Downton Abbey: A New EraIt's strange to think just how far we've come in life over the last several years. Who could have predicted so many of the events we now experience today in late 2022. There are global events like Covid-19 or the more recent passing of Queen Elizabeth II. And for each and every one of us, there are the individual changes which have made our lives far more different than before. I mention this because that is what it is to appreciate the newest film in the classically British world of "Downton Abbey"--appropriately titled, Downton Abbey: A New Era--an appreciation for how far the series and its beloved characters have come, what they have endured, and their hopeful look to the future.
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A New Era opens with the marriage of Tom Branson (Allen Leach) to Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton), following their blossoming romance in the prior film. Photographs of the attendees punctuate the festivities, like rediscovered memories from a hundred years ago. At the core, this is what "Downton Abbey" is all about--a dramatization and romanticizing of this time and place in early 20th century British history. But much more than that, it is about people just like us getting by in their lives, with stations ranging dramatically between the rich and the poor (although mostly rich nobility), whose lives have evolved with full and deep stories over the long run since "Downton Abbey" was just at the start another entry in PBS's "Masterpiece Theater". Each of these characters are so fully developed that--like many soap operas--this would be a devastatingly difficult entry point for anyone interested in getting on board with the post-Edwardian melodrama. But that's okay; we live in a world where long-running television series are essentially super long movies, with multiple character threads woven into one another. A New Era is for the hardcore fans who have grown with these characters, experienced their trials and tribulations along that journey, and long to see more of their lives amidst the fading glamor and changes in the world they inhabit.
In the interest of avoiding spoilers for this film (although, of course, the aforementioned marriage already spoils the end of the last film), I'll summarize some of the key points that make our return to this stable of delightful characters rich with entertainment, but refrain from too many big tells. It starts with the revelation that the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), was named the inheritor of a villa in the south of France by the late Marquis de Montmirail. She claims to not know why he bestowed such a gift onto her, but nonetheless she wishes to pass it on to Tom's daughter, Sybbie, born from his prior marriage to the long deceased Sybil Crawley. Subsequently, the late marquis's son, Edouard (Jonathan Zaccaï), invites Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), and his wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), to visit with him and his mother ostensibly to iron out the details of the transfer. Meanwhile, back at the ranch...err, at Downton, Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery)--eldest daughter of Robert, who effectively runs Downton--hears that a film company is looking to employ the house for a silent movie they're making. Though the idea of renting their home to commercial business initially causes many in the house to balk, Mary points out that their failing roof makes this a lesser of two evils. The whole staff is excited to hear that some of the silver screen's biggest stars will be staying under their roof--including the rakish Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and haughty Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock). And when movie magic meets old world sensibilities, hilarity ensues, and A New Era isn't above borrowing more than a few ideas from Singin' in the Rain.
A New Era resembles its predecessor in more ways than one, but differs at times in others. The beginning and end of this film uses some fancy cinematography to really emphasize the grandeur of the setting, sometimes to a dizzying effect. This is especially true with respect to the fish-eye lens used for the sweeping views of Tom and Lucy's marriage. (I could just imagine Violet saying something like, "thank God they didn't try to make the movie in 3D"...presuming she would have known what that was.) The cinematography starts (and finishes) with some truly majestic views of the palatial estates of the Crawleys and later the French villa, and some interior shots of the drawing room make it appear more vast and spacious than ever before. These, however, are quickly discarded for the majority of the film, focusing largely on the kind of closer, more intimate staging the series was known for. (Interestingly, neither films are at all visually similar to Robert Altman's Gosford Park, even though Downton creator Julian Fellowes made his big splash writing the screenplay for that film.) And as had been the case with the series following the fourth or fifth seasons of the show, some characters--especially John and Anna Bates (Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggatt, respectively)--have some extensive "plot armor", so they are relegated to background commentary and incidental interactions instead of driving the plot proper. The same is true for Edith Pelham (Laura Carmichael)--formerly Edith Crawley--and (to a lesser extent) her husband, Marquess Herbert "Bertie" Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton). These characters had plenty of stories in prior seasons of "Downton Abbey", so it's time to give others a crack at bat. (Also, at just over two hours, any further exploration of these characters might necessitate another season...would that be so bad, though?) Of course some characters, like Mary and semi-retired butler and full-time old-school curmudgeon, Charles Carson (Jim Carter), will always get center stage because, c'mon, they're big time fan favorites. The film does have fun teasing future endeavors for characters like Edith--she makes mention of getting back into journalism--but these are more akin to the movie adding some "seasoning" into the rich world of Downton, and should not be misconstrued as full blown plot threads. And other characters--such as the (now) head butler, Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), or perhaps even the cook, Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nicol)--have story arcs that recall earlier events in the series or even the prior movie, although their characters are handled with little more than a shallow degree of exploration here. These might be compared to something like "side dishes" or "appetizers" for the main course. But the case of Thomas, his story arc unfortunately feels unfulfilling and even rushed, lacking any true conflict or verisimilitude; and more's the pity for this heretofore complex anti-hero. On the other hand, A New Era succeeds in adding surprising new dimensions to a couple of characters, like the awkward Joseph Molesley (Kevin Doyle), who finds that he possesses an aptitude for screenwriting, and delivers when it is needed most. For a movie about the upper crust of English nobility and company, packed to bursting with a huge cast, A New Era still manages to move rather quickly, with even quicker, spry dialogue that never lags or feels forced. Even more than in the prior movie, A New Era feels like a high speed motorcar, blasting along the road that represents the end of the Roaring Twenties, even if it is sometimes only able to afford a quick wave to some of the characters we've gotten to know along the way. But that's okay; like the photographs from the beginning of the film, this is a journey down memory lane--an encore and a quick stop off with these familiar faces on our path into a new world.
