I saw this movie in the mid-eighties on HBO one afternoon and never forgot it. I have not seen it again, but ever since then have repeatedly asked who might remember it. Very few do, which is a shame. My personal, perhaps self-centered measure of a movie is how well I might remember it. This movie is among the most memorable. I can still see the opening scene in my mind's eye, and vividly remember many other parts of it.
There is a later scene that I recall in particular where Mason prays with one of his lower servants after the man is shot accidentally, and I recall how it moved me to hear Mason's distinctive voice working through the words of the prayer.
I ordered the DVD today, and am very much looking forward to seeing the movie again. This was Mason's last film, and prophetically the theme of the movie is to chronical the end to the Victorian/aristocratic era on the English countryside. Accordingly, the movie is a very fitting tribute to the man, and certainly an enjoyable example of this style of film. If you loved Gosford Park, this is the earlier master.
There is a later scene that I recall in particular where Mason prays with one of his lower servants after the man is shot accidentally, and I recall how it moved me to hear Mason's distinctive voice working through the words of the prayer.
I ordered the DVD today, and am very much looking forward to seeing the movie again. This was Mason's last film, and prophetically the theme of the movie is to chronical the end to the Victorian/aristocratic era on the English countryside. Accordingly, the movie is a very fitting tribute to the man, and certainly an enjoyable example of this style of film. If you loved Gosford Park, this is the earlier master.