DOWNTON ABBEY - The Motion Picture (Universal/Focus/Carnival, 2019) Universal Home Video

For fans of the beloved television series, director, Michael Engler’s Downton Abbey – the movie (2019) offers an oft engaging, though incomplete summation to some of the amusing characters we came to know and love during the original series 2010-2016 run. Reuniting a fair amount of the television ensemble, and, owing to concision made for time (even at 122 minutes), the movie reincarnation of Julian Fellowes’ brainchild works on a narrative level, if inevitably to throw more than a handful of its time-honored favorites under the proverbial bus, while introducing a slew of new cast members who, collectively, fail to make much of a splash one way or the other. There is, as example, no good reason to introduce James Cartwright’s hunky plumber, Tony Sellick, as a love foil; the proverbial fly in the ointment of an already awkward romance between Abbey alumni, Sophie McShera’s Daisy Mason, and, Michael C. Fox’s lanky footman, Andy Parker. Cartwright’s hunk du jour is given a fabulous introduction and his moment to etch an impression, not only on the audience, but decidedly on Daisy’s heart before being cast aside. As, by now, everyone is quite aware that the central plot revolves around the arrival of King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) – with a minor, and un-involving subplot to follow Princess Mary’s (Kate Phillips) awkward and mildly abusive marriage – the movie takes far too long getting to its two titanic set pieces – the first, an attempted royal assassination; the second, a lavishly appointed ball in which we learn, with rather heart-rending precision (and in a beautifully played scene, calculatingly designed to wring out our sympathies) that Maggie Smith’s treasured dowager, Violet Crawley is fatally stricken, thereby precluding any chances she will reappear, should another movie – or even a reboot of the original TV franchise – be in the works.

I wanted to love Downton Abbey – the movie – much more than I eventually did; and this, in full acknowledgement of two facts: first, that the movie is a finely wrought and multi-layered amusement, brilliantly to function either as a stand-alone for those unaware of the series, while catering to the whims and wants of its fan base, and, second, that while the series from whence it all cometh remains one of the finest ever committed to the small screen, it too was certainly not without its narrative loopholes. We were, in fact, never to learn who actually murdered Vera – the first Mrs. Bates (Maria Josephine Doyle), although Julian Fellowes spent the whole of Season Three inveigling the late woman’s husband (Brendan Coyle) in a character-assassination that saw Mr. Bates sitting on death row before a full exoneration was forthcoming. So too, did the series never fully disclose how it came to pass the despicably vengeful lady’s maid, O’Brien – a formidable baddie, and, one half of that deliciously devious team to include Robert James-Collier’s footman, Thomas Barrow, should suddenly up from her plush position while still having the upper hand, only to disappear in the dead of night.  Oh right, Siobhan Finneran – who played O’Brien, refused to renew her contract. And what about Lady Edith Crawley’s (Laura Carmichael) great love - editor, Michael Gregson (Charles Edwards) – the series, spending a whole season on their affair du Coeur before inexplicably shipping Gregson off to Munich, reportedly to cover a story, only to have him murdered off camera by Hitler’s brown shirts – this ‘big reveal’, interminably delayed, leaving a very pregnant Edith pining at home. And then, there was the case of Mr. Green (Nigel Derek Harman) – the unscrupulous valet who raped poor Anna Bates (Joanne Froggatt), but was then pushed under a motor-bus by an unknown assailant – initially identified as Anna, who stood trial until it was conveniently disclosed that the husband of some other gal Green had done wrong had committed the murder on a crowded street, and, in broad daylight. No, if we have to be honest – the aforementioned were but four of the most glaring inconsistencies to afflict the TV franchise while it reigned supreme as the most-celebrated costume drama, winning 6 Emmys in the process. But I digress.

Downton Abbey – the movie – endeavors to move the surviving cast along to greener pastures. In fact, if anything negative can be said of the movie, it is there are no cliffhangers – tragic or otherwise – to compel the viewer to its dénouement; Lady Mary’s (Michelle Dockery) reconciliation with her own skepticism about the future of Downton, after learning of her beloved granny’s fatal diagnosis while discretely attending a London clinic for medical tests. Realistically, the minute cash receipts from Downton Abbey – the movie – assured its producers they had hit the bull’s eye yet again, the likelihood of a sequel emerged on the horizon; presumably, not to include Maggie Smith’s dowager in anything but a body bag, or given the rum-ti-tah stately funeral. The grave difficulty (pun intended) with any such sequel launched thus, will be to unearth the creative niche by which the other cast members might be spread – however thinly – to mask, though never entirely fill this void.  After all, without Smith’s Violet, with whom will Penelope Wilton’s Isobel Merton spar? And thinning out the herd, as already has done marginal damage to this big-screen adaptation, as gone from the milieu are Samantha Bond’s beloved aunt, Lady Rosamund, Lily James’ plucky Rose MacClare-Aldridge, Jeremy Paul Swift’s smarmy butler, Spratt, and, Paul Copley’s kindly Mr. Mason, whose desire to have Daisy inherit his farm seemed a foregone conclusion at the end of Season 6, but is not even mentioned as an afterthought in this movie, although Daisy and Andy oddly plan to leave the Abbey to open an inn together.

