Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Day 404: A Star-Studded Murder Mystery

Even though he'd been working constantly in the decades since we met him last, it's odd to think that we haven't seen director Robert Altman on the blog since the 1970s. Although he continued to make ensemble pieces that were critically lauded, the Academy never honoured one of his films after Nashville. That was until the 2002 ceremony when one of Altman's final movies was nominated for several Oscars and even picked up a Best Screenplay award. However, if you didn't know who was calling the shots, you may be mistaken for not knowing that Gosford Park was an Altman film at all. 

That's because, unlike the Altman films I've seen up to this point, Gosford Park was a very British movie set in the titular estate. The film began life as an idea that actor Bob Balaban, one of the only Americans in the cast, had and pitched it to Altman. After introducing Altman to screenwriter Julian Fellowes; the three decided to create an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery. Like previous Christie adaptations; Fellowes' film featured plenty of characters who had motivations to finish off the arrogant Sir William McCordle. Those on the guest list include his aunt Duchess Trentham, his sisters and brother-in-laws as well as his daughter's suitor. What makes Fellowes' country house script stand out from the crowd is that it follows the downstairs servants as much as it does their masters. As Sir William had a penchant for affairs with his maids there were one or two grudges leaking below stairs so it's no surprise when he's found poisoned and stabbed at the end of the film's second act. Whilst the oafish Inspector Thompson attempts to solve the murder; Duchess Trentham's lady's maid Mary does a better job herself. From the start of the film, Mary becomes our surrogate as she is new to the service industry and doesn't know her way around Gosford Park. However, mainly based on listening in to various pieces of gossip, Mary works out who it was that both poisoned and stabbed the victim. Whilst we don't ultimately know whether the culprits will get arrested, I found the ending to be an interesting twist where the murderer was presented in a more sympathetic light than the victim. 

Although the two share no similarities when it comes to their setting, both Nashville and Gosford Park had similar story structures. Both feature numerous subplots that tie together by the end of the film which, in the case of Gosford Park, happens when the murderer is revealed. Like Nashville, not all of Gosford Park's side stories work and as a result some of the characters were surplus to requirements. I got the feeling that Fellowes and Altman had a lot more time for the servants than they did for their masters. That's why I felt that Helen Mirren's housekeeper, Eileen Atkin's cook and the two maids played by Emily Watson and Kelly MacDonald were possibly the most sympathetic characters of the bunch. Mirren gave a particularly memorable turn as the housekeeper who had given up everything in order to be the perfect servant. Mirren was nominated in the Supporting Actress category alongside co-star Maggie Smith who looked like she was having a hoot at portraying Duchess Trentham. However some of the other members of the cast were less lucky with the parts they were handed with Derek Jacobi, Charles Dance and Richard E. Grant three examples of actors with thankless roles. Fellowes' script was nicely paced with the suspects being build up gradually until the murder itself finally occurred. One element of the film I didn't like was the introduction of Stephen Fry's incompetent detective who threatened to turn a likeable drama into a farce. I'm not sure why Altman and Fellowes thought that they needed to change the tone of the film but Thompson's arrival did nothing for me. What makes Gosford Park so likeable is its witty script coupled with some lovely shots of the British countryside by cinematographer Andrew Dunn. Whilst it never has any particular Earth-shattering revelations to make, Gosford Park is still an entertaining watch that includes a fine ensemble cast. It's just a shame that Altman isn't still around making films like this as he sadly passed away in 2006.

Next an odd double bill of films that both earned wins for Best Director and Best Original Score. 

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 334-336: Tales from Modern Britain

With the exception of Titanic, the last three posts have looked at how British films did rather well in terms of garnering nominations throughout the 1990s. However the majority of these nominations were given to films set during Elizabethan or Edwardian times with many of them featuring an endless cycle of exquisite costumes and loads of sodding bowing. But there was another type of British film that was gaining momentum in the nineties with a focus on more contemporary issues and a look at the way in which the working class were coping with various problems.

