"It's not about the movies"

"Gosford Park" (2001), Directed by Robert Altman

  Imagine my excitement on the night of the Academy Awards.  I wasn’t excited about Denzel’s or Halle’s chances, oh no; I was looking forward to bigger things.  Bob Balaban was nominated for his first Oscar for producing “Gosford Park”.  Surprisingly, I had not seen the movie yet, but I still had all my thumbs crossed for good luck that this under-appreciated genius would get his just reward.  Alas, it wasn’t to be. 

His (and my) dreams were ruthlessly shattered that warm spring evening (I think it was around 62 degrees in Hollywood) when the Academy members cast their votes for the grossly inadequate, incredibly inept “A Beautiful Mind”.

But thank heaven for modern technology that breathes new life into mistreated films.  “Gosford Park” was released on video last week and as I popped the rented DVD into my machine, I sat back with breathless anticipation to await the rewarding experience that lay ahead.  Imagine my surprise when I saw that Bob Balaban had second billing!  Second billing!  It was so richly deserved.  Then I realized that the cast was listed in alphabetical order.  Still, he did have second billing.  The credits rolled on and I saw “Produced by Robert Altman and Bob Balaban”.  My heart skipped a beat.  A few minutes later, there was an unexpected surprise.  The credit said, “From an idea by Robert Altman and Bob Balaban.”  Imagine, an idea so powerful, so rich in nuance and character development that it could give birth to a whole movie.  “Wow!”  I said out loud.  “Yeah, wow!” I said to myself in reply.  It can’t get much better than this, I thought.

After the final director’s credit, the movie proper began.  I have to admit that I didn’t realize that this movie took place in England.  The thick British accents rendered the dialog virtually impossible to understand.  After about 2 or 3 minutes of this torture, I pressed the “stop” button on my remote and I returned the DVD the next day.