I was a little late getting on the train to Downton Abbey. I never watched it until I experienced the collective national meltdown following Matthew Crawley's death at the end of the Season 3 Christmas Day special, a scene that must have made everyone's Christmas pudding taste a little jaded. Twitter literally exploded with heartbroken viewers venting their grief..and anger! #Christmasruined #howdarethey #bringbackmatthew #arrestjullianfellowes etc..you get the idea.
I realised then that I was missing something pretty big, a televisual phenomenon so colossal that I had to find out what all the fuss was about.
I therefore purchased the first three seasons and all the specials and binged like my life depended on it. By the time season 4 aired here in the UK I was fully up to speed and as hooked as the most ardent fan...in fact I'm not sure whether or not I AM now it's most ardent fan....it's quite probable!
Like all fans I was very sad to see the show end on Christmas Day 2015 (#jullianfellowesruinsyetanotherchristmas) as we witnessed The Crawleys and their much respected servants ring in the new year of 1926 and I lamented it's loss a lot harder than I have lamented the ending of any other programme.
The characters became so familiar and you invested so much of your time and attention to their story lines and development, it hardly seemed real that we would not be seeing them anymore. It was as close to a bereavement as one can get, without actually having a loved one croak on them.
I was therefore over the moon to find out that Downton was set to return in movie form, but I was also a little apprehensive. I've seen successful television series adapted to the big screen before with little or no success, as they always strayed too far from the formula that made the series so good in the first place.
But the big hurdle for me, (and it has to be said it is sadly present in both Downton Abbey films to date) was how to tie up multi character storylines neatly when you're constricted to a 2 hour run time, without making them look too contrived, unbelievable, rushed or just plain silly.
Both Downton Abbey films fall foul of this in some way. Jullian Fellowes is a fantastic writer but with the television series he had the scope to spread plot lines over several episodes to help build up the tension and excitement before bringing things to a satisfactory and natural climax which left his audience fully sated and really on board with what had happened.
Despite the two great storylines of the films, consummate acting from all involved and expert execution, a 2 hour runtime just does not do his storylines the same justice. Subplots are rushed at, relationships not fleshed out properly and sadly the whole Downton experience can be compromised. This however is my ONLY criticism and it can so easily be rectified.
I would very much like to see each new Downton Abbey film from this day forth, be a 3-4 hour sweeping masterpiece which would make a Charlton Heston biblical epic look like a 30 second advert for dog biscuits. The characters deserve it, Fellowes' penmanship deserves it and we the audience deserve it. It's such a large ensemble cast, you need sub plots to give everybody enough to do, you therefore need a longer running time in which for them to do it.
Anyhoooo, onto A NEW ERA
Two main plots dominate the movie. The now dying Dowager Countess of Grantham (wonderfully played by the Great Dame Maggie Smith) inherits a French Villa (stately home more like) from a one time suitor who she hasn't seen in over 60 years, calling into question her hitherto unblemished reputation which in turn raises questions as to which side of the blanket her son Robert was born on...and more importantly who that said blanket belonged to. Is Robert Crawley the REAL legitimate Earl of Grantham or did he start life as a French 'Bundle for Britain?' A Crawley delegation heads off to the south of France to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The other main plot involves a movie company ensconced at Downton Abbey to make a movie, only to find that silent pictures are suddenly out of vogue and that to save the production they have to turn it into a talkie overnight. This is not easily done as the leading lady who is supposed to be playing a titled aristocratic heiress, was most definitely born within the sound of Bow-Bells (a very strong cockney accent for those who do not know the terminology)
If only there was a real aristocratic lady with the proper elocution who could dub for the cockney actress....oh wait a sec! There is!
If you're lucky enough to have seen the wonderful MGM musical 'Singin' in the Rain' then there's nothing new to see here...it's pretty much the same except there are no big musical production numbers and it's Lady Mary Crawley providing the necessary and much more palatable dulcet tones and not Debbie Reynolds.
Sub plots involve:-
Cora Grantham who suspects she too is on deaths door having been suffering from a mysterious ailment, the symptoms of which are never alluded to.
Mary's marriage to Mr. Not-Appearing-in-this-Film-Again, that seems to be going down the crapper faster than one of his own racing cars, (we always knew he was no Matthew.) She begins a harmless flirtation with the movie director, but having learned pretty solid lessons with both Mr Pamuk and indeed Matthew that a romantic entanglement with her most often leads to an early death, she decides to spare the directors life by resisting his advances.
Daisy and Andy who have now moved in with Mr Mason and are planning all manner of ways to get Mr Mason to move out of his own home for the apparent heinous crime of being nice to her all her life and looking after her like a father.
Barrow gets his requisite closeted gay storyline, this time involving the male star of the movie being made at Downton. It looks however as if this one will finally work out for him and a happy ending is achievable. Barrow was a great character back in the day when he was a bit of a devious two faced scumbag, but since he learned the error of his ways and became a better person he also became rather dull and bland along with it. Still I'm glad it worked out for him in the end.
Violet, who we all thought would live forever..doesn't.
