My Top Ten Films of the Decade- #3 Gosford Park

By now many of you know that I am writing (and nearly finished with!) my first mystery novel. I consider myself to be not only a daily connoisseur but a mystery connoisseur as well. I tend to usually like highbrow mysteries- mysteries with tea cups and whiskeys, bridge and evening gowns, servants and poisons- so it should be no surprise to you that I freaking loved Gosford Park.

This 2001 film, written by Julian Fellowes and directed by the late (and sorely missed) Robert Altman was the cinematic equivalent of heaven for me. The film takes place in 1932 in the English country manor of Sir William McCordle (played by Michael Gambon). A glamorous group of Britons, Americans and their servants gather in the austere McCordle home where, naturally, a murder is committed in the middle of the night. Altman weaves an enthralling tale that follows the whodunit from the perspective of two very different classes- those that live ‘above the stairs’ and those that live ‘below’.

The all star cast includes the likes of Kristen Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Ryan Phillippe and Clive Owen. This film was certainly a classic of this decade and will remain one, I believe, for decades to come…


Won’t you stay tuned for my number 2 pick?