And Downton Abbey – the movie, pretty much relegates Brendan Coyle’s Mr. Bates, Matthew Goode’s dashing, Henry Talbot, Raquel Cassidy’s Miss Baxter, and, Harry Hadden-Paton’s Bertie Hexham to disposable background fodder. Each appears in cameo – a sort of token nod to the days when their characters were integrated more effectively into the actual fabric of the series as indispensable plot elements revolved around their happiness. What is even more disconcerting here is how many of the major players from the series are deprived of all that much more to say. Elizabeth McGovern’s Cora Crawley – nee, Lady Grantham, and her husband, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) are barely covered as token aristocracy. Robert has barely six lines of dialogue. Lady Edith flits in and out of the story, her big moment a sigh of relief after being told by the Queen that Bertie will not be accompanying the Prince of Wales on his travels through Africa; hence, Hexham will be present for the birth of their first child. This leaves the plum role in the movie to Allen Leech’s dashing Irish Republican, Tom Branson –  a character, originally slated for only 3 episodes in Season 2, but whose presence only continued to ripen in stature after the death of his wife, Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay), leaving Branson rudderless in several flawed romances to follow.

Aside: I am sooooo relieved Tom did not end up with Daisy Lewis’ bitchy Miss Bunting; a character introduced in Season 4, who had the potential to derail all the good Branson had wrought with the Crawley clan up to that point in the series. Branson’s narrative arch is the most fully realized and satisfying in the movie – from his moment of valor, defending the King against an Irish assassin, to his becoming smitten with Lucy (Tuppence Middleton), the illegitimate servant girl, soon to be appointed heiress to Downton by her mother, the Queen’s lady-in-waiting, Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), and, Robert’s second cousin. Exactly how this all would have fit – or rather, interrupted - Robert’s original grand plan for Mary to wed her second cousin, Matthew (portrayed by the dashing Dan Stevens, but killed off in the prime of his character’s evolution on the series, thanks to another contractual dispute) is open for discussion. But, at least in the movie, Tom Branson stands to ascend to a position of authority beyond his wildest dreams - if this fledgling love affair progresses as it should…we’ll see.

As for the newcomers – the faces, while familiar to those who follow British cinema and television – make little to no lasting impression in this movie.  Max Brown, cast as a handsome potential love interest for Barrow is about the best of the lot. His Richard Ellis, who comes to the perennially closeted Barrow’s aid after the police bust an underground gay club and send all of ‘the perverts’ to jail, makes for a diverting vignette. Even so, Barrow’s homosexuality was already dealt with in Seasons 5 and 6 – his failed attempts at ‘conversion therapy’, botched suicide, etc. So, revisiting this theme yet again with an extensive diversion into the gay ‘underworld’ just seems like Fellowes’ pandering to PC-moralizing fluff, meant to gild an already rather wilted lily. Susan Lynch’s kleptomania, Miss Lawton – caught red-handed by Anna with her hand in the cookie jar – stealing elegant knickknacks from Highclere Castle – and made to pay recompense for Anna’s silence by doing alterations on Edith’s botched ball gown, plays her moments with affecting bits of bittersweet irony. And David Haig (who many will recall as one of the dotty bridegrooms in 1994’s sleeper comedy, Four Weddings and a Funeral), plays Mr. Wilson with insidious venom, accompanied by Philippe Spall’s less than convincing and perpetually sneering French chef, Monsieur Courbet, and, Richenda Carey’s bug-eyed Mrs. Webb – foiled by the likes of Elsie Hughes (Phyllis Logan) and Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) during their skillful ambush of the King’s staff, with Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) nervously looking the other way. 

