I’m a Downton fan but don’t think you have to be one, to enjoy seeing what’s up with the Crawleys and their staff in 1927.
The usual suspects are back, both upstairs and down. The film opens with the wedding of Tom and Lucy. I remembered his trajectory from chauffeur to son-in-law to widower but had to research how Lucy entered the scene.
The story intertwines two major plot lines. The ailing Dowager Countess reveals she’s inherited a villa in the south of France from a mysterious man in her past. A family contingent travels to investigate. The rest, remain at Downton to witness and eventually participate in, the making of a silent film produced on the property.
Technology of the times such as Edith’s new-fangled camera and the transition from silent to talking films is worked into the script, but social changes are afoot as well. Lady Mary actually suggests to a commoner he call her ‘Mary’ and there seems to be a lot less distance between the up and downstairs folks. They socialize, celebrate, and mourn together. Perhaps it’s too optimistic to say they’ve become ‘family’ but for sure they’ve become a team that appreciates and cares about each other.
Barrow, the guy we love to hate, has matured into a loyal and likable person. His lonely life will undergo some exciting changes as he accepts a new job and potential relationship in America. His secret life was not unknown to Lady Mary. She graciously accepts his resignation and wishes him all the “happiness this cruel world will allow.”
There is laughter and tears, beginnings, endings, but also a hopeful look forward. Writer Julian Fellowes left enough questions unanswered to inspire a third spin off in the near future. After all, our favorite Lords and Ladies, their extended families and staff are just a dozen years away from WWII.
As the lights came on in a nearly empty theatre, a British voice called out. “Did you like the film?” The more important question was, did she like it and why or why not? She loved it saying all the little things only a Brit would recognize or understand made her laugh. We all admired the Dowager Countess’s sharp-tongued quips. Then she blinked back tears and said, “These are my people and my country. It makes me homesick.”
Downton Abbey: A New Era is rated PG and runs 2 hours and 5 classy and classic minutes. It is in theatres now but will be streamed on Peacock at some point this summer. This is Barb Bretz with your Friday Film Review. See you at the movies!