Gosford Park (US)

Universal Home Entertainment has released "Gosford Park" to DVD-Video as a part of their "Collector's Edition" series of films on DVD. Presented in a widescreen anamorphic (2.35:1) aspect ratio that preserves the way in which the film was exhibited, "Gosford Park" is quite sharp with a faint grain that is a result of the film stock and intended presentation and not a result of digital compression or the transfer process. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is excellent with full use of the 6 channels to create a realistic three-dimensional representation of what the home theater viewer is seeing, which is important especially for a film as detailed as "Gosford Park."

I watched "Gosford Park" recently on DVD and enjoyed it enormously. I`m delighted to own it on DVD because watching it repeatedly has proven very rewarding. The DVD comes with some nice bonus materials, too.

The "Gosford Park" screenplay is outstanding, and screenwriter Julian Fellowes deservedly won an Academy Award for it. The DVD features an audio track where Fellowes gives a running commentary on the film, and I really enjoyed hearing his remarks. There`s a separate audio track featuring the commentary of director Robert Altman, and it is worth listening to, but I found it less informative than Fellowes`.

While it`s not going to appeal to all audiences and walks of
life, I found it to be a fascinating character study and an excellent example of what a director can do when not conforming to the typical Hollywood formula.

Outstanding.