Monday Monologue: "The Perfect Servant"
Monday, April 15, 2013 at 11:59PM Editor's Note: I am pleased to announce that Andrew Kendall of Encore's World has joined "Team Experience". Here is his first post, looking back on a truly fine performance in Best Picture nominated Gosford Park (2000) - Nathaniel R
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I would not say that finding a monologue (or monologue adjacent) scenes for Monday Monologues is an impossibility, although it can get somewhat difficult when so many films seems to revel in single sentence conversations and the like. Finding a monologue in an ensemble film, though, is particularly daunting. For with ensemble films, at least in theory, no one character takes precedence and as far as ensembles of the last three decades are concerned I would rank Gosford Park near the top. Maggie Smith, Clive Owen, Emily Watson, Bob Balaban, Kristin Scott Thomas, and even Ryan Philippe all battle for my top honours depending on the scene even as the “resolution” of the film rests on a scene between two of the quieter characters of the film.
More often than not cinematic monologues tend to take on the role of a confessional – the character is bursting over with something, a secret, a regret, a plan – and it needs to be expelled. [more] Mrs. Wilson’s confession of the murder of caddish Sir William McCordle is a fine example of a movie confession existing as monologue. What’s particularly fantastic about this scene in Gosford Park is that technically it is really just a scene of exposition at the end of a mystery, one which is necessary for the plot but might not appear to be essential to the film’s nature. Even its placement, just before the end, reeks of something ungracefully shoehorned into the film. But Fellowes choice dialogue and Mirren’s delivery make it seem less inauthentic than it might have. For, in this scene, we see the reserved Mrs. Wilson say more words at once than she’d said before revealing so many things about herself. Agatha Christie 101 will tell you that murderers are easy to find because they feel compelled to boast about their crimes. Pride is their downfall. Gosford Park relentlessly mocks the genre (Gosford Park is its very own version of a “Crooked House” which would make Christie proud) and what's so fun about the twisting here is that in her own self-effacing way Mrs. Wilson’s confession retains that prideful-murderer way even as it resolutely reveals a character for us to be moved by.
It also gives Helen a key chance to be brilliant.
Mary Maceachran (Kelly Macdonald), Lady’s maid to the domineering Countess Trentham (Maggie Smith), is the de facto sleuth of the film ,piecing together to the clues. She arrives in Mrs. Wilson’s chambers not to gloat but to ask…why. And, a simple “How did you know? Was it the photograph?” launches us into monologue. It isn't a monologue in the truest sense, but as with many a confession Mrs. Wilson’s declaration pours out mostly unencumbered, paying spare attention to her inquirer.
Ah, yes, the photograph. It's a miracle that survived. I remember his mother putting it into his blanket. I suppose she wanted him to have something of hers. Does he know what happened to her?
It’s Helen’s scene (rightfully, also, the choice for her Oscar clip) but Kelly is just lovely here as the timid Mary. Making no attempts to control the scene, but still retaining our attention as she reacts.
Well, she didn't die. She gave him away. He promised the boy would be adopted. He said he knew the family. Turns out we all clung to that dream, all us girls. A better start in life for our children. And all the time he was dumping them, his own children, in some godforsaken place. And I believed him. I suppose it was easier that way. My sister certainly never forgave me for it.
I learned to love literature through film, so I’ll always be partial to words. And, I’ll maintain that one sure-fire way to prove an actor is great, not merely good, is to see what they can do with a monologue. Or, as in this case, a quasi-monologue.
That's not because a monologue provides an actor with a chance to ACT in sustained bits, but because it forces them to be ingenious with the choices they make in delivery. Here is a block of words. Make them electric. Jose and I have discussed the Grand Dames club (Judi, Maggie, Helen) and their woeful tendency to phone in performances on occasion in the past. I feel Mirren is particular is guilty of this – she’s wonderful when she’s good but it’s appalling how her name has recently has become synonymous with fair but phoned-in work when she does have such capacity for greatness.
It’s not just Altman’s direction but Mirren’s own shrewdness in performance that eschews the words of the script which suggest significant emotional bursts in the lines. Mirren wisely, in tune with Mrs Wilson’ detachedness, keeps the rhythm at an almost staccato tone. When Mary interjects to ask about that mention of a sister, her response is so disconnected an inattentive moviegoer might miss the significance.
