Downton Abbey: The Movie (2019)

[Crs97]

Evelyn was always loyal and kind.  He's cute.  He loved Mary, warts and all.  I had originally hoped for a "still waters run deep" plot in which Mary finally got to know him and realize how wonderful he was.  As a somewhat boring person myself, I tend to root for the quiet person to win.

[Megara]

I love that. That’s exactly what I hoped would have happened pre-Season 4. It would have been really touching for her to realize that.

He may not be the most exciting person (though really he was a Foreign Office guy before the war and his stories would have been fascinating) but you’re right, he was loyal and he was kind and kindness is something that is super underrated in the romantic options she had.

I think the fact that Evelyn was right there too is why I can never accept Henry. He had no excuse acting the way he did. 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Megara

[Hiyo]

Quote

I wasn’t wild about Blake and was very pleased when it was clear they were just meant to be friends.  If we take Henry out of the picture, then I wanted Mary to realize Evelyn was wonderful.  But I love Henry so am perfectly happy they married, though Julian rushed the courtship.

Amen to all of this.

[sark1624]

I think that in all roundup, Napier was the more "suitable" man for any of the Crawley girls, he was an heir, he had a job (a proper job from someone from the landed gentry) and he was honourable. But seein Mary´s character for all the series it was clear that she never liked for a husband, in other therms he had the same personality of Bertie Pelham, so seeing both characters it wouldnt being weird that they both would have ended together. But again, it would have been seein bad that basically Edith must have Mary´s crumbs. 

The thing is that JF wrote Matthew Crawley as the only one with some respect for himself, he didnt allowed to be toyed by Mary, but sadly when they were married she was very rude to him and slowly he became more bland. There is an episode when Mary starts to flirt with Strallan only to anoy Edith, then Matthew just walk away in order to show that he was not someone who could be play it. 

Gillingham, Blake, and Henry Talbot basically allow themselves to be played by her, it found extremely humilliating in Talbot part when he basically came begging in the final episode when Mary send a telegram for him after all the fuss in previous nights, and when he was scared of showing her the car business. Remember, Matthew Crawley didnt gave a dam about what Mary and the rest of the family though about him working as a solicitor, it was something that he liked to do and they should have to respect that. That was the main difference betwen Mary and the rest of the suitors, even Napier showed some backbone when he realized that Mary found him boring.  

[Megara]

Ahh Blake didn’t let himself be played for long at all. He basically said to Tony she’s the type that thinks men are their toys, and left to go to Poland. And after he left, Mary made a point of telling Robert that Charles decided he wasn’t going to pursue her before she made a decision—which is an interesting thing to say for someone who was supposedly playing him. I suspect there might have been even a bit of regret in her part. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Charles Blake was the original plan up until Matthew Goode’s schedule opened up, which is a real shame. He was evenly matched with her in terms of intelligence, and if you’ll recall he was absolutely not impressed by her at first, and even then he wasn’t falling all over himself and declaring his love for her every five minutes like everyone else. And once she made it clear she was picking Tony: “I’m not the type to die of a broken heart. I’m sorry if that offends you.”

Also the conversation they have right before she goes to Liverpool with Tony  had more chemistry than I think any scene she had with anyone else aside from him after. There was definitely more going on with those two and you can tell.

I love Evelyn (and was rooting for him while it was airing 😂), but I find it really surprising that you think he had more backbone than Blake. Mary said he was “pining” and I’m pretty sure that was true from what we saw on screen. I definitely loved his self awareness in the scene you’re referring to.

Edited October 27, 2019 by Megara

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Critics' Choice Award nominations:

Best Production Design – Donal Woods, Gina Cromwell

Best Costume Design – Anna Robbins

[Macbeth]

I loved it.  I wished I saw it in the theater.

Our Irish rebel saved the King.  But of course he did.  He is about to become a big land owner soon.  Violet will not be denied.

I loved that even the King and Queen referred to Violet as "Old Lady Grantham."  

