(Dir: Robert Altman, 2001)

In this brilliant upstairs/ downstairs English country murder the action takes place pretty much in one manor house a la parlour room theatre. Two main houses were used for filming with the majority of the downstairs scenes being shot on soundstages at Shepperton. Syon House, Syon Park was used for the upstairs bedrooms and Wrotham Park, Barnet for the exteriors and the staircase entry hall and dining and drawing rooms which come off it. Syon House is near London’s Kew Gardens and is opened to the public (though still the personal residence of the Duke of Northumberland.) and Wrotham Park isn’t open to the public.

For those of you treating my recommendations like a little column you may like to hear a little story about the production. It’s common knowledge that Altman used multiple cameras to get the actors to play more naturally, but keeping to the realism, the jewellery worn above stairs was the real deal as well and had to be escorted around by armed guards - crazy, and none of the servants are supposedly wearing any make up (don’t know how true that one is…).

Written by  Film Fan.

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