Yes, Mrs. Croft. She's my sister. Didn't you know? She kept hers, you see. It was very hard for her. She lost her job, and then the baby died anyway. Scarlet fever. I made him take her back. She never forgave me for that either.
Key bits of the film put into such a direct delivery. This is the way of a woman significantly intent on going about business as usual. She’s slavishly devoted to her job, and even as she reveals all this information she’s busy writing up the charts for the daily use of linen in the house. It's a great choice to have this significant revelation accompany something so trite because the climax of the confession, and the most profound part of the scene, depends on Mrs Wilson's devotion to her work.
What gift do you think a good servant has that separates them from the others? It's the gift of anticipation. And I'm a good servant. I'm better than good. I'm the best. I'm the perfect servant. I know when they'll be hungry and the food is ready. I know when they'll be tired and the bed is turned down. I know it before they know it themselves.
There’s that pride. It’s not so much that Mrs Wilson is proud of her deeds in the usual murderer's way, but she’s proud of her talents – selflessness and anticipation. In a film so delightfully enthused by humor (I’m never sure if I completely agree with its placement in the Comedy/Musical section at the Golden Globes but Gosford Park is joke-for-joke funnier than many traditional comedies) it’s a moment that moves me with its profundity and its sadness.
The scene wraps up with the perfunctory questions. What happens now? Naïve Mary is still unable to understand the act of murder for no real reason and Mirren, almost as if quipping, chides her:
Didn't you hear me? I'm the perfect servant. I have no life.
What makes that closing line so effective is substitute the word servant for mother and the line loses its quip-like tendencies and becomes something profound. Little about the detached delivery suggests traditional maternal instincts, but everything about her actions suggest a woman who will protect what she holds dear - which is ultimately the true mark of motherliness. And, of course, the truth is that the final part of the utterance is a lie. Perfect servant she may be, but Mrs Wilson does have a life – just, sadly, a life left unlived. The single tragedy of of Gosford Park that weekend is not Tom’s death, but that Parks leave the house never knowing how much someone cared for him and it’s something I think Fellowes and Altman understand. In a scene a few moments later this seemingly detached Mrs Wilson gives way to a moment of true catharsis when she tearfully embraces her estranged sister in the bedroom.
It’s as if after the effort of expelling this monologue she needs to break down. And, goodness knows, she deserves it. A fine monologue, exemplary delivery, and an excellent performance.
- Was your heart with Dame Mirren's confession in that Supporting Actress category?
- Who do you think gives the best performance in this Robert Altman classic?
Reader Comments (24)
It's nice to see someone who loves Gosford Park as much as I do. Why does no one talk about this movie? It's clearly one of the greats of the Aughts. As far as best performance is concerned, I might have to go with Maggie Smith by a hair, just for the way she says "no, don't encourage him" when people try to clap for Ivor Novello's piano playing.
I loved that movie, and that is the best scene it has. It's the scene that made Mirren a nominee.
I love this film and watch it often. I thought the perfs were pretty sound all the way round from leads to day players, but Kelly, Helen and Emily were my standouts. Maggie was great, but its become variations on a theme (except for Marigold Hotel which was refreshing).
I would have voted for Tomei or Mirren over Connelly.
A) HEY! :D
B) I'm not adopted but I have a feeling that Parks would look for his mother everywhere and has stopped searching at this point. Even if his mother was right in front of him he wouldn't acknowledge her. Which fits how the other characters refuse to acknowledge the truth while whispering it to their servant or colleagues or nieces. As long as the truth is not said out loud.
C) Always reminded that Gambon/KST's rocky marriage is what would have happened years after Matthew Crawley and Lady Mary married. And yes, I hold on to this alternate timeline even if know the spoilers.
my vote at the time was with Kate Winslet's young Iris but i more often think back on this performance and Tomei's in "In the Bedroom"
I haven't seen this in SO long that this post feels like half remembered to me. Time for a reevaluation probably.
I've recently rewatched this film and Dame Helen was amazing and she's definitely my Oscar puck. This performance has a different meaning every time. First, I only noticed these last two scenes and I was brutally floored by them. Then, I got to see it from a different peespective. The fact that I expected the harrowing was made up for by the beginning, her subtle interactions with Cliwe Owen (her face when she sees the photograph!)
