Crime Fiction in Gosford Park Essay

605 Words3 Pages
The film Gosford Park, released in 2001 and directed by Robert Altman, uses a variety of traditional crime fiction elements, and subversions. Set in the 1930's the story takes place in an old-fashioned, remote English country house where a family has invited many of their friends up for a weekend shooting party. The story centres around the McCordle family, particularly the man of the house, William McCordle. Getting on in years, William has become benefactor to many of his relatives and friends. As the weekend goes on and secrets are revealed, it seems everyone, above stairs and below, wants a piece of William and his money. A cauldron of secrets, deceit, lies, hatred and revenge gradually boils over ending up in murder. Many cliché’s are skilfully intertwined into the film to create the necessary crime fiction elements. During the opening sequence, for example, peaceful music can be heard during the ride through the countryside towards Gosford Park, despite the heavy rainfall and characters’ thoughts of travelling to an isolated house in country. The mood is uplifted to make it seem less eerie and foreboding, this being a cliché and skilful technique. The most obvious cliché, without doubt would be the setting, a secluded countryside estate, accommodating a grand residence, large enough for many guests, therefore many suspects for a murder. The relationships between the characters are inevitably inconsistent due to the unpredictable events that shape these relationships over the course of the 4 days stay. Many intertwining subplots detail the complex relationships among the characters, both above stairs (the wealthy guests) and below (the servants). Allegiances and conflicts are established so that when William McCordle is murdered, there are plenty of suspects and possible killers, this being a technique in the film. This film also pays homage to the
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