Gosford Park

Photo by Jack Gould GOSFORD PARK has been called a cross between Agatha Christie and Upstairs, Downstairs. Whatever. It was probably the best movie of 2001, proving that the English are much better actors than Americans, especially when they're directed by American Robert Altman. Actually, the murder "mystery" is almost a throw-away. What really attracts the eye and keeps the story moving—you'll notice the camera never, ever stops tracking—is the subtle, yet clear-eyed look at the English class system. The movie—set in the 1920s country house of a prominent English family—not only presents the dehumanizing effects of class, but how class can be used to your advantage, so much so that you can get away with murder. We liked the film, but this being OC, we're into swimwear. Model Lisa Marie Hall is wearing a Billabong two-piece; the be-suited (and besotted) chaps at the dinner party behind her are Englishman and writer Todd Mathews and his buddy, fashion marketing man Andrew Schulenburg. Schulenburg loves director Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket.

Photo Assistant: Whitney Redfield. Stylist: Leah Smith.