DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA (PG)
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REVIEWS BY DAMON SMITH
JULIAN FELLOWES, Emmy Awardwinning creator of Downton Abbey, returns as the scriptwriter of a second big screen escapade for the Crawley family, their friends and trusted domestic staff, directed by Simon Curtis.
Violet Grantham (Maggie Smith) reveals that she has inherited a villa in the south of France from a former paramour – news that sets tongues a-wagging.
As the family digests this tantalising information, Hollywood producer and director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) approaches Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) about the possibility of using Downton Abbey as the location for his forthcoming film, The Gambler, starring glamorous leading lady Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock).
Downstairs staff, including assistant cook Daisy Parker (Sophie McShera), are thrilled by the prospect of “a moving picture” at the house.
While Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) stays behind at Downton to oversee the shoot, the rest of the clan, including Robert and wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), Lady Edith Pelham (Laura Carmichael) and husband Bertie (Harry Hadden-Paton), decamp to sun-kissed France. Meanwhile, widower Tom Branson (Allen Leech) prepares to marry maid Lucy (Tuppence Middleton) and butler Thomas Barrow (Robert James Collier) