GOSFORD PARK

2001 Out Now DVD, BD, Digital HD Extras Commentary, Making of, Featurettes, Deleted scenes

With an imperious Maggie Smith mouthing the waspish wit of Julian Fellowes’ screenplay, it’s easy to now view this as a dry run for Downton Abbey. The difference is director Robert Altman, whose sprawling, satirical style lifts the film above prestige period soap opera. The upstairs/ downstairs dynamic gives Altman’s restless camera freedom to roam, making this at once a subversive probe into supposedly polite society, a deft parody of murder mysteries and a hugely enjoyable masterclass from a thesp-heavy cast. Stacks of new and archive extras.