Downton Abbey (2019) Focus/Drama RT: 122 minutes Rated PG (thematic elements, some suggestive material, language) Director: Michael Engler Screenplay: Julian Fellowes Music: John Lunn Cinematography: Ben Smithard Release date: September 20, 2019 (US) Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Michael C. Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Matthew Goode, Harry Hadden-Paton, Rob James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Douglas Reith, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Imelda Staunton, Tuppence Middleton, Geraldine James, Simon Jones, Stephen Campbell Moore, David Haig, Max Brown, Kate Phillips, Andrew Havill, Philippe Spall, Richenda Carey, Marina Baibara, Oliver & Zac Barker, Fifi Hart, Eva & Karina Samms. Box Office: $96.9M (US)/$194.2M (World)
Rating: ***
Blimey, it’s great to see the gang at Downton Abbey again! If you told me a year ago that I’d open my review of Downton Abbey with those words, I wouldn’t have believed it. At the time, I never saw a single episode of the popular British period drama series that ran for six seasons on ITV (UK) and PBS (US). That recently changed. In my household, summers are for binge-watching shows and miniseries we missed during their original run. We spent the whole of August (plus a week) watching the entire series of Downton Abbey. I figured it would help in my review of Downton Abbey the movie. While I’m glad I watched the series (it’s a great show!), it turns out I needn’t have bothered. The movie is preceded by a short piece in which two main characters, butler Carson (Carter) and housekeeper Mrs. Hughes (Logan), sum up the entire series by reintroducing the main characters and recounting the major events. Had I still been a Downton Abbey virgin (is that a thing?), it would have been helpful.
I suppose it would be rather simplistic and trite to say that the movie Downton Abbey is like an extended episode of the show which centered on the Crawleys, an aristocratic family living in a huge Yorkshire manor during the reign of King George V. Storylines focused on members of the family and household staff. In that respect, it’s similar to Upstairs, Downstairs and Gosford Park. When we meet up with everybody again, it’s 1927 and news of a visit from the royal couple has the place in an uproar. Lady Mary (Dockery), happily married to Henry Talbot (Goode), is in a tizzy trying to get everything in order in time for their arrival. Downstairs, head butler Thomas Barrow (Collier) is at a loss over what to do upon learning that the royal staff will be taking over household duties for the duration of the royal couple’s stay. Lady Mary asks Carson to temporarily come out of retirement to resume his old position at the Abbey, something that really puts Barrow’s nose out of joint.
Okay, so we have two main plotlines; the Crawleys anticipating the King and Queen’s visit and the Downton staff’s rivalry with the persnickety royal staff. There some business involving estranged cousin Lady Bagshaw (Staunton, Vera Drake) and her eventual heir. Dowager Countess Violet (Smith) is in a huff over the likelihood that her son Lord Grantham (Bonneville), the rightful heir, will be passed over for…. I won’t say. The movie also touches on the following: assistant cook Daisy’s (McShera) anxiety over setting a date for her wedding to footman Andy (Fox); an assassination plot that Tom Branson (Leech), a known Irish Republican, gets drawn into; a household staff member’s (NOT a Bates this time) run-in with the police, the unhappy marriage of Princess Mary (Phillips, Peaky Blinders), Lady Edith (Carmichael) fretting over her husband Bertie (Paton) accepting a job that will take him out of the country at an important time and a potential new romance for Tom. Okay, maybe Downton Abbey is more like an entire season compressed into two hours. Either way, there’s a lot going on.
Here’s the deal. If you like Downton Abbey the series, there’s no reason you won’t like Downton Abbey the movie as well. A couple of the subplots, the assassination plot in particular, feel contrived. The main plot about the royal visit, on the other hand, is rather brilliant. Given the show’s propensity to work historical events into the storylines, it’s only natural that the King and Queen would show up at some point. It also allows various characters to air their true feelings about the monarchy- e.g. Daisy is no fan, Carson is a big supporter. In addition, the rivalry between the two staffs adds equal notes of tension and humor.
The actors have been playing their characters for years and nobody misses a step here. Countess Violet is as sharp-tongued as ever while Isobel (Wilton) is still a perfect foil. Their back-and-forth banter is still funny. Lesley Nicol is still great as the perfectionist cook Miss Patmore; I just wish the movie had thought to include her budding romance with Albert Mason, Daisy’s father-in-law from her first (very short) marriage. Even just a quick mention would have sufficed. To be honest, I like all the actors and the characters they play, even the devious Barrows. I have zero complaints in this area.
Visually, Downton Abbey is as beautiful as ever; perhaps more so on the big screen. Show creator Julian Fellowes, who wrote the witty and engaging screenplay, has always been right on the money with the show’s aesthetic. The sets, costumes and production design are gorgeous in their period authenticity. Director Michael Engler is no stranger to this era; he directed this spring’s The Chaperone about silent film actress Louise Brooks. Lovely to look at and fun to watch, Downton Abbey should delight fans and possibly convert non-fans. I wouldn’t mind if they made a new movie every two or three years.
