Set in 1913 with World War I looming, this might be a companion piece to Gosford Park set some twenty years later. Both picture a world that no longer exists, but the prejudices of class are even more apparent here to the extent that many of them feel offensive to the modern mind. The great James Mason, in his last role, plays host to assorted toffs who have come for the shoot on his estate; a tragic accident occurs which foreshadows the abomination of killing that the following years will bring -- and the end credits mention which of the characters die in the war. The golden days for these people are fast fading.
The always wonderful John Gielgud has a small role as an anti-hunt protester, but it is Mason who ends his film career with dignity and grace here.
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