This should have been Dame Helen's Oscar. And I also adore Maggie that year. The only nominee I don't care for is the actual winner...
Thank you so much for this wonderful writing. I love this movie a lot, but was unable to understand how a quiet performance like this got a nom at the Oscar and even won her a SAG. Maggie Smith yes I understood, as her role was very outspoken and all (what we have come to call "The Maggie Smith Performance" now). Now I fully appreciate this performance. Thank you.
Gosford Park is one of my all-time favourite, I have watched it three times so far and it deserves more if I can squeeze more time, great article in expounding Mirren's excellence and would love to see more into its varied characters' dissections.
My favourite performance is Ms. Mirren, with Macdonald, Watson, Smith and Scott-Thomas following, an all-female parade surprisingly!
Well, Helen Mirren WON the SAG because of being the only Oscar nominee in the line-up. It was a crazy year. I was a kid, but I remember what a crazy category it was. I was new to following the Oscars and I followed every possible award out there.
Helen Mirren wasn't really a contender. The early favorite was Maggie Smith and Smith was supposed to be big with critics. And of course many expected Connelly to become a threat. But then the NYFCC changed it all. Rumor has it that one critic voted for Mirren, another critic saw his vote and decided it would be an interesting choice. Not a loud, flashy performance, but a quiet one. So Mirren became the compromise pick in the end and from then on critics went wild and given how popular Altman's film was and how much time critics had at the time to make voters actually see the movies they liked (with two months between the major critics' awards in early December and the deadline for Oscar voting in early February) - it was a likely outcome that Mirren would be a factor.
BUT Mirren's SAG victory is really interesting because I believe that until today she is the ONLY SAG winner ever who was the SOLE Oscar nominee in her category. It's never happened before and after that. The Oscar line-up was Connelly, Mirren, Smith, Tomei and Winslet. And it was clear they would be the nominees by the end of the year. They sounded right. But then SAG - at a time when SAG was in the mood to be contrary (remember Bening, Halle Berry and nearly every supporting actor - from Michael Caine to Judi Dench for Chocolat to Christopher Walken) - nominated Dench (The Shipping News), Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam), Cameron Diaz (Vanilla Sky) and Cate Blanchett (Bandits) in addition to Mirren. There was no way for Mirren to lose the SAG.
And until today Gosford Park remains the only film to win TWO (or more) SAG Awards and to not win a single acting Oscar.
I wonder what would have happened to Mirren had it not been for the critics?
If the NYFCC win didn't happen, I believe she would have gone unnoticed.
It's simply the kind of performance that connects but never screams Oscar and rarely gets noticed.
I still feel it should have won Best Picture,my heart was mith Tomei in 2001 but Mirren is runner up,i was surprised at her sag win and if Jennifer was lead then the oscar was hers,i adore Smith even though it's schtick also Kristin who is marvellously flirty and naughty while dressed in her finest a style slut,nice right up,i also enjoyed Eileen in this scene with Mirren.
Also in 2001 I would like to give a huge shout out to Cate Blanchett's sublime The shipping news 11 minute of screen timeperformance very Kidman The Paperboy!!! any1 agree.
I love theatre so I really appreciate a good monologue from time to time. It's becoming an oddity. If this is a new series I suggest Tom Wilkinson's coming out monologue in Marigold Hotel.
My heart was with Kate Winslet that year. Mirren was clearly my second choice.
I remember being fairly confused by "Gosford Park" when I saw it in the theater because of the muddy sound mix. It wasn't until I revisited the film on cable that I developed an admiration for it, though I can't say that I loved it even upon multiple viewings. Its screenplay win really vexed me at the time for some reason too.
My supporting actress vote for that year still goes to Marisa Tomei, though any of the other candidates would have been better than Jennifer Connelly's boring performance in that grossly misjudged movie that finally made Opie an Oscar winner.
I could watch this movie on a loop, there is so much going on that you could never catch it all in one viewing. One of my top 5 favorites of all time.
the academy could have easily filled the category with gosford park women - helen mirren, maggie smith, kelly macdonald, kristin scott thomas and (my favourite) emily watson
but if there was to be a winner for this film i really wish it'd been robert altman
par3182 -- ugh, 2001. how on earth did Ron Howard win against 4 total masters. SO FRUSTRATING.
troy - do you really think the mix is muddy or did u just need to get used to Altman's layering of vocals?
Joe K - I don't know why people don't seem to talk about this one more, especially since it's such an essential film in the "large ensemble" semi-genre.
Henry - it's a bit unfortunate how variations on the character of Countess Trentham seems to have rendered Maggie's work her less essential, but of her snooty English women this is one of her most effective, I think.
Paolo – there are so many layers here, though. I’d argue he still has the photo, so he’s still looking. (Also: Gambon is such a tool in this, that could never be Matthew and Mary!)
dinasztie, Nathaniel, PJ, Mark, par3182, Troy, Peggy Sue - that 2001 line-up is SUCH a stellar year for supporting women. Criticising Jennifer seems too easy, but I really would have been happy with any of those women. (And other almost nominees like the mentioned Blanchett, but for Bandits in particular)
It's awkward re-watching the clips this weekend how particularly weak Jennifer's clip looks near the rest (and I don’t even dislike A Beautiful Mind). And, I’m with Altman who expressed surprise that Kristin Scott Thomas never received any sort of awards' traction for her work her. If pushed to rank them she'd probably be my #2.
Zooey - that's some really interesting trivia. Mirren would get my vote (but really, Marisa, Kate, Maggie all ace in that order for me), and it's such a quiet performance it sort of demands to be seen a second time to get how MUCH she's doing. Her first meeting with Owen's Parks is a stellar "subtle" acting moment.
Bia – it’s one of my top 15 or so films, so I’m glad you’re a fan.
Nathaniel, it definitely sounded more like the mix, as if everyone was speaking through tin cans. Perhaps it was merely the theater at which I saw the movie, but it all sounded very muddled.
I believe we're all a bit harsh with Jennifer basically because we're still hurting from her comatose speech ;)
Troy H--I think the sound choices were on purpose. This was shot on location, not sound stages and those big rooms sound like that--all reverb and cold. The downstairs scenes have a warmth that those rooms tend to have due to the lower ceilings and more bodies. I had problems with the sound during the outdoor scenes and I can understand why it is disconcerting to have it switch back and forth. But I think the intention was to take the viewer into the world of the characters. Or it was a money thing. It was shot on a shoestring.
AndrewK--We agree that Maggie Smith is a world treasure and Gosford is one of her best. I just wish we got to see more of her range in the rest of her work.
I love Gosford Park. I really really do. It has aged very well. I remember it being a very slight nominee in 2001. But I think out of its group of best picture contenders, only Moulin Rouge! has aged better. It's so weird to look back and note that A Beautiful Mind won that year. Who cares about A Beautiful Mind anymore. It's not even worth getting upset about anymore. Anyways, I think it was cruel to try to single out a certain actor/actress from that cast. It worked as a perfect ensemble piece. I remember people praising Mirren and Smith the most but Watson was also one many people's lists. I personally would also add Scott Thomas, McDonald and Balaban. It's a true testament to Altman's genius that he made this complex setup work so well.
And Mark... agreed! I love Cate Blanchett in The Shipping News. Few things are more enjoyable than a classy actress doing trashy so well.
Such a great movie and Helen's work is amazing, much more powerful on a second viewing when you can pick up the small touches scattered throughout.
Everybody does wonderful work not only the people with big flashy roles like Emily Watson, terrifically sassy, Helen, Maggie, KST, Clive Owen etc but the almost tiny bits from Sophie Thompson, Alan Bates, Richard E. Grant, Claudie Blakeley, one of my favorite performances in the film, and so many others.
I don't think I can decide which is the best performance but the most subtle comes from Kelly Macdonald.
I liked Jennifer Connolly's work in A Beautiful Mind and had no problem with her win but any of the nominated performances were worthy.
@ Mark - I agree, three
2001 was a great Blanchett year and has two of my all-time favorite performances of hers.
Galadriel and Petal - two characters that have nothing in common and are played to perfection.
Some "The Shipping News" trivia, Blanchett was offered the Julianne More role in that movie, but wanted to the play the slut. One of her best career choices I would say.
This one combined with "Coffee and Cigarettes" + "I'm Not There" make up for Cate's most exotic work to date.
I'm expecting great things from the Allen and Malick collaborations.