Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon) is a awful man. When at a weekend shooting party he is hosting, he is murdered it is no surprise. Was it one of the guests, all of whom need his money to survive? Was it one of the staff, all of whom have myriad reasons, from sexual to political? Or was it just an unlucky robber, who offed him in order to get away with the loot?

2001. Robert Altman directs GOSFORD PARK. Starring major faces in British cinema, set in a country house post WW1, executed like an Agatha Christie murder mystery but with class at its core. This is both classic Altman (ensemble cast, overlapping dialogue and master shot’s galore) as well as classic ‘whodunnit’. Its a country house, all suspects are under one roof and the murder mystery is compelling enough to carry you through. The only downside, this would spark the beginning of DOWNTON ABBEY among other things.

THE DISC

The 2K (not 4K) transfer from a 4K source has some issues. The grain in the shooting sequence is almost unwatchable. The interiors are clear and colour rich but that opening scene is washed out and dull.

EXTRAS

Best thing here is the commentary from Altman experts!

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