Downton Abbey begins in 1927, shaving off roughly a year and a half from the TV series actual hiatus. Interestingly, the movie opens with an ominous journey; Major Chetwode (Stephen Campbell Moore) arriving by train to Downton Village and renting a flat. Meanwhile, a telegram arrives from Buckingham Palace informing the Earl and Countess of Grantham of a Royal stay-over at Downton by King George V and Queen Mary as part of their royal tour. While the upstairs is unanimously in favor – and frankly, agog with the news, Cora telephoning Edith to inform her and Bertie of the pending arrival, downstairs, Daisy is decidedly not a monarchist. Mrs. Patmore is as nervously deflated, knowing the visit means extra work for her careworn hands. As Mr. Carson has retired from service the year before, quietly indulging his proclivity for gardening at his cottage adjacent the estate, Barrow will be looking after the formidable roster of duties in preparation for the Royal stopover. Alas, Thomas’ lack of experience leads to some consternation; Anna, informing Lady Mary of their frequent delays. Suspecting Barrow is not up to the task, Mary implores Carson to step out of retirement for this one special occasion. With the greatest of pleasure, he obliges. But Barrow considers this a terrible snub. Impressed by Barrow's principled stand, Robert dismisses Mary's suggestion he be sacked.

Meanwhile, the Dowager Countess, Violet Crawley is perturbed to learn the Queen’s lady-in-waiting - Maud, Lady Bagshaw, Robert’s nearest cousin – estranged from the family – is to be included in the tour. Indeed, for some time now, the two families have quarreled over who should inherit the estate. In advance of the King and Queen’s arrival, key Royal household staff descend on Downton: the stuffy and pompous Royal Page of the Backstairs – Mr. Wilson; steely-eyed Royal Housekeeper, Mrs. Webb, Miss Lawton; the Queen’s snooty Dresser; Monsieur Courbet, the Royal Chef and Richard Ellis, the King's dashing young Royal Dresser. Informed that their services will not be required while the Royals attend Downton, naturally, the household servants are affronted – even more so by the Royal staff’s resolve to casually brush them aside. Amidst this hullabaloo, Daisy’s chronic delays of her own engagement to footman, Andy Parker, leads to unwanted jealousies when Daisy appears to have taken a fancy to Tony Sellick – the hulking plumber, newly arrived to repair an ailing boiler. Wounded by her flirtations with Tony, Andy later sabotages Tony’s repairs, inadvertently, to bring him back to the estate to attend to the damage yet again.

In town, Chetwode strikes up a conversation with Tom Branson at the local pub. The two have much in common and Branson, unsuspecting of Chetwode’s truer intentions, believes him to be a detective, newly arrived to assess local security for the Royal visit. A wicked thunderstorm the night before the King and Queen’s arrival at Downton threatens the final preparations for the King’s inspection of the local regiment of the Royal Hussars.  Mary and Tom pitch in to shield the newly erected grandstand from this torrential downpour, setting up chairs in the rain. Alas, a nagging sense of defeat has begun to infiltrate Mary’s resolve. Is such pageantry really necessary in an age where England’s once galvanized caste system is ever-rapidly eroding?  In the meantime, Chetwode and Tom’s burgeoning friendship becomes cause for Mary’s concern. There is something off about Chetwode – an ominous vibe Tom has yet to sense. Newly arrived, and settled into Downton, the Royal couple prepare for their next day’s duties, to include inspection of the Hussars and a Royal parade through the middle of town. By now, Chetwode’s passionate stance against the monarchy has raised a red flag for Tom who quietly tails him as he makes his way through the crowds. Across the street, Mary notices Tom’s concern and hurriedly follows him into a back alley. There, Chetwode draws his pistol in an attempt to assassinate the King as he awaits with the Royal Artillery to proceed in the parade. Ambushed by Tom, and wrestled to the ground, the cold-blooded murderer is thwarted in his diabolical plot. The real Royal detectives spring into action and arrest Chetwode, who is revealed to be an Irish Republican sympathizer.

Back at Downton, Mrs. Hughes has had quiet enough of Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Webb’s sharp-tongued admonishments of her and the rest of the staff. Together with Anna and Bates, they conspire to take the sting out of the Royal staff and prove to themselves they are more than capable of waiting on the Royals. Anna drugs Monsieur Courbet with a light sleeping powder. Bates locks Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Webb in their servant’s quarters. And, prior to the state dinner, the rest of the Royal staff are sent back to London by a falsified phone call, thus ensuring only Downton’s servant class will be waiting at table to present Mrs. Patmore’s home cooking instead.  Tom becomes smitten with Lady Bagshaw’s maid, Lucy Smith, who harbors a deep secret. Meanwhile, Edith informs her husband, Bertie, the Marquess of Hexham she is expecting their first child. Initially overjoyed by this news, Bertie is disheartened when the King commands him to attend the Prince of Wales on an extended tour of Africa. This will take Bertie away from Edith at precisely the moment when she needs him the most. Attempting several times to make the King see to reason, Bertie instead fails to convince His Majesty of the need to remain at Edith’s side. Meanwhile, Tom encounters the Princess Mary, tearful and alone. Quite unaware of who she is, he offers her sympathy and comfort after she confides that her loveless marriage is on the rocks. Tom’s empathy inspires the Princess to reconsider staying with her husband.  

