Downton Abbey

Lord Grantham

For many years Julian Fellow’s sprawling Edwardian drama was a television staple, beginning with the sinking of the Titanic and its effect on who inherits the Crawley family’s eponymous mansion, the series went through to the 1920s—upstairs and downstairs characters went about their lives as society slowly changed. And even though the whole thing has cinematic heritage in the form of Gosford Park, who’d have thought that this series, which delivered must-see Christmas episodes for a few years, would become a feature film? And who’d have thought that the film would cling to the box office charts for so long?

Lady Mary

The film begins in the way the first episode of the series started: A letter wends its way from the Royal Household all the way to Downton Abbey, mostly by steam train but also by van and rider before it is passed through various hands before being read by Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville). The Royal family—George V and Queen Mary—are going to be visiting. This is going to involve the entire house and the village, but it soon become clear that the house’s staff are going to be sidelined as the Royal team comes in. Most of the downstairs plot concerns the way the people that run the house refuse to be allowed to stand aside whilst an over-the-top Royal Chef and and a super villain butler Mr Wilson (David Haig) and stereotypical French Chef Monsieur Courbet (Philippe Spall) will be in charge of the banquet.

This puts Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol) out, which is not a good idea. Meanwhile Daisy (Sophie McShera) is anti-Royal, much to the chagrin of Mr Carson (Jim Carter). And if there’s a voice that belongs on a Dolby Atmos sound system it is Jim Carter’s. There’s a housekeeper to usurp Mrs Hughes/Carson (Phylis Logan). Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) with her Twenties hair and forward-thinking is the film’s brain: the weight of running the place is going to be permanently placed on her shoulders, which is ultimately what the whole series is about and it certainly one of the themes of this film. It is she who brings Carson out of retirement for this one final occasion.

The Dowager Countess

Upstairs there’s family stuff between one of the visiting aristocrats and the Dowager (Maggie Smith), the controversy having to do with a maid Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton) but that doesn’t really begin to play out until we’re clear of a story surrounding former Irish Republican Tom Branson (Allen Leech) and whether he will kick off at the Royal Family. This plot gives rise to an action sequence of sorts, and—in typical Downton Abbey style—it all works out in the end. (The other action sequence involves putting chairs out at night during a rain-storm). The number of subplots that are dealt with during the course of this film adds to the satisfying feeling of watching it. There’s also a pleasure in seeing everything cranked up to cinematic size: even the title music has been given to what seems like a massive orchestra, although there’s no dog walking. The dog, following the demise of Labrador Isis, is now an unnamed dog of the same breed who spends most of the film crashed out on the carpet.

Lady Not-Appearing-In-This-Film

The emotional weight of the film is in the final third, with the traditional guest Aristocrat Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton) and her feud with Violet, over Lucy Smith. Tuppence Middleton is wonderful, as is Kate Phillips (as Princess Mary) whose storyline is the only thing to suggest that there might be more Downton stories… Meanwhile Penelope Wilton can still entertain just by sparring with Maggie Smith, and the audience knows its been well served by two incredibly good actresses. Tom Branson’s role, which at the start is focused on his Republicanism, focuses more on his widower status at the end when everyone’s thinking about the future and the lifestyle…

But if there had to be a cinematic universe it would have to be from downstairs, and the Patmore Cinematic Universe would be terrific. Over the entire series Lesley Nicol has done a fantastic job of putting heart into a character who’s never overlooked, and who deals with whatever happens stoically. Meanwhile the film has scaled back Bates (Brendan Coyle) and brought Anna (Joanne Froggat) out into a subplot which is nicely done. 

Downton Abbey seemed missable in the cinema but somehow it isn’t. Devoted fans of the series will have all their dreams come true in this film which, aside from being more entertaining than expected is also more emotionally satisfying than I could have predicted. It is bound to have a significant life on the small screen.