Recommended for: Fans of, of course, "Downton Abbey", first and foremost. Series fans will be overjoyed at this return to the beloved characters from the long running series in A New Era, even if neophytes would be best served by starting with at the very beginning. But hey, if it worked for Avengers: Endgame...
In the interest of avoiding spoilers for this film (although, of course, the aforementioned marriage already spoils the end of the last film), I'll summarize some of the key points that make our return to this stable of delightful characters rich with entertainment, but refrain from too many big tells. It starts with the revelation that the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith), was named the inheritor of a villa in the south of France by the late Marquis de Montmirail. She claims to not know why he bestowed such a gift onto her, but nonetheless she wishes to pass it on to Tom's daughter, Sybbie, born from his prior marriage to the long deceased Sybil Crawley. Subsequently, the late marquis's son, Edouard (Jonathan Zaccaï), invites Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), and his wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), to visit with him and his mother ostensibly to iron out the details of the transfer. Meanwhile, back at the ranch...err, at Downton, Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery)--eldest daughter of Robert, who effectively runs Downton--hears that a film company is looking to employ the house for a silent movie they're making. Though the idea of renting their home to commercial business initially causes many in the house to balk, Mary points out that their failing roof makes this a lesser of two evils. The whole staff is excited to hear that some of the silver screen's biggest stars will be staying under their roof--including the rakish Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and haughty Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock). And when movie magic meets old world sensibilities, hilarity ensues, and A New Era isn't above borrowing more than a few ideas from Singin' in the Rain.
A New Era resembles its predecessor in more ways than one, but differs at times in others. The beginning and end of this film uses some fancy cinematography to really emphasize the grandeur of the setting, sometimes to a dizzying effect. This is especially true with respect to the fish-eye lens used for the sweeping views of Tom and Lucy's marriage. (I could just imagine Violet saying something like, "thank God they didn't try to make the movie in 3D"...presuming she would have known what that was.) The cinematography starts (and finishes) with some truly majestic views of the palatial estates of the Crawleys and later the French villa, and some interior shots of the drawing room make it appear more vast and spacious than ever before. These, however, are quickly discarded for the majority of the film, focusing largely on the kind of closer, more intimate staging the series was known for. (Interestingly, neither films are at all visually similar to Robert Altman's Gosford Park, even though Downton creator Julian Fellowes made his big splash writing the screenplay for that film.) And as had been the case with the series following the fourth or fifth seasons of the show, some characters--especially John and Anna Bates (Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggatt, respectively)--have some extensive "plot armor", so they are relegated to background commentary and incidental interactions instead of driving the plot proper. The same is true for Edith Pelham (Laura Carmichael)--formerly Edith Crawley--and (to a lesser extent) her husband, Marquess Herbert "Bertie" Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton). These characters had plenty of stories in prior seasons of "Downton Abbey", so it's time to give others a crack at bat. (Also, at just over two hours, any further exploration of these characters might necessitate another season...would that be so bad, though?) Of course some characters, like Mary and semi-retired butler and full-time old-school curmudgeon, Charles Carson (Jim Carter), will always get center stage because, c'mon, they're big time fan favorites. The film does have fun teasing future endeavors for characters like Edith--she makes mention of getting back into journalism--but these are more akin to the movie adding some "seasoning" into the rich world of Downton, and should not be misconstrued as full blown plot threads. And other characters--such as the (now) head butler, Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), or perhaps even the cook, Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nicol)--have story arcs that recall earlier events in the series or even the prior movie, although their characters are handled with little more than a shallow degree of exploration here. These might be compared to something like "side dishes" or "appetizers" for the main course. But the case of Thomas, his story arc unfortunately feels unfulfilling and even rushed, lacking any true conflict or verisimilitude; and more's the pity for this heretofore complex anti-hero. On the other hand, A New Era succeeds in adding surprising new dimensions to a couple of characters, like the awkward Joseph Molesley (Kevin Doyle), who finds that he possesses an aptitude for screenwriting, and delivers when it is needed most. For a movie about the upper crust of English nobility and company, packed to bursting with a huge cast, A New Era still manages to move rather quickly, with even quicker, spry dialogue that never lags or feels forced. Even more than in the prior movie, A New Era feels like a high speed motorcar, blasting along the road that represents the end of the Roaring Twenties, even if it is sometimes only able to afford a quick wave to some of the characters we've gotten to know along the way. But that's okay; like the photographs from the beginning of the film, this is a journey down memory lane--an encore and a quick stop off with these familiar faces on our path into a new world.
Recommended for: Fans of, of course, "Downton Abbey", first and foremost. Series fans will be overjoyed at this return to the beloved characters from the long running series in A New Era, even if neophytes would be best served by starting with at the very beginning. But hey, if it worked for Avengers: Endgame...