Not that there were many working class characters in our first offering, Mike Newell's Four Weddings and a Funeral. The movie was most famous for launching the international film careers of two prominent personalities one in front of the screen and one behind. Screenwriter Richard Curtis earned an Oscar nod for his original screenplay which was based on the fact that he was suddenly attending a lot of weddings. Curtis' well-observed if overly corny script certainly rung true in places and marked him out as the king of the romantic comedy over the following decade. He would also go on to collaborate with the film's leading male Hugh Grant, who we've already seen do his thing in costume dramas. Four Weddings really saw him utilise his slightly awkward persona which he would utilise in such flops as Nine Months and Mickey Blue Eyes. Whilst I found Grant's turn here incredibly endearing I felt he lacked chemistry with the film's female lead Andie Macdowell. Macdowell's presence in the film was obviously to increase audience interest and include a star that the American audience would've been aware of. However I thought Macdowell didn't handle Curtis' comic dialogue at all well and her line at the end of the film asking if it was still raining was incredibly cringeworthy. Additionally I felt that Curtis' plot device to keep them apart, by having Macdowell's Carrie marry an elderly Scottish politician was fairly absurd. While I agree that Carrie having another beau made sense, I never felt that she and Corin Redgrave were a good match so I wasn't surprised when they'd divorced quite quickly. Meanwhile I felt that Grant's Charlie really should've acted on the fact that Kristin Scott Thomas' Fiona was madly in love with him as she was a lot more interesting.

Indeed the scenes I really enjoyed throughout Four Weddings were those featuring Charlie's friends all of whom had distinct personalities. Simon Callow's Gavin was an absolute joy, lighting up the screen before breaking everybody's hearts when he died at Carrie's wedding. One of the highlights of the film is John Hannah's Matthew delivering a moving eulogy to his late lover which famously included the use of WH Auden's 'Stop All the Clocks'. In fact I felt the inclusion of a gay couple in a major romantic comedy was a groundbreaking move at the time but neither Matthew nor Gavin ever behaved in a clichéd manner. At the same time you believed that they truly loved each other and that's a testament to both Hannah and Callow. James Fleet also got his moment to shine as the foppish Tom whose heart to heart with Charlie following the funeral is another memorable moment. Meanwhile the late Charlotte Coleman's Scarlett was a firecracker whose unusual dress sense and dyed hair still stick in the memory. I feel that the film rings true for anybody whose ever attended a wedding as Curtis explores the monotony of the celebrations as the day goes on. I personally enjoyed the awkward speeches and the dreariness as the post-wedding discos began to wind down. I think I would've preferred more of these well-observed moments as opposed to the more overtly comic sections of the movie most notably the second wedding ceremony being performed by Rowan Atkinson's novice vicar. The film's other notable contribution to pop culture was Wet Wet Wet's cover of 'Love is all Around' which seemed to loiter at the top of the pop charts for what seemed like an eternity. I have a long-running history with Four Weddings, dating back to when I rented it on VHS at the tender age of twelve. I do believe that Carrie and Charlie's drunken fumblings in their hotel room was my first ever on screen sex scene and has probably scarred me for life. Despite not really buying into the central relationship, I still think Four Weddings is a funny and believable look at a tight-knit friendship group who really care deeply about each other. For me the real love story is about Charlie's feelings for his friends rather than his relationship with the dreadful Carrie.

Similarly well-observed, but not as tightly-scripted, was Mike Leigh's excellent Secret and Lies. I have to say I was surprised to see a film from a very British director like Leigh gain so much Oscar buzz. In fact the film ultimately had five Oscar nominations to its name with Leigh being nominated for both his direction and script. Not that there was much scripting to talk of as Leigh only provided his actors with bare-bone accounts of each scene and a description of their characters. I feel that this helped to provide the realism that the film has in droves and why each character feels interestingly recognisable. The main plot of the film concentrates on intelligent optometrist Hortence who, following the death of her adopted mother, tries to find the woman who gave birth to her.After an exhausting search, Hortence discovers that her mother is a white working-class woman with a complicated family life of her own. The woman in question is Cynthia, a harassed factory worker who is struggling for money and has a strained relationship with her daughter Roxanne. Cynthia's relationship with her brother Maurice and his wife Monica is also explored throughout the film which particularly deals with the aspect of class. Whilst Cynthia has stayed in the family home, Maurice's job as a photographer has afforded he and Monica a new house. Cynthia's apparent jealousy of this new purchase adds to the problems she already has with Monica, who she blames for her lack of contact with Maurice. I personally really liked the scene in which Hortense and Cynthia meet for the first time as it feels so raw and genuine. The primary reason for this is that Leigh hadn't informed actress Brenda Blethyn that Hortense was black meaning that Cynthia's reaction was a completely realistic one. Similarly the scene was shot in one take meaning that Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste had to work their socks off to provide something spectacular. The film itself culminates at a barbecue that Monica and Maurice hold for Roxanne's birthday with Hortense attending under the guise of Cynthia's work colleague. From there the secrets and lies of the title are finally revealed and everybody comes to terms with the new information they've been given.