A minor crisis brews after Edith’s ball gown arrives late and ill-fitted. Meanwhile, Anna discovers Miss Lawton has been pilfering priceless artifacts. Not only does Anna demand Lawton return every last item she has stolen, she also blackmails the seamstress into staying up all night to make the necessary alterations to Edith’s gown, lest Anna inform Lady Grantham, and thereby, the Queen of what has been going on.  Begrudgingly, Miss Lawton obliges on all accounts, but tells Anna to keep her high-mindedness to herself from now on. At Downton’s Royal dinner, Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) commits a major faux pas by informing the King that the estate’s staff – not his own – is catering this entire affair. Realizing too late what he has done, Molesley prepares to meet the King’s displeasure. But the Queen is sympathetic, extending her compliments to Mrs. Patmore and the rest of the staff for an exceptional dinner, carried off with polish and finesse befitting their Royal stature. Breathing a sigh of relief, Molesley returns to the kitchen and is later comforted by Miss Baxter (Raquel Cassidy), who has always thought more highly of him than perhaps he even does of himself. Informed of their sabotage too late to do anything but remain silent and complicit, Carson’s fears are assuaged as the rest of the evening goes off without a hitch.

Not so for Barrow who, earlier invited by Mr. Ellis to attend him at the local pub, instead wanders off with another gay man to an underground club where many gay men are indulging in drinks, merriment and jazz. Barrow is taken aback by the revelation he is not alone. Regrettably, the police crash the party and arrest everyone. Mr. Ellis, who was detained, but now witnesses Thomas and the others being carted off to the local constabulary, quietly intervenes on Barrow’s behalf. He lies to the Police Sergeant about Barrow’s involvement – claiming, he was playing a trick on ‘the queers’ and presents his own Royal calling card as definitive proof Barrow is no more homosexual than he. Sprung from jail, and infinitely relieved, Barrow is casually approached by Ellis in the street and stunned to learn, not only is Ellis gay, but also, very much interested in him. Released from their enforced imprisonment in the servant’s quarters, Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Webb, and Monsieur Courbet are quietly informed by Mr. Carson that the evening has come off without their help. Furthermore, Bates, Mrs. Hughes and Carson equally encourage the Royal staffers not to make anything more of the incident as it would surely cast greater aspersions on their integrity rather than the estate’s staff. Chagrined, suspecting an inside job, but quite unable to do anything more about it, Mr. Wilson prepares, along with the rest of his staff, to go on ahead to Harewood House – the next stop on the royal tour. The Dowager Countess suggests to Robert and Cora a détente with Lady Bagshaw. Alas, Violet allows her temper to get the better of her after Maud tells everyone Lucy shall be her heir and inherit the estate. Violet is understandably incensed a commoner should take over from the aristocracy. But Isobel, who has been quietly observing Maud’s affection for Lucy, now decides to intervene. Taking a chance, Isobel attends Lady Bagshaw after she has retired to her bedroom and confronts her with suspicions Lucy is really her daughter from a long-ago illicit romance. Indeed, this much is true. Maud and Isobel share a comforting moment; Isobel, encouraging Bagshaw to tell Violet the truth as it will put an end to their mutual animosity.  

As everyone arrives at Harewood for the lavish ball to cap off the Royal visit, Isobel brings Maud and Violet together. And although Violet agrees to a truce, after Maud has retreated, Violet informs Isobel she will do everything she can to secure the estate for Tom – as she is already quite aware of the burgeoning romance brewing between Tom and Lucy. In the nick of time, Mary’s husband, Henry Talbot, returns from his trip to America. While Mary is elated, she momentarily abandons him to sequester Violet in a private parlor adjacent the ballroom. Confronted with devastating news - that, owing to medical tests conducted in London - Violet is seriously ill and will die shortly, Violet confides in Mary there is no room for sadness or tears. She has lived a full life and will continue to do so until her illness takes over. Afterward, Mary will preside over Downton – a family legacy that Mary, now more than ever, is quite certain must be carried on for future generations. Discovering Lucy on the patio, and quite unable to dance with her inside the ballroom, Tom instead proceeds to take this girl of his heart into his arms and waltz her by moonlight. Back at Downton, Carson and Mrs. Hughes leave by the main door – an infraction to the staff rules they would have never entertained in the old days. While Elsie doubts what the future may bring, Carson firmly believes, even a hundred years from now, Downton will stand, with the Crawley’s, as ever, its sovereign heirs. “We’ll see,” Mrs. Hughes concludes with a note of strained optimism, “We’ll see.”

