Downton Abbey: A New Era

 

There has always been something rather charming and comforting about Downton Abbey, both as a series and in it's transition to the big screen. With it's latest installment, the same charm and light wit continues as we once again rejoin the adventures of the Crawley family and their assorted adventures that is every bit as satisfying as what has come before. 

We rejoin the Crawley family with the wedding of Tom Branson (played by Allen Leech) and Lucy Smith (played by Tuppence Middleton). Shortly after, Violet (played by Maggie Smith) announces to her family that she has inherited a villa in the south of France after the passing of the Marquis de Montmirail and she intends to bequeath it to Lady Sybbie, Tom's daughter. They are invited by the new Marquis (played by Jonathan Zaccai) to check out the villa. Violet is not well enough to travel, so her son Robert (played by Hugh Bonneville), his wife Cora (played by Elizabeth McGovern), Tom, Lucy, Lady Maud Bagshaw (played by Imelda Staunton), Edith (played by Laura Carmichael) and her husband Bertie (played by Harry Hadden-Paton) travel to France along with Butler Carson (played by Jim Carter) and Mrs. Baxter (played by Raquel Cassidy). While there, they uncover some surprising insights into Violet's past, especially for Richard. Meanwhile, back at Downton, the house has been invaded my a movie crew to use the historic home as a primary location for a movie directed by Jack Barber (played by Hugh Dancy) and starring Guy Dexter (played by Dominic West) and Myrna Dalgleish (played by Laura Haddock) with Lady Mary (played by Michelle Dockery) overseeing things while they are there. Mary welcomes the money the production will infuse into the household, allowing them to make some much needed repairs, as well as the welcome distraction the production provides from her growing discontent at her husband Henry's constant travels. 

The film was directed by Simon Curtis from a script by series creator Julian Fellowes. Once again, Fellowes aptly juggles a number of different plotlines within the span of roughly two hours. The fact that half of the film goes abroad to the south of France freshens things up a lot with Simon Curtis and Cinematographer Andrew Dunn capturing some truly stunning scenery. Of course, Fellowes actually manages to sell this change of scenery rather well as we discover some more of the past of fan favorite Dowager Countess Violet Crawley leading to a couple genuine surprises. On the other side of the coin, the movie gets a little meta as Downton Abbey becomes a filming location to a feature film, adding a whole new sort of excitement and chaos to the household, especially as household members become increasingly involved as the production hits a unique speedbump: the invention of "talking pictures" in a plot development Fellowes cribs from Singing in the Rain (hey, if you're going to steal, steal from the best). The film moves between these two storylines with ease while keeping the film moving at a brisk page. As always, with a cast as large as this, some have larger parts than others in the film, with Fellowes wisely giving larger parts to characters who weren't featured as heavily in the previous film. 

The film has amassed an impressive and massive cast with almost everyone coming back again for round two. Maggie Smith once again is a delight as Violet, handling the exposition needed to get the plot moving with ease and trading barbs with Isobel (played by Penelope Wilton). This is very likely going to be her final outing in the series and she goes out on top. Hugh Bonneville has some fun new bits to play in this outing as his trip leads him to discover some new things about his mother's past. Jim Carter as always is great as the high strung and fussy Mr. Carson, who has some amusing bits as he finds the decidedly warmer southern France in the summer time not well timed with his heavier British wardrobe. Michelle Dockery has plenty to play with as she oversees the film production that his invaded Downton and finds herself getting more and more involved in the production, especially with the director. She pairs well with Hugh Dancy, who plays director Jack Barber as they both try to keep the production going forward while a friendship develops between to two or perhaps more? The introduction of the two film's stars add some unique drama to the film as well. Dominic West does a great job capturing that Old Hollywood Leading Man presence while also showing his character has his share of secrets, including finding himself fancying Downton Butler Thomas Barrow (played by Robert James-Collier) and presenting him with an enticing offer for his future. Laura Haddock finds some nice nuance to her character of Myrna Dalgleish, who is finding her career jeopardized due to her heavy accent with the incoming invention of the talking films. She could easily just be a snobbish, high strung villain, but she is able to keep her character at least somewhat sympathetic, especially as the film goes on.       

Overall, Downton Abbey: A New Era will please longtime fans as the film serves up the same sort of gentle humor and melodrama the series has become known for with a style and grace. There is nothing earth shattering here, but in that case that is not a bad thing. The film moves the story of the Crawleys and all the beloved characters forward with new adventures while leaving the door open for future adventures. As a fan, I left quite satisfied and happy to have been able to spend another couple hours with some beloved characters.