Of the three films in this post, Secrets and Lies is the only one that I'd never seen before and I'm now wondering why it took me so long to find it in the first place. Leigh's minimal use of scripted dialogue allows the actors to create something naturalistic which is very hard to do in films. The barbecue scenes were particularly realistic from Maurice's manning of the grill to Monica's worries that she won't have enough garden chairs. One of the best recurring sequences of the entire piece is the small segments in which Leigh shows us some of the characters who come into Maurice's studio to have their photo taken. These scenes show all aspects of human life from happy couples and families to a woman who is having photos of her battered face being taken ahead of an impending court case. Andrew Dickson's haunting score perfectly punctuates each scene and contributes to the film's bleaker qualities. It's hard to highlight one member of Leigh's stunning ensemble cast with each of them taking their turn to give winning performances. Brenda Blethyn's jittery turn as the emotionally fraught Cynthia anchors the film beautifully with her use of the word 'sweetheart' having several different meanings. Her performance is perfectly counterbalanced by that of Marianne Jean-Baptiste who presents Hortense as a cool and calm professional woman. Timothy Spall's turn as the reliable Maurice is perfectly realised whilst Phyllis Logan really comes into her own as Monica in the film's final act. Claire Rushbrook is great as the stroppy Roxanne whilst Lee Ross and Elizabeth Berrington shine in smaller roles. Leigh himself deserves praise for perfecting the kitchen sink drama and adding a new element to it in the form of the cultured Hortense. If I have one minor criticism it's that I don't think the scene in which the former owner of Maurice's studio visits him quite works. Apart from that though, Leigh's work is a thing of beauty and I'm happy to say that he's still creating brilliant dramas such as this almost twenty years later.

The final film of this trio combines the working class elements of Secrets and Lies with the comedic charm of Four Weddings and some of its own magic. The Full Monty instantly conjures up certain images in people's heads but I feel that some of you forget that Peter Cattaneo's film is ultimately about a group of unemployed men. This is demonstrated perfectly in the film's opening scene which is taken from a 1970s movie reel entitled 'City on the Move' which looked at Sheffield's thriving steel industry. But, in the late 1990s, the industry had disappeared and the men who used to work there were forced to go on the dole. The characters in The Full Monty have all decided to deal with their new unemployment in different ways even if all these methods ultimately have the same outcome. The film's protagonist Gaz is a happy-go-lucky type who wants to maintain a relationship with his young son despite the boy's mother filing for full custody. His best mate Dave is paranoid that his wife is having an affair and therefore has started to withdraw from life. Meanwhile security guard Lomper tries to commit suicide to get away from a life which is split between looking after his elderly mother and playing in the local brass band. The most compelling character, who deserved more screen time, is Tom Wilkinson's Gerald a man who is yet to tell his wife that he's been made redundant. Gerald is certainly one for keeping up appearances and I think one of The Full Monty's most tragic moments is when the bailiffs start calling round. Writer Simon Beaufoy's script perfectly combines all of these elements with the Gaz's money-making scheme to put on a strip show for the area's local ladies. The scenes featuring the lads training for their stripping debut add some much needed light to proceedings but I feel never overshadow the characters. This use of light and shade is one of The Full Monty's most positive attributes and is one of the reasons that audiences have returned to the comedy drama time and time again.