They made enough money (more than they thought they ever would - you would think a Marvel Movie had come out) - so we should be getting a sequel.   And I believe it will be centered on Daisy's marriage (finally) to Andrew and Tom's marriage to Lucy.

Now - will Maggie Smith return.  They gave the possibility that she may not, as they had Violet saying that she would be dying soon.  "I will be fine, until I am not."  I am sure Maggie didn't  sign on unless there was a story line that her character's end was nigh.

I can't imagine Downton Abbey without Dame Maggie Smith - but she is 84 years old.

In an interview she did - soon after the show went off the air - she stated - if there is a movie - she hoped it would open with her character's funeral.  I kid you not.

She complained about the hats as well.  She said they were so heavy.  I liked the nod to that quote when Edith told Violet all she had to do was remove her hat to join them for dinner,  And Violet gave her a look like if you only knew.

It's on Demand.  Merry Christmas

[Popples]

19 minutes ago, Macbeth said:

Our Irish rebel saved the King.  But of course he did.  He is about to become a big land owner soon.  Violet will not be denied.

Even though it's been evident for at least the last 3 or 4 seasons, I love how much Violet considers Tom family and was fine that the inheritance wouldn't go to Robert if Tom marries Lucy.

[Hiyo]

Some other things Maggie Smith said...

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/05/maggie-smith-harry-potter-downton-abbey-were-not-satisfying

[PRgal]

I guess if they do a sequel, it would be about the crash.  This could be detrimental to Tom and Henry’s dealership...

anyway, I finally saw the movie.  Someone upthread asked why they couldn’t have the Duke of York accompany the Prince of Wales on tour.  Considering Bertie had a stuttering issue, maybe they didn’t want anything embarrassing to occur?  Especially if anything were to be broadcast across the world?  Anyway, it’s off topic so I’ll end it here.  

[JudyObscure]

I finally got to see this after waiting for the DVD in Christmas present form.While it was fun to see all the cast together again I sort of wish I had left them all the way I saw them in the show's finale.  I guess I would have preferred a mystery within Downton rather like in Gosford park.  After watching The Crown the plot seemed very unlikely and far too dangerous a position for Anna to put the Granthams in, if the slightest thing had gone wrong they would have been disgraced. 

Mosely had gained so much confidence and dignity with his teaching job, I didn't like to see his return to being a buffoon.  Daisy also seemed to have finally grown-up and realized Andy's worth, but she was back to disliking anyone who likes her.  Mary was out of character in thinking of leaving Downton. The Dowager's remarks were starting to seem more cranky than clever. Carson had reluctantly retired after his hands started to shake and his memory become unreliable, he could never have handled all that fuss if daily Downton had become too much for him.

Mostly I was disappointed over Edith.  She was always my favorite character and while others called her whiny, I thought she had reason to be, her parents and Carson favored her sister, one man left her at the altar, the next man died while she was pregnant.  Finally she had found love with a wonderful man who accepted Marigold! I enjoyed thinking she would be happy ever after, but here she was, still complaining. I sometimes think Jullian Fellowes resents the fact that some of us prefer Edith over his  beautiful star, Mary.

I did like seeing Tom and Thomas find love.

[Camera One]

I too finally got to see this on DVD and it was so beautifully filmed that I wish I had been able to see it on a bigger screen.

I was worried that the movie would retread old animosities with contrived conflicts between the characters, so I was overall relieved and I enjoyed the movie as another snapshot into their lives.  

I think they made a good choice to make most of the conflicts external to the main characters.  I did not need to see Mary and Edith at it again, or Violet and Isobel, or Carson and Thomas, etc.  And for the most part, I liked seeing the characters cooperate against outside people and forces.  

I was a bit taken out of the movie with the ridiculousness of the plan to take out the royal family's servants and cook, but it was fun overall.  I just wish they came up with better reasons that they were unavailable so the Downton staff could shine (maybe transportation delays or something).  Locking the head butler in his room was a bit much.  It surprised me that Anna and Bates were the instigators.  

