The Shooting Party
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| The Shooting Party | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alan Bridges |
| Written by | Isabel Colegate (novel) Julian Bond |
| Starring | James Mason Edward Fox Dorothy Tutin John Gielgud |
| Release date(s) | 1985 |
| Running time | 98 min. |
| Country | U.K. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Shooting Party is a quiet thoughtful drama set in 1913. It shows the way of life of English aristocrats, gathered for grouse shooting and general self-indulgence. Their way of life is contrasted with the local rural poor, who serve as 'beaters', driving the game for the aristocrats to shoot. There is also an early and very genteel animal-rights/socialist activist (played by John Gielgud).
There is a general feeling of the end of a way of life. The older standards of the gentry have slipped and they are no longer sure what they are doing or why.
This is one of the last film appearances by James Mason, who plays Sir Randolph Nettleby, the local landowner who has something of the old values. Edward Fox as Lord Gilbert Hartlip represents the the newer types who don't have the same solid beliefs: he gets into a competition over who is the best shot, despite his host's disapproval.
The film is based on a book by Isabel Colegate which won the 1981 WH Smith Literary Award. There is also an unrelated novel called The Shooting Party by the Russian writer and playwright Anton Chekhov.
[edit] External link
- The Shooting Party at the Internet Movie Database (mentioning in 'Trivia' that it was the last film James Mason shot before his death).