I do remember watching this film when it first aired on television and by that point it had become a worldwide phenomenon following its Oscar success. In fact the film won an award for Best Musical and Comedy Score, thankfully one Oscar that Titanic wasn't eligible for. Watching it for the first time in years, I didn't realise how quick The Full Monty was and it almost feels a little rushed. Due to the short running time several subplots don't get enough time devoted to them especially the relationship between Lomper and Guy. I felt that both Dave's anxieties about his weight and Gerald's need to get back to work needed to be explored in more depth but both were outshone by Gaz's tale. Not that there's anything wrong with that as Robert Carlyle's breezy performance is a joy as his chemistry with Mark Addy who plays Dave. Young William Snape is excellent as Gaz's son Nathan and clearly portrays a boy who loves his dad despite his many faults. I do feel it's a shame that not one of the cast members were nominated for an Oscar, especially Wilkinson who steals the show as the incredibly proud Gerald. Wilkinson's performance is possibly the most tragic and he is able to convey a man who's devoted all his life to the steel industry. Possibly one of the film's lasting legacies is its use of music most notably Hot Chocolate's 'You Sexy Thing' and Donna Summer's 'Hot Stuff'. Interestingly the iconic 'Hot Stuff' dole queue scene was initially cut from the film as Cattaneo didn't feel it was realistic enough however I believe it represents how much their new passion means to the men. Despite feeling rushed, The Full Monty is an enjoyable film that has a lot to say about the failing industries in the UK and the affect it has on the men who face redundancy. An uplifting look at the many personalities that can find themselves unemployed, The Full Monty is the dictionary definition of a feelgood hit.

Next time we look at another film with an iconic music based scene that certainly got quite a few people into pottery.  

Matt's Big Oscar Challenge Days 322-324: A Fiennes Trio of Films

Today Ralph Fiennes is considered one of England's finest actors and it's interesting that his success came quite quickly. After appearances in two TV movies, Fiennes' feature film debut saw him play Heathcliff in a 1992 adaptation of Wuthering Heights. His performance caught the eye of Steven Spielberg who decided he was the perfect person to play the despicable SS Officer Amon Goeth in Schindler's List.

In the film, which later went on to win Best Picture, Fiennes' performance is just one highlight in one of the best movies of all time. The film centres around Liam Neeson's Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who wants to keep the Nazi officers on side as the war begins. Throughout the film, Spielberg present Schindler as somebody who tries to keep everyone happy and who plays the fool in order to manipulate those around him. As Schindler builds a factory in Krakow, he enlists the help of Jewish accountant Itzthak Stern to draw up a list of workers. As the building of Schindler's factory coincides with the Nazis attack on the Polish Jews, Stern tries to save as many people as possible by employing them at the factory. Schindler is initially presented as somebody who doesn't care about the struggle of the Jews and turns a blind eye to Stern's recruitment process. Indeed he views the murder of the workers as a hindrance to productivity rather than a needless loss of human life. The first time we get the impression that Schindler's views are changing is when he witnesses the liquidation of the Polish ghetto. The brilliantly shot sequence features the iconic girl in red scene in which we see a hint of colour in an otherwise black and white film. Schindler's eye is drawn to the girl and it's only when we sees her red coat once again that he realises he must do something. Meanwhile the brutish Goth is won over by Schindler's bribes and agrees to let him build a new factory which is a front to save as many Jews as possible from going to Auschwitz. Compiling his titular list, Schindler's role as a saviour is documented in the final scenes in which the Jews thank him for saving their lives. 