Downton Abbey – the movie concludes on several miraculous notes of ambiguity that, even if no further sequels persist, are enough to satisfy die hard fans of the franchise. If – and there are already rumors of another movie in the works – a new chapter in the Crawley clan does, in fact, find its way from page to screen, the next movie will have the monumental hurdle to overcome, left by the gaping hole of Maggie Smith’s ‘unofficial’ departure. At age 84, Smith has earned the right to retire gracefully from a film career marked by legendary performances dating all the way back to the mid-1960’s, to say nothing of her stagecraft going back even further. Losing such an integral character in any series is never invigorating to its future longevity. Nevertheless, a new chapter, involving more of Tom and Lucy’s romance, and bringing some of the other main staple’s personal narratives back into focus – perhaps, Carson and Hughes or Anna and Bates, or even Daisy and Andy – might keep the momentum alive. While not exactly a perfect entertainment, Downton Abbey – the movie – possesses enough of that elemental nostalgia from the original series to remind us what a glorious run it has been. John Lunn’s memorable themes are interpolated throughout the new score. Afforded a budget to dwarf its TV incarnation, with epic costume design, undertaken principally by Anna Robbins, along with Susannah Buxton, Rosalind Ebbutt and Caroline McCall, truly to recall to life in the roaring twenties’ visual panache, and perfectly complimented by Donal Woods’ production design, Downton Abbey is both heartwarming and glamorous. The one curiosity here is Ben Smithard’s cinematography, frequently moodier and darker than anticipated. I suppose Smithard is going for a sublimely romantic tone. But there are more than a handful of sequences scattered throughout this movie that cause mild eye strain because everything is minimally lit for the sake of ambiance. Bottom line: whatever the future has in store for the Crawleys of Downton, no one can deny they have had one hell of a past.

Downton Abbey arrives on Blu-ray via Universal Home Video. Produced by Focus Features, in conjunction with Perfect World and Carnival, the 2.39:1 anamorphic picture in 1080p is visually arresting, exhibiting deep and velvety black levels and a robust palette of colors that frequently favor warmer tones. Reds, greens and golden afternoon sun-lit yellows are persistently rich and enveloping. The image sports excellent contrast and some stunningly handsome detail besides. The heavily shadowed interior scenes are nicely contrasted with more brightly lit exteriors.  The most impressive sequence, at least visually, as well as from a purely logistical perspective, is the king addressing the Hussars shows off the bold blood-red uniforms, absorbingly complimented by the horses’ chocolate rich manes and sun-lit lush green pastures that surround. We get two audio options - 7.1 DTS and 2.0 Dolby Digital. The sound design is impressive to say the least, and comes barreling forth across all channels, with Lunn’s score given its full orchestral due. Given the series’ reputation and the movie’s resounding box office success, bonus materials are a tad disappointing.  Director, Michael Engler offers a comprehensive audio commentary to cover not only the making of this movie, but also the franchise. He has so much insight and wonderful back stories to relay. Definitely worthy of a listen.

Upstairs & Downstairs Cast Conversations is a rather deflating experience; first, as the cast assembled herein is incomplete, and second, many of those present do not even have that much to add to the strained ‘conversation’ being attempted around a series of prepared and rather trivial questions – as in, ‘How are you like the character you play?’ It would have been more meaningful to have everyone assembled for a free-style and organic actual ‘conversation’ and let the discussion go where it may. The remaining ‘extras’ boil down to sound bite and snippet junkets, barely covering ‘The Royal Visit’, Robbins’ contributions to the costuming, and, Julian Fellowe’s ‘brilliance’ as the show’s and this movie’s creator. Deleted scenes boil down to a few ‘extended’ bits of dialogue, played without any commentary as to why they were cut, and that in no way enhances the movie’s plot or our experience of seeing them assembled herein as outtakes. Finally, there is the Downton Abbey recap: Phyllis Logan and Jim Carter offer a scant – and occasionally flippant - account in barely 10 minutes of what transpired from Seasons 1 through 6.  This junket was originally shown on PBS to promote the movie’s pending September release in theaters. Bottom line: Downton Abbey – the movie is a beautifully assembled drama in the best traditions of classic ole-time film-making. It doesn’t quite deliver the goods for all of these much beloved characters, while jettisoning some others as integral to the TV show’s success. Nevertheless, whether a fan or not – this movie functions as its own entity and is very fine indeed. The Blu-ray accurately recalls my theatrical-viewing experience. Recommended.

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best)

3.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

5

EXTRAS

2.5