51. GOSFORD PARK
 
United Kingdom
dir. Robert Altman
world premiere 2001
U.S. release 2001
 

 
Because what read on paper like a gimmick—Altman moving his human-cornucopia schtick to an English manor, that favorite staple of the Stateside arthouse—showcased a tense and zesty chronicle of human foibles, delivered with gusto but not without sincerity under beautiful gaslighting. Every performance, especially by the women, honors the actors and the auteur.