Spielberg wanted Schindler's List to act as a documentary rather than a drama and this is clear in the final scene where the surviving members of Schindler's Jews arrive at his grave alongside the actors who portrayed him in the film. Spielberg clearly sets out to show that Schindler wasn't always a hero and when the film begins he is an unscrupulous charmer who is out for what he can get. His selflessness only manifests later on in the film and it's the brilliant performance from Liam Neeson that captures this perfectly. Neeson excels both in Schindler's early scenes as a charismatic businessman and in the more emotional moments as he breaks down in front of Stern just before the war comes to an end. Fiennes gives a scene-stealing turn as one of cinema's greatest villains as he coldly shoots Jews with no good reason and physically assaults his maid. But through Fiennes' performance we see that Goeth's actions are born out of a jealousy of people such as Schindler who are able to charm their way through life. Goeth's most sympathetic scene is when he tries to woo his maid as Fiennes briefly lets us see his character's more vulnerable side. But he doesn't stay sympathetic for long and by the end of the scene he becomes a monster once again. Praise must also go to Janusz Kamiński who cinematography is spellbinding as he helps Spielberg create the documentary-like feel he desired. John Williams' score is another of the film's triumphs as his Ben Kingsley's supporting turn as the quiet accountant Stern. In fact there are little negatives I can find in an almost perfect film and I think it deserved all the seven Oscars it won. I can't think that any of the other films nominated for Best Picture in that year was worthy of the accolade more than Schindler's List although you'll have to wait for me to make that decision when the decade is at an end. What I can say is that Ralph Fiennes was robbed of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar as he gave an absolutely compelling turn as one of cinema's most loathed characters. 

That being said Fiennes didn't even receive a nomination for his next film appearance which was in Robert Redford's Best Picture nominee Quiz Show. Fiennes role as the intelligent and handsome Charles Van Doren is a million miles away from the brutish Goeth. Instead he plays a man who is won over by the trappings of fame after becoming a contestant on the iconic 1950s quiz show Twenty One. Van Doren is chosen as the new regular competitor on the programme to replace the nervy Herb Stampel whose popularity is waning in the eyes of the public. Right from the start of the film it's made clear that the quiz show is being controlled by the head of the NBC Network and by the programme's sponsor, a supplementary gel called Geritol. As Herb is no longer a ratings draw, Twenty One's producer Dan Enright convinces Herb to lose the next programme to Van Doren. Here it's revealed that the producers have been feeding Herb the answers to the questions and continue to rig the quiz by giving Van Doren questions he knows the answers to. These methods completely go against the way the show is viewed by the American public who believe that Twenty One's question are kept in a bank vault. Soon enough Van Doren becomes adored by the public whilst Herb tries to get revenge by exposing the corruption behind Twenty One. Newly graduated lawyer Dick Goodwin takes it upon himself to investigate the scandal and soon finds it tough to know who to believe. As with the rest of the population, Goodwin is charmed by Van Doren and finds Herb to be a volatile personality. But Goodwin soon finds the evidence he needs and hopes to expose the corruption in both NBC and sponsors Geritol. But Redford's final message is that the corporations themselves never pay and instead it's the little people who suffer. Both Van Doren and Herb lose the public's respect as a result of the scandal whilst Enright and host Jack Benny are soon making their fortunes from television once again. 

I knew very little about Quiz Show before watching it and I think that aided my enjoyment of the film. From the opening credits which play over a stylised version of the 1950s you know you're watching a classy film. Robert Redford's direction isn't incredibly original but he helps capture the fast-talking style of all of his characters and makes you care about the three central protagonists. Indeed this is a film about a trio of men; the impressionable Van Doren, the bland Herb and the ambitious Dick all of whom are corrupted by the quiz show scandal in different ways. As Dick, Rob Morrow is every inch the slick junior lawyer as he attempts to gain notoriety due to his part in uncovering the corruption at NBC. John Turturro is fantastic as Herb, a man who has a little charisma and who is visibly hurt by his rejection from Enright. Turturro especially excels at portraying Herb's volatile nature and how much it hurts him to get a certain question wrong. I personally felt that Ralph Fiennes put in a fine turn here as Van Doren, an intelligent man but somebody who is swallowed up the hype surrounding his Twenty One appearance. Fiennes demonstrates his charisma throughout the piece and his final speech to congress his delivered excellently. Fiennes has brilliant chemistry with Paul Scofield, the only nominated member of the cast, who plays his renowned poet father Mark. Scofield's performance makes up only part of a great supporting cast that includes David Paymer, Christopher McDonald and Martin Scorsese as a Geritol representative. The real star here is Paul Attanasio, who was Oscar-nominated for his fantastically well-paced and snappy adapted screenplay. Attanasio's screenplay launches attacks on well-known brands and lets us know that they don't care who they sacrifice along the way as long as the money keeps coming in. Ultimately Quiz Show is an easy-to-watch film with fine performances and a great screenplay which has an identifiable message behind it. 