There you have it in a nutshell. It was a great 2 hours of entertainment and it was good to see old friends back on our screens again, I just wish more time was given to some of these sub plots to flesh them out more, but alas they all seemed so rushed.
I will however wait for the next instalment with baited breath.
I realised then that I was missing something pretty big, a televisual phenomenon so colossal that I had to find out what all the fuss was about.
I therefore purchased the first three seasons and all the specials and binged like my life depended on it. By the time season 4 aired here in the UK I was fully up to speed and as hooked as the most ardent fan...in fact I'm not sure whether or not I AM now it's most ardent fan....it's quite probable!
Like all fans I was very sad to see the show end on Christmas Day 2015 (#jullianfellowesruinsyetanotherchristmas) as we witnessed The Crawleys and their much respected servants ring in the new year of 1926 and I lamented it's loss a lot harder than I have lamented the ending of any other programme.
The characters became so familiar and you invested so much of your time and attention to their story lines and development, it hardly seemed real that we would not be seeing them anymore. It was as close to a bereavement as one can get, without actually having a loved one croak on them.
I was therefore over the moon to find out that Downton was set to return in movie form, but I was also a little apprehensive. I've seen successful television series adapted to the big screen before with little or no success, as they always strayed too far from the formula that made the series so good in the first place.
But the big hurdle for me, (and it has to be said it is sadly present in both Downton Abbey films to date) was how to tie up multi character storylines neatly when you're constricted to a 2 hour run time, without making them look too contrived, unbelievable, rushed or just plain silly.
Both Downton Abbey films fall foul of this in some way. Jullian Fellowes is a fantastic writer but with the television series he had the scope to spread plot lines over several episodes to help build up the tension and excitement before bringing things to a satisfactory and natural climax which left his audience fully sated and really on board with what had happened.
Despite the two great storylines of the films, consummate acting from all involved and expert execution, a 2 hour runtime just does not do his storylines the same justice. Subplots are rushed at, relationships not fleshed out properly and sadly the whole Downton experience can be compromised. This however is my ONLY criticism and it can so easily be rectified.
I would very much like to see each new Downton Abbey film from this day forth, be a 3-4 hour sweeping masterpiece which would make a Charlton Heston biblical epic look like a 30 second advert for dog biscuits. The characters deserve it, Fellowes' penmanship deserves it and we the audience deserve it. It's such a large ensemble cast, you need sub plots to give everybody enough to do, you therefore need a longer running time in which for them to do it.
Anyhoooo, onto A NEW ERA
Two main plots dominate the movie. The now dying Dowager Countess of Grantham (wonderfully played by the Great Dame Maggie Smith) inherits a French Villa (stately home more like) from a one time suitor who she hasn't seen in over 60 years, calling into question her hitherto unblemished reputation which in turn raises questions as to which side of the blanket her son Robert was born on...and more importantly who that said blanket belonged to. Is Robert Crawley the REAL legitimate Earl of Grantham or did he start life as a French 'Bundle for Britain?' A Crawley delegation heads off to the south of France to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The other main plot involves a movie company ensconced at Downton Abbey to make a movie, only to find that silent pictures are suddenly out of vogue and that to save the production they have to turn it into a talkie overnight. This is not easily done as the leading lady who is supposed to be playing a titled aristocratic heiress, was most definitely born within the sound of Bow-Bells (a very strong cockney accent for those who do not know the terminology)
If only there was a real aristocratic lady with the proper elocution who could dub for the cockney actress....oh wait a sec! There is!
If you're lucky enough to have seen the wonderful MGM musical 'Singin' in the Rain' then there's nothing new to see here...it's pretty much the same except there are no big musical production numbers and it's Lady Mary Crawley providing the necessary and much more palatable dulcet tones and not Debbie Reynolds.
Sub plots involve:-
Cora Grantham who suspects she too is on deaths door having been suffering from a mysterious ailment, the symptoms of which are never alluded to.
Mary's marriage to Mr. Not-Appearing-in-this-Film-Again, that seems to be going down the crapper faster than one of his own racing cars, (we always knew he was no Matthew.) She begins a harmless flirtation with the movie director, but having learned pretty solid lessons with both Mr Pamuk and indeed Matthew that a romantic entanglement with her most often leads to an early death, she decides to spare the directors life by resisting his advances.
Daisy and Andy who have now moved in with Mr Mason and are planning all manner of ways to get Mr Mason to move out of his own home for the apparent heinous crime of being nice to her all her life and looking after her like a father.
Barrow gets his requisite closeted gay storyline, this time involving the male star of the movie being made at Downton. It looks however as if this one will finally work out for him and a happy ending is achievable. Barrow was a great character back in the day when he was a bit of a devious two faced scumbag, but since he learned the error of his ways and became a better person he also became rather dull and bland along with it. Still I'm glad it worked out for him in the end.
Violet, who we all thought would live forever..doesn't.
There you have it in a nutshell. It was a great 2 hours of entertainment and it was good to see old friends back on our screens again, I just wish more time was given to some of these sub plots to flesh them out more, but alas they all seemed so rushed.
I will however wait for the next instalment with baited breath.