Four years after we said goodbye to them in the series finale of Downton Abbey, we are reunited with the aristocratic Crawley household in Michael Engler’s glossy big-screen spin-off from the hugely popular TV series.
Delving deeper into familiar themes of family feuds and complex “upstairs, downstairs” dynamics, the film offers nothing we haven’t seen before, but this won’t matter a jot to fans of the the series who will undoubtedly jump at the chance of revisiting old familiar faces.
Set in 1927, the film opens on a grandiose opening sequence of wide angle and overhead shots, setting the scene perfectly for what’s to come. After the arrival of a letter from the palace informing Lord Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) that Downton is to host King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) on their tour of the north, both household and staff can barely contain their excitement.
All hell breaks loose when Downton’s loyal servants of many years are unceremoniously informed that the King and Queen will be bringing their own staff with them, and that their services will not be required during the visit.
Meanwhile, as the visit is fast approaching, the Crawley’s staunch republican, newly widowed son-in-law Tom (Allen Leech) finds himself under scrutiny when he is lured in to meet a shadowy figure (Stephen Campbell Moore) in the village pub.
With all the good will in the world for it to stand in its own two feet as a legitimate big screen production, at times Downton Abbey feels more like as series of interminably expositional set pieces held together with a tediously simplistic storyline and, perhaps, one too many subplots for it to flow naturally.
Downton Abbey’s downfall might not reside in its lack of a believable plot, but is rather linked to its inability to detach itself from its misty-eyed and servile attitude towards the monarchy and a near-moribund English class system.
And while director Michael Engler and writer Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park, The Young Victoria) are careful to give the faithful what they came for, there’s no denying that their timing, particularly in the current political climate, might seem a little off.
As with the TV series, the film’s saving grace comes in the genius casting of Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Lord Crawley’s hilariously cantankerous and eternally antagonistic elderly mother. Pitted against the brilliant Penelope Wilton who plays Baroness Merton, the two bounce off each other perfectly and manage to raise the only laughs in this decidedly overlong production.
Elsewhere, Imelda Staunton shines as Lady Grantham’s estranged cousin Lady Bagshaw, while Tuppence Middleton puts in a beautifully understated turn as the hugely likeable Lucy, her mysterious and dutiful young maid.
Overall, Downton Abbey is let down, not only by its flimsy premise and equally preposterous storyline, but it also fails to challenge the status quo or move the conversation beyond its blind loyalty to king and country.
