Short Takes: Downton Abbey (2019)

This two hour movie is nothing more than a continuation of the beloved PBS “Masterpiece Classic” series (initially broadcast on ITV in the UK).  It follows six seasons (2011-2015) of the TV series, spanning 52 episodes in the original UK version, somewhat fewer, but longer. episodes in the PBS version. The series is about the trials and travails of the fictional, aristocratic Crawley family and their numerous domestic servants at their titular country estate in Yorkshire in the early twentieth century – rather like a country estate version of the early 1970s hit series Upstairs Downstairs. While the earlier series was very, very popular, the Downton Abbey franchise has been even more so. Thus, this feature length film.

The six seasons of the television version of Downton Abbey cover the period from 1912, with the sinking of the Titanic, through 1926 - through the Great War, the Irish uprising, and the transition from the Edwardian era to the more open, liberal social morality and expectations of the 1920s. Throughout, with its large cast of characters (increasingly beloved by its viewing public), the show demonstrates and dramatizes the shifting economic, political and cultural concerns of the upper class and working class characters and the changing relationships and expectations of the two over this time.

The movie (hereafter, Downton Abbey) picks up in 1927, with pretty much all of the original characters still hanging around: upstairs there’s the matriarch, Dowager Countess Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), who still gets the best acerbic lines; her son Robert, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), his American wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern),; their daughters Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael); Irish interloper Tom Branson (Allen Leach); Isobel Merton (Penelope Wilton) and so on; downstairs, there are the butler [now emeritus], Carson (Jim Carter); Mr. Barrow [elevated to butler!] (Robert James-Collier); the [head] housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan); the cook, Mrs. Patmore (Leslie Nicole); her assistant Daisy (Sophie McShera); Anna (Joanne Froggatt; Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) and so on. They look largely the same, though a bit older than last we saw them.

In an attempt to inject something fresh into the story, there are a few new characters as well, notably Imelda Staunton as Robert’s cousin/Violet’s adversary, Maud (who’s also the Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting); Tuppence Middleton as her maid Lucy [and possible love interest for Tom];  David Haig as the King’s snooty, disdainful butler, Mr. Wilson; Simon Jones as King George V; and Geraldine James as Queen Mary. Yep, the King and Queen come to Downton! Indeed, the royal visit is the main development animating the plot, disrupting the normal workings of the household and its captive society, stirring up old antagonisms, new resentments, possible romances, and even a mild thrill midway through.

On the other hand, with so many characters, Downton Abbey’s two hour length proves insufficient to give each of them something to do that’s at all meaningful. Rather than focus primarily on just a few main characters, writer Julian Fellowes’ solution was to append multiple little subplots – something for every series stalwart - none of which develops into anything much. Story-wise, the whole thing is completely ridiculous really – just an excuse to bring viewers back together with the Downton crowd one (?) more time. Yet, if you ever enjoyed the series, it is somehow comforting and even charming in a lukewarm way to revisit these old friends for a couple hours. The story, such as it is, is beside the point.

If you are a fan, the question should be: do I want to rush out a spend $12 to $15 each to see Downton Abbey on the big screen? And my answer is a qualified NO, not especially. The production values, the cinematography, the flow, the sound, the direction – all are about on par with the TV version we are familiar with. So, unless you have a tiny or low-quality screen at home and are a huge fan of this show, why not just wait until it comes out on your favorite streaming site? Although … the dvd/streaming release date is not yet known. The prevailing estimate is December 2019 for purchasing a disc or digital edition. A rental/streaming version likely will be available at that time, but maybe not. One source I read speculates it will go to HBO before other services can pick it up.

2 hours 2 minutes                   Rated PG

Grade: B

In wide theatrical release.