I was reading an interview with Fellowes and how he considered using a world event to tie the movie together, but I'm glad he decided on royal visit which resulted in a more positive experience.  It was fun to see Queen Mary played by the actress from "Anne with an E", where she had a very different role.  I was a little confused by the subplot with the Princess, since I don't understand how that talk with Tom about finding a place to belong would cause her to change her mind about leaving her annoying husband.

I was glad Tom has a prospective relationship and he seemed happy, though I can't say I saw much chemistry with the actress who played that maid/daughter.  That was a nice little twist and I liked that Violet cooled down when she saw there was a reason for her cousin's actions (and I liked that Isobel knew that).

The weakest subplot was probably Andy being jealous and wrecking the boilers.  I thought the movie would descend into a blame game with suspects like Tom, Thomas, Daisy, etc. who might have cause to ruin the royal visit.

I was glad Thomas actually got a happy ending with a decent guy interested in him.  They would still need to meet in secret, but at least he found someone who liked him and could identify with him.  I thought Thomas' response to Carson taking over was extremely mild and a little out of character, but I wouldn't have liked to see his character revert to his previous immature spiteful self.

I didn't like Violet's illness tacked on at the end of the movie.  If they wanted to go that route, they could have filmed it and left it for the next movie or something.  

I was relieved Mary's husband was away for much of the movie so they could focus on the core characters.  I never saw much romantic chemistry with the pairing anyway so he felt like an outsider.  

With so many characters, I think they did a decent job of throwing a scrap for most of them.  Baxter stood out as not getting much to do, but she's sort of a wallflower anyway.  Maybe she could have helped Anna to discover the thief.  

Edited January 5, 2020 by Camera One

[jschoolgirl]

Did anyone else notice that Isobel's hair is darker in the movie than in the series? Not a lot darker, but still.

I love Geraldine James as Queen Mary, and her Downton-arrival outfit was wonderful!

Tom looked absolutely gorgeous throughout. Allen Leech in white tie on a big screen! :::fans self:::

[Macbeth]

On 12/15/2019 at 11:53 PM, Hiyo said:

Some other things Maggie Smith said...

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/05/maggie-smith-harry-potter-downton-abbey-were-not-satisfying

And that is why they had to give Violet an out with her illness.  There is no guarantee that Maggie Smith will do the sequel.  

Even if she doesn't outright say no -she is 85.  I am not saying she is in ill health - but at 85 - tomorrow is not a given.

[alexa]

On 12/28/2019 at 5:52 AM, JudyObscure said:

I finally got to see this after waiting for the DVD in Christmas present form.While it was fun to see all the cast together again I sort of wish I had left them all the way I saw them in the show's finale.  I guess I would have preferred a mystery within Downton rather like in Gosford park.  After watching The Crown the plot seemed very unlikely and far too dangerous a position for Anna to put the Granthams in, if the slightest thing had gone wrong they would have been disgraced. 

Mosely had gained so much confidence and dignity with his teaching job, I didn't like to see his return to being a buffoon.  Daisy also seemed to have finally grown-up and realized Andy's worth, but she was back to disliking anyone who likes her.  Mary was out of character in thinking of leaving Downton. The Dowager's remarks were starting to seem more cranky than clever. Carson had reluctantly retired after his hands started to shake and his memory become unreliable, he could never have handled all that fuss if daily Downton had become too much for him.

Mostly I was disappointed over Edith.  She was always my favorite character and while others called her whiny, I thought she had reason to be, her parents and Carson favored her sister, one man left her at the altar, the next man died while she was pregnant.  Finally she had found love with a wonderful man who accepted Marigold! I enjoyed thinking she would be happy ever after, but here she was, still complaining. I sometimes think Jullian Fellowes resents the fact that some of us prefer Edith over his  beautiful star, Mary.

I did like seeing Tom and Thomas find love.