After appearing in Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days in 1995, Fiennes' next film would see him get his only Best Actor Oscar Nomination to date. The film was The English Patient in which Fiennes played a character who, when we first meet him, is horribly disfigured after his plane crashes in Italy. As he won't live very long, French-Canadian nurse Hanna agrees to look after him primarily so she can get over the losses she's suffered recently. The mystery man, known as The English Patient, soon finds his life in danger when Canadian thief Caravaggio starts to take an interest in him. Caravaggio believes the man was directly involved with him being captured and tortured by the Germans so wants to take his revenge. Whilst all of this action takes place in 1944, the rest of The English Patient takes us back to Cairo of the late 1930s in which the mystery man is revealed as a map maker. In addition we learn he is not English but in fact the Hungarian Count László Almásy, who is part of the Royal Geographic Society. Joining The Count's expedition are married couple Geoffrey and Katherine Clifton the latter of whom catches the eye of our protagonist. It's not long before the attraction becomes mutual and the two begin an affair which they find easy to do when Geoffrey spends a lot of time away from his wife. But soon The Count finds himself being jealous of Katherine's interactions with other men and almost becomes abusive towards her. But there's no denying that there is still passion in their relationship and back in the Italian scenes The Count reveals the measures he took to care for the woman he loved. Ultimately The Count's words see both Carravagio and Hanna get what they want as he finally finds peace.

I remember my mum having a copy of The English Patient on VHS at one time and therefore snippets of the film seem familiar. However, as I was quite young I don't think I completely understood the fact that the film went backwards and forwards in time. When the film first began I was incredibly taken with Hanna thanks to Juliette Binoche's Oscar winning turn as the emotionally fraught nurse. Unlike something like The Thin Red Line where I never felt I really knew the characters, Anthony Mingella's adapted screenplay instantly made me warm to Hanna. Therefore it was the scenes set in Italy that I enjoyed more than the ones in the African desert mainly because the characters there were a little harder to like. It was only when Katherine appeared and the affair started that I began to care for The Count as Fiennes was able to portray his love for her brilliantly. It was great seeing Fiennes play the lead rather than take a supporting turn and his performance put me in mind of the classic film stars that we saw in the 1930s and 1940s. Every inch the charming lead, Fiennes made his character seem quite arrogant but also somebody who would do anything for love. Even in the scenes where he was covered in convincing make-up he still made us care for his plight right up to the bitter end. However, I felt that this film really belonged to the women as both of the central actresses really brought the film to life. As I previously mentioned Binoche lit up the screen as Hanna and she conveyed her characters loss as well as her capacity to find love with Sikh bomb disposal expert Kip. Kristen Scott Thomas is one of my favourite actresses and proved her worth here as the elegant Katherine. She and Fiennes also had a winning chemistry which made it easy to believe their love for one another.

The English Patient's other main strength is in its extremely striking visuals and so it's not surprising to learn that the film was showered with Oscars. John Seale's superb cinematography really brought the Tunisian and Italian exterior locations to life. Seale succeeded in taking the film's audience into both the African desert and the Italian countryside which helped to separate the two storylines. In his book, editor Walter Murch claimed that he initially struggled to intercut the two different timelines of the story. But I think he did an excellent job especially in the final scene in which we see both Katherine and Hanna reading the same story aloud. Gabriel Yared's score also adds to the overall feel of the film, particularly during the African scenes. Bringing all these elements together was the late Antony Mingella, who won awards both for his direction and screenplay. Mingella's vision for the film was perfectly realised in a film which I came to really enjoy over the course of the two and half hour runtime. What I liked most about The English Patient was the fact that this was a film set during war time but which focused more on how the fighting prevented the characters from ever truly being loved. Whether it was explosives ending lives or the paranoia that was present on both sides, the war really affected all the film's characters in different ways. However, I wouldn't describe The English Patient as a war film but rather a love story set during the time of war and I found that to be a refreshing change.

Next time we focus on a film that deals with both sexuality and race during a time of conflict.