The Downton Abbey movie officially opens in U.S. theaters today. For years, the buzz pushed me away. I knew it was an addictive Masterpiece Theater series. Several friends raved about it on Facebook. Many aspects should have enticed me: it was a lengthy British, historical drama - just my thing.
Years ago, I gave it a shot and only completed the first episode before setting the Season One DVD rental aside. This time around, I determined to push through my hesitations and, by episode three, the characters hooked me with the masses. Yet, I'm torn in my assessment. While I love the show and admit my addiction (I watched all six seasons twice to prepare for the movie), in other ways, I find it ridiculous - a high-heeled soap opera.
Commendations:
1) As noted in my earlier book review, I LOVE the dialogue and witty banter between characters, first and foremost. I cannot get enough of the caustic exchanges between the Dowager Countess and Mrs. Crawley. I love Mrs. Patmore's retorts. Mary's acerbic tongue spears her sister and others with direct blows. So many times, various characters come back with responses I might only dream up after much cogitation and indignation-fueled fury (like O'Brien's quick response to Anna's derisive tone, "Get back in the knife box, Mrs. Sharp!").
2) My favorite beloved characters. Who wouldn't fall for Matthew Crawley? Handsome, humble, honorable. I'd have taken him in a minute-flat - middle-class or not. Or could anyone not root for Lady Sybil? She is free from societal restraints and sees to the genuine heart of things. She lives and loves outside the box. What a blow her childbirth episode delivered! The show paints the chauffeur, Tom Branson, in such generous colors. Even when tasked with swimming upstream, he keeps viewers on his side. I almost gave up on him when he succumbed to the crafty exploits of Edna, but that smile wooed me back as soon as he realized the error of his ways. His was a hard walk, and he managed it with grace. I also loved the two primary masters of the downstairs staff - Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. They both exhibited compassion balanced with grit. I enjoyed loving the lovely and despising the despicable. But, even I cried when a broken Thomas softened and a prickly Mrs. O'Brien regretted the action she couldn't erase.
3) The history, setting and dress. What fun to immerse myself in the post-Edwardian aristocracy's world. From the inciting incident of the Titanic's sinking, the series offers a faithful portrayal of many historical details: the suffrage movement, war-time with grand homes morphing into hospitals, post-war losses from the Spanish Flu, politics in England and abroad, the narrowing chasm between the landed elite and their domestic staff, and the threat of death taxes. Even though my personal love is for Victorian England, the grandness of Downton Abbey and the elaborate costumes of the family swept me away. I imagined what it would be like to live on that glorious estate, to have such a library (swoon), and to dress in spectacular outfits and finery. Would I even endure the corset if it meant I'd stun like Lady Mary, Lady Sybil, or Lady Rose?
4) The music. My heart swelled with the hammered notes of the introductory theme song. I loved how, at the end of certain sadder episodes, the theme muted or switched to more subdued tones. In scenes of romance, particular strains repeated. It was evocative and rich and enhanced the feelings of the moment. Kudos to Scottish composer John Lunn!
5) Increasing conflict is essential to a story! Every episode seemed to offer a new avenue of distress or wrinkle in the tale. I'm sure much of the addictive tendency goes back to the excellent plot pacing. Each character presented problems anew and the dynamics between individuals created enough friction to carry the story.
But some positives flip to negatives.
Criticisms:
1) The plotting waxed absurd. It was as if the author drew up a comprehensive list of scandals and included each one. The characters experience an array of appalling offenses. Downton Abbey is the hotbed of sin and sordidness. Lives are fraught with sexual promiscuity, infidelity, prostitution, blackmail, rape, murder, gambling, divorce, death in childbirth, class violations, and racial tensions. Jilting at the altar? Check. Upstairs individuals cavorting with downstairs individuals. Check. Illegitimate offspring? Check. Child ripped from her adoptive home? Check.
2) Many aspects were unbelievable. Would the decent, upright Matthew Crawley feel attracted to the calculating, cold Lady Mary? How could Mary pursue someone whose career involved the very thing that killed her first husband? After turning down Matthew because he might not be rich, why would she later settle on Henry who ends up as a car salesman? I saw no impetus for that relationship at all and detected only the blandest level of love between them. Threat to expose Mary's indiscretions occurs not once, but twice. Lady Edith, billed as the homeliest and least appealing daughter, enjoys countless relationships (the married farmer; the amnesiac, intended heir; the milk-toast, jilting Lord; the marriage-bound editor; ...) and secures the marriage with the highest ranking. I'm surprised Mary didn't swoop in to steal that prize (after all, she needs to secure Downton's future). Lord Grantham's dalliance with Jane was unbelievable. What caused that attraction? Every time you turn around you meet a new relationship and an impending wedding (be it upstairs or downstairs). Apart from Daisy, it seems there's someone for everyone.
3) They hammered some plot-lines to death. The whole Bates saga went on forever. Will they or won't they convict him, hang him, or absolve him? Plus, what a conflicted character! He had to be tough enough for the viewer to believe him capable of the accused atrocities and yet tender enough to woo the gentle Anna. He was violent enough to seek revenge, to twist his wife's arm and call her a foul name, yet honorable enough to go to prison for her crime and to stay silent when Lord Grantham considers his behavior dishonorable. In prison he attacks his roommate, yet later uses his forgery skills to secure funding for the proud Mr. Moseley and, later still, to save the day retrieving the purloined letter. Quite a mixed bag. Then, as if Bates hasn't suffered enough, the legal trial of his wife hounds him further, prompting him to once again take the fall. At least Mrs. Bates catches a break when permitted to give birth in the fine furnishings of Lady Mary's room.
4) They dropped other story elements quickly. Beloved characters died before viewers took a breath. I'm not sure I understood the point of including Lady Grantham's American brother and his flirtations with the young girl (apart from emphasizing the ever-present scramble to align with the wealthy) or the plot line of Rose's stolen letter (loyalty to the monarchy). Two servants seek to elevate their station yet two ignore marriage proposals that would pull them out of their servant subsistence. Mr. Carson's ex-stage partner enters and exits his life in sputters, along with news of his earlier love interest.
5) I know I'm squeamish, but I struggled with several scenes: the operation to extract fluid from around the heart; Lady Grantham's bout with Spanish flu; Livinia's death; Lady Sybil's childbirth and post-childbirth scenes; the rape scene; Lord Grantham's graphic response to illness; and Matthew's demise on the wings of such elation. Granted, life is full of ups and downs, easy days and difficult, but some harder scenes were shattering.
Overall, I'm still a Downton Abbey fan. I have high hopes for the movie. The grandeur will increase because they are hosting the King and Queen. I cannot wait to see the costuming. I hope the witty banter persists. It is thrilling to know Dame Maggie Smith is returning for the movie, despite her protestations that her character would be ancient by then. Bring on more daggers from the Dowager Countess. What scandal remains to explore? I'd love to see Lady Mary and Lady Edith call a truce and rely on, instead of repel, each other. Is that even possible? Although I criticized the overabundance of romantic relationships, I still desire love for Tom Branson. May he find a satisfactory place and a suitable partner.
At some point, I wish to walk the grounds of Highclere Castle. While I doubt I'll win the Viking River Cruises sweepstakes (a cruise with a day-trip to the film location of Downton Abbey), perhaps I will one day find my way back to Britain. The characters became such a part of my daily life while binge-watching these past months. Approaching the location will equal walking into a moment of history or re-opening a favored book.
Are you a Downton Abbey fan? What are your likes and dislikes about the show? What are your hopes for the movie and the future? Should they offer even more Downton by pursuing a second movie? I doubt the Dowager would return, and that might be like french fries without salt.
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