I agree on many points here.  I was really disappointed in the movie.  I had just finished the series, loved the last two episodes, so perhaps that colored my thinking for the movie.  I just found the storylines not even remotely interesting.  I think the show had so many episodes that were interestingly complex and fun, that I figured the movie would be like a really great episode of Downton Abbey.

I hated the service storylines.  I mean the show is partly based on the service aspect, and the movie brings in all of these extra servants to put those at DA out of work for the important event?  I just think there are so many other storylines that could have happened, and this one made me fast forward through parts of the movie.  

I also didn't like the Barrow storyline much...I would have preferred that since he finally had a role at DA that he could have been there for the main storyline.  I just wasn't much of a fan of him having a separate story.

I also thought Mary and Edith were a shadow of who they had grown to be at the end of the series.  Something was off about Mary, and Edith had reverted, and I just didn't understand that.  

There were some good moments sprinkled in, but overall I would just rather find a good episode of DA and watch that.  

[slf]

Edith was always rather The Princess and the Pea about everything so I'm not surprised she was still a whiner in the movie.

[meep.meep]

On 10/13/2019 at 11:34 AM, Roseanna said:

The Prince of Wales had such a man: Alan "Tommy" Lascelles was his Assistant Private Secretary but resigned when he couldn't stand his irresponsibility. He later become Private Secretary to George VI and Elizabeth  and is the great favorite of many in The Crown.  

Finally saw the film on HBO last night.  Jolly good - no surprises.

What was supposed to be the deal with Princess Mary and her husband, who was actually the cousin of Tommy Lascelles?  

[Badger]

On 10/12/2019 at 11:06 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

I'm no expert, but presumably the Duke of York would have other duties at home in England.   There would be no need to waste two royals on a tour where one would do. 

Actually, The Duke and Duchess of York were on a 6 month tour of Australia then.

[Llywela]

On 5/10/2020 at 8:10 PM, meep.meep said:

What was supposed to be the deal with Princess Mary and her husband, who was actually the cousin of Tommy Lascelles?  

Unhappy marriage in which both parties had grown apart (if they were ever that close to begin with) and were on the verge of separation, which shouldn't have been a big deal but was because royal separations get a lot of attention and cause bad press even now, never mind a century ago. So the turnaround was Mary deciding, after talking to Tom, to make some effort to build bridges and repair the relationship instead of giving up on it without a fight.

[TheView]

The next film should be written by committee. 

[dubbel zout]

I watched this on DVD last night (no recaps, not even included with the extras).  I thought the story was incredibly lazy. I liked the idea of a royal visit as the main idea around which events turned, but Julian Fellowes put absolutely no imagination into it. The more I think about it, the angrier it makes me. Which is ridiculous, because I was only an occasional watcher of the series, so I shouldn't care that much. But I invested two hours in something that ultimately frustrated me.

The production values, as always, were stunning. I loved how accurate the tiaras for Queen Mary and Princess Mary were. Whatever problems I have with the story, the visuals can almost make up for them.

[KLovestoShop]

The movie sequel is coming.  The script is finished and the main characters are all back, including Lucy.  According the The Mail, shooting will start in March and will be competed in May.  Even Maggie Smith has signed on.  Laura Carmichael confirmed that she has a copy of the new script.  The film will shoot under tight COVID protocols and Ms Smith will have her own protective bubble. 

[TheGreenKnight]

Oh, wow, I was sure Smith wouldn't come back this time, but I'm very happy she is. It's not Downton without her, imo.

[AZChristian]

10 hours ago, TheGreenKnight said:

Oh, wow, I was sure Smith wouldn't come back this time, but I'm very happy she is. It's not Downton without her, imo.

Seemed like the last movie was setting up for there to be quite the death scene in the next one.  😞

[jschoolgirl]

On 11/2/2020 at 8:53 AM, AZChristian said:

Seemed like the last movie was setting up for there to be quite the death scene in the next one.  😞

I would rather have it begin with the family at the end of the mourning period for Violet and returning to colors, and they then use Maggie Smith for flashbacks. 

