Item description for Gosford Park Dvd

Only Robert Altman and his genius could introduce you to twenty characters in the span of ten minutes and allow you to keep track of who they are and exactly their motives for fitting into the story. And what a cast! You have Maggie Smith, in her precursor role as the dowager you saw in "Downton Abbey" which is not by accident because the same writer wrote "Gosford Park," and based her character on his same aunt. Helen Mirren is downstairs running the household of Kristen Scott Thomas who plays her role as Lady of the Manor with ice in her veins, also included in the cast is the late great Alan Bates, Richard E Grant, Bob Balaban, Charles Dance, Ryan Phillippe, and Clive Owen to name just a few. The script is crisp and the acting super. It is such an entertaining smart film with some great twists. And there are four more hours of very entertaining extras including an hour on English country houses and an interview with a head butler and head house keeper to shed light on how these massive houses were actually run in their heyday. A great addition to your movie collection.