Posted on 10/19/2019 7:31:50 PM PDT by Rummyfan
A week ago I was having a conversation in the Fox News green room about the Downton Abbey movie with ...well, go on, guess: Tucker? Kilmeade? No, it was Tyrus. A hulking ex-professional wrestler who could crush the average effete English earl between his toes doesn't seem the most obvious fan of Downton's doings, and we disagreed on Lady Mary, for whom he has an intense loathing and to whose icy bitchery I've warmed up over the years. But it does suggest the broad appeal of Julian Fellowes' "franchise", and helps explain why, franchise-wise, Downton Abbey clobbered the latest Rambo at the box office: Stallone's swan song cost three times as much and its box-office take is less than half.
To be sure, if you've never seen the earlier capers, it will be largely meaningless as a stand-alone movie - but then that's true of the new Rambo and X-Men and Ant-Man and everything else at the multiplex. Perhaps, in the manner of The Avengers, they should have subtitled it Downton: Endgame, or Infinity Tea or Age of Carson. Strung around a visit to the Abbey by George V and Queen Mary, the plot hinges on a broken boiler and the servants' resentment at a toffee-nosed Page of the Back Stairs from Buckingham Palace - so it makes a nice change from the Incredible Hulk ripping yet another hole in the space-time continuum. That said, Michael Engler's cinematic Downton lacks the tart wit of the better telly seasons: Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess is worked to the bone as a drive-thru one-liner dispenser, and the pursed lips get a bit heavy-handed, as it were. On the other hand, Kevin Doyle's footman Molesley, who reliably goes to pieces under the stress of great events, as usual collapses to the occasion....
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
I think Downtown Abbey was the one hooker in the recent Breaking Bad movie.
At the coaxing of my daughter, I watched the series online and loved them. The problem with the movie was there were so many trailers I knew the movie contents almost by heart. So I had only one surprise and that was with the announcement of the duchesses health. I think the movie should have been done as episodes. They could have done dozens of episodes instead of all the going ons in a couple hours. Not enough of Mr. Bates for me in the movie.
I watched The Jewel in the Crown in the 1980s.
In the ‘70s we enjoyed “Upstairs Downstairs” on Masterpiece Theater.
Mrs. Mad loves DA. I watched out of respect for her. I enjoy the early seasons because of the clothes and the sets. I am not heavily invested in the story line but I also loathe Mary.
Mary is so MEAN to her sister! Total bitch. Although she did come through a few times for the staff.
I didn’t like Sybil much, either. She married a socialist and I can’t respect that.
It was well done but conspicuously and fakely triple nodding to the intersectionals.
Watched the six seasons three times since May. Love it! I will watch the movie when it comes on Netflix.
I’m hooked on Poldark. On season 3 now.
Haven’t seen the movie, yet. I’ll wait for the DVD.
I caught the first season of the show on Netflix in April 2011. I was hooked halfway through the first episode. I’ve relished every episode since.
IMHO, it’s tied with Band of Brothers as the best thing ever on TV.
We were able to see it prerelease at a special showing (so they said)
Mark Steyn wrote a lot of words.
My view...... The Downton Abby movie was fun.
Well, Mary merely acknowledges reality
Edith is a dolt that deserves no respect.
(can’t believe I wrote that, but I did)
Ah, yes! That was a good series. One of the main characters from The Jewel in the Crown plays Queen Mary in the Downton Abbey movie.
Actually, I didn’t like any of the sisters. The best characters were the staff.
I thought it was funny/interesting how fortunes were passed around. Not some money here, and some money there, but the whole big chunk of a fortune was at play. And the old man lost his wife’s entire fortune by mis-management and bad investments, yet he expected to manage the next fortune that came his way. (He was a man, dontcha know?) That was hilarious.
We saw it in a 1930s era theater that has a wine bar and comfy seats.
I watched the first three seasons of “Poldark”, and quit it as it was so depressing. Death, treachery, illicit love, nothing at all to raise the spirit. At least “Downton Abbey” had some humor and uplifting themes.
I watched Poldark back in 1977 & my girlfriend at the time couldn’t stand it for the same reasons.
I watched it for the flintlock pistols that I couldn’t afford to collect at the time. One episode ended with a despondent character cocking a pistol and placing it in his mouth. The next episode began with him even more depressed because the flintlock failed to go off.
Would like to think that he told Poldark, “I missed”.
;^)
A couple of years ago there was a traveling exhibit held in museums of many of the clothes from Downton Abbey, including men's and servants' as well as the ladies' day and evening wear. It was amazing. Most of the dresses were entirely sewn or at least finished by hand. Some of the hand-beaded gowns were just incredible. The costumers had located real articles of the period and either restored them, coped them, or combined parts of several to make a finished creation. The menswear was also of very high quality -- tweeds as well as evening clothes were displayed. So glad I went. I also enjoyed the scenes in the series where the maids, footmen or valet were downstairs caring for the clothing and shoes.
Wow! That exhibit would be interesting. Some of those clothes almost took my breath away, they were so beautiful.
I have some of my grandmother’s sewing patterns. Comparing them with the show, you could tell the clothes on the show were authentic for the period.
Looks like it is still traveling! Here’s what I found — are you anywhere near Ashville, NC?
https://www.downtonexhibition.com
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