Edited December 6, 2020 by jschoolgirl

[TheView]

7 hours ago, jschoolgirl said:

I would rather have it begin with the family at the end of the mourning period for Violet and returning to colors, and they then use Maggie Smith for flashbacks. 

I want Julian Fellowes' script to be polished by someone else 

[jschoolgirl]

On 12/6/2020 at 11:49 PM, TheView said:

I want Julian Fellowes' script to be polished by someone else 

Amen!!!

[TheView]

1 hour ago, jschoolgirl said:

Amen!!!

At least three script doctors 

[Macbeth]

On 11/2/2020 at 8:53 AM, AZChristian said:

Seemed like the last movie was setting up for there to be quite the death scene in the next one.  😞

I can't imagine Downton Abbey with the Dowager.  But Maggie Smith is 86. I really hope she is healthy, but once you are at that age - committing to something 3-4 years out is tempting fate.

[shipmate]

I just hope Lady Edith's scenes have more meat in them this go round over "Is my ball dress ready?" "Has anyone seen my new ball dress?" "My new ball dress is too big!"

 And I say this as someone who loves Lady Edith and has watched the movie a dozen times!

[Cetacean]

9 minutes ago, shipmate said:

I just hope Lady Edith's scenes have more meat in them this go round over "Is my ball dress ready?" "Has anyone seen my new ball dress?" "My new ball dress is too big!"

 

I thnk they tried to cram every single person who ever appeared on the TV screen into the movie - and the result was pretty sad.  They would have been better to focus on key players.

[Callietwo]

Allen Leach was recently in the Hallmark Movie As Luck Would Have It, and it just reminded me of how much I miss him on my screen so I'm especially thrilled that they'll all be back. 

I miss that Downton Abbey World.  (and I hope AL starts popping up on my screen on the regular again somewhere) 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The transcendent scene in the first movie for me was Violet's reveal to Mary that she had a terminal disease.  Both actors brought it in those moments.  I loved the idea that Violet would go out with the stiffest of upper lips and real warmth.  

I hate that Violet will be back, even if in flashback.  

I was hoping the saga would be advanced into the rise of Hitler and the throes of the Depression.  How would Mary have managed to keep things together?  What about the new King?  The cynic in me says this one will barely advance the time frame.  The better choice for any number of sequels.  Rot.

 

[TheGreenKnight]

I assumed they would be making at least a trilogy out of the films after the first one was so successful. Violet will perhaps die / have her funeral in the third one. It makes sense for the first film to begin something that is "finished" in the third film, or at least it's common with trilogies.

[Fool to cry]

I liked it. Fans complain about their being no drama conveniently forget "drama" means unhappiness for your favorite characters! The series finale was everyone getting either a happy ending or at least their lives arent going to get worse.

 

[Crs97]

On 4/25/2021 at 1:31 PM, shipmate said:

 

I just hope Lady Edith's scenes have more meat in them this go round over "Is my ball dress ready?" "Has anyone seen my new ball dress?" "My new ball dress is too big!"

 

You forgot her “Woe is me!  I have to sit on too many charitable boards and my husband is too beloved by the royal family.”  

[BetterButter]

 

[Crs97]

Does anyone know if Matthew Goode is returning?  I will be sad if Henry is off in America or running the car business the whole time.

[Fool to cry]

I hope they explain Lord Grantham's weight loss by having him do old timey gym stuff like lifting medicine balls and taking steam baths.

[blackwing]

19 hours ago, Crs97 said:

Does anyone know if Matthew Goode is returning?  I will be sad if Henry is off in America or running the car business the whole time.

Henry is noticeably absent in the family wedding photo.  And when they listed the character names (instead of the actors, seems odd although I know they did the same thing for the first movie), his name isn't there.  So it seems he is either not in the movie, or maybe he just makes a brief appearance.

Lily James doesn't appear to be showing up either.  She wasn't in the last one and said that Rose had moved to New York so there was reason why she would be back.  But I think they could have found a way if they really wanted to.

