The Shooting Party (1985)

A rare and enchanting glimpse of English aristocracy before WW1 Set in 1913 England, on the brink of what would be the war to end all wars, the British film classic 'The Shooting Party' focuses on an assortment of upper-crust acquaintances who gather for a weekend of hunting and society niceties (billiards, cards, adultery, draping oneself in jewels the evening after stomping around all day in the muck).

Presiding over the festivities is a masterful James Mason as Sir Randolph Nettleby, a sort of benevolent dictator of his breathtaking estate, as his family and friends dip in and out of the action, adhering to the strict code of class conduct for all of their affairs–sport, self-advancement, illicit love.

Though the weekend is supposed to be a holiday, there is subtle, ominous foreshadowing in the very first scenes, of the men lined up in a meadow, as though troops on a battlefield, taking out ducks and hares with an almost dispassionate relish. Mason as Nettleby has rarely been better–crisp, bemused, comfortable in his role but not quite in his own skin. The score by John Scott is transportative.

A truly memorable and dramatic performance by James Mason as he hosts a shooting party on his estate before the eve of WW1. A slow paced story with excellent dialogue and stunning cinematography. A must have for my permanent collection.

Director: Alan Bridges
Cast:
James Mason … Sir Randolph Nettleby
Edward Fox … Lord Gilbert Hartlip
Dorothy Tutin … Lady Minnie Nettleby
John Gielgud … Cornelius Cardew
Gordon Jackson … Tom Harker
Cheryl Campbell … Lady Aline Hartlip
Robert Hardy … Lord Bob Lilburn
Aharon Ipalй … Sir Reuben Hergesheimer
Joris Stuyck … Count Tibor Rakassyi
Rebecca Saire … Cicely Nettleby
Sarah Badel … Ida Nettleby

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