Finally! Finally! It's here! The Downton Abbey movie premiered yesterday! I've been excited about this film for almost a year. I'm not a big movie-goer normally but I was front and center for this one. And it did not disappoint!
I'm not going to give you any real spoilers. Ok I'll try really hard not to. The premise is that the King and Queen are on a tour of the north country and stay at the Abbey for a night. Then the real fun begins! What an honor for the Crawleys yet a nightmare too. Clothes, jewels, the house...all on display. Everything must be perfect. It is the Queen after all.
Downstairs there is both excitement and anger. Imagine serving the Queen!!! No one is more excited than Mr. Mosely who never goes unnoticed in a scene. In both the series and the film. There are lots of changes for the servants since we saw them last but they are all there and their stories are a continuation of the ones we know and love. With one exception which I will talk about later.
I heard it was supposed to be about 18 months later on from the series but I'm not sure that's true. Sibby and George look the right age but Mary and Henry's daughter seems older than that. As does the son of Mr & Mrs. Bates. The kids, as always, are seen but not heard. Exactly as they would have been in real life in those times.
The real star of the movie, besides Maggie Smith, is the Abbey and the clothes. On the big screen, everything seems more opulent and rich. The smallest details of the clothes stand out and the jewels sparkle and shimmer. It's amazing that there is such a difference between the big and small screens. I'd bet money an Oscar for Best Costume Design is in their future.
The Dowager Countess Violet is in perfect form. She has the greatest lines of the movie. Her strength, sarcasm and arrogance come through in every sentence. Dame Smith knows how to deliver a zinger like no other. At 84 she shows the others how it's done! Her chemistry with Penelope Wilton's Isobel makes for some of the movies best scenes. Just like in the series.
I'll tell you nothing about Mosely. Except he is the scene-stealer of the movie. But one thing I was waiting to find out about wasn't mentioned or even hinted at, the budding love story between Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason. It was so subtle and sweet in the final season of the tv show I had hoped it would have been included in the movie. Maybe the next one!
This movie is exactly the escape we need right now. Like all really good films, it helps us escape from our own lives for a few hours. We care about these characters and their lives. It's almost like meeting old friends and catching up over a cup of tea and a little port. Even if you didn't watch the series, and you should, the movie explains itself somewhat for newbies. Trust me you will love it.
I can't wait to see it again!
Ang
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