On 10/13/2021 at 11:49 AM, Crs97 said:

You forgot her “Woe is me!  I have to sit on too many charitable boards and my husband is too beloved by the royal family.”  

Yep.  As was said in the final season of the TV show, "Edith is going to outrank us all!"  Indeed.  I have never liked this character or the actress.  I saw Laura Carmichael on "The Spanish Princess" and it was like Lady Edith had been transported back 400 years, it was pretty much the same "woe is me" face, voice and performance.  All woe, all the time.

[Fool to cry]

On 11/16/2021 at 9:19 AM, blackwing said:

Henry is noticeably absent in the family wedding photo.  And when they listed the character names (instead of the actors, seems odd although I know they did the same thing for the first movie), his name isn't there.  So it seems he is either not in the movie, or maybe he just makes a brief appearance.

Lily James doesn't appear to be showing up either.  She wasn't in the last one and said that Rose had moved to New York so there was reason why she would be back.  But I think they could have found a way if they really wanted to.

Yep.  As was said in the final season of the TV show, "Edith is going to outrank us all!"  Indeed.  I have never liked this character or the actress.  I saw Laura Carmichael on "The Spanish Princess" and it was like Lady Edith had been transported back 400 years, it was pretty much the same "woe is me" face, voice and performance.  All woe, all the time.

I like Edith and I like that she's finally happy. That's what I liked about the show is neither her or Mary were perfect. They had their good sides and bad sides. The nature of TV shows it seems is people want to be on different teams regarding their favorite characters.

This movie is going to make people want a Violet prequel series even more.

[izabella]

On 11/16/2021 at 11:19 AM, blackwing said:

Lily James doesn't appear to be showing up either.  She wasn't in the last one and said that Rose had moved to New York so there was reason why she would be back.  But I think they could have found a way if they really wanted to.

Aww, that's too bad.  I grew to really like Rose.  She wasn't a harridan nor a sadsack.  She added a lot of fun and a light spirit to the show.

[Fool to cry]

3 hours ago, izabella said:

Aww, that's too bad.  I grew to really like Rose.  She wasn't a harridan nor a sadsack.  She added a lot of fun and a light spirit to the show.

Lily James was probably filming the "Pam and Tommy" movie and the trailer just came out. I wouldn't have recognized her as Pamela Anderson!

 

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Fool to cry

[Egg McMuffin]

That’s some makeup job.

I think Lily would be better off in Downton, though. Have there ever been two people less worthy of the docudrama treatment than Pam and Tommy?

[Popples]

‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ Release Date Shifts To Early Summer

Quote

Universal International and Carnival Films are going to put the title in the best place possible in hopes that Covid eases. The companies have moved the sequel from its original March 18 release date to May 20 in the U.S. and April 29 in the UK.

 

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Popples said:

‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ Release Date Shifts To Early Summer

 

Ughhhhhhh

[Macbeth]

I love that they are focusing on Maggie Smith's Dowager.  She is my favorite character.  Fellowes is giving her character the proper respect while he can.  Maggie is 87 years old.   Unfortunately she might not be around for a 3rd film.  I hope she is.

[Egg McMuffin]

I believe Maggie Smith has said that this will be her last go-round as Violet.

[Macbeth]

14 hours ago, Egg McMuffin said:

I believe Maggie Smith has said that this will be her last go-round as Violet.

I am glad to hear it.  That she was clear with Julian where she stood.  She didn't want to do the movies.  I watched the 2018 documentary Nothing like a Dame a/k/a Tea with the Dames.  It was clear that the filming was tiring her out.

As much as I loved her character in Downton Abbey.  One of my favorite characters of all time.  I sometimes think she regretted taking the part.  She was 76 years old when Downton first aired.  And she was really surprised by the show's success.  I belileve it was this show that made her an international superstar.  And she really wasn't happy about it as she could no longer visit a museum in peace.

She was in Harry Potter, but she said it was only the little people (her phrase for children) that recognized her.  So unlike Downton, the Potter films didn't change the way she lived her life.

 

[BetterButter]