANU/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1416503530&sr=1-1&keywords=the+long+goodbye