No one knows Downton Abbey better than Julian Fellowes, creator and longtime scriptwriter for the insanely popular PBS television series — unless you count the untold gazillions of rabid fans who embraced the show during its five years on the air.
As a token of thanks, Fellowes treats his fans like royalty in the movie adaptation of Downton Abbey. We're invited to join the King and Queen of England on a visit to Downton, an event of such epic pomp and ceremony, it takes a big screen to contain it all.
The faithful will adore every juicy frame of the Crawley family's cinematic adventure — the subtle rustling of every beaded gown (the year is 1927); every fashionably bobbed and waved hairdo; every pointed remark between beloved characters, both upstairs and downstairs. And beneath the narrative focus on the royals' impending visit, the busy subplots are devoted to catching up with as many familiar characters as possible.
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| Admit it: you watch for the clothes! |
Scripted by Fellowes for director Michael Engler, another Downton veteran, the movie takes a more lighthearted approach to storytelling, without so much of the angst that can be developed in the episodic TV format over time.
Maggie Smith, of course, is Fellowes' secret weapon. As Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, acerbic clan matriarch, she makes an elegant feast out of every syllable he feeds her, and while the writing is impeccable, as always, it needs Smith's imperious, pitch-perfect delivery to steal every scene she's in.
The darker complexities of all the characters' relationships can only be hinted at here, but at least Fellowes and company provide two hours of easy entertainment, with plenty to look at along the way. (Seriously, Anna Robbins' costumes alone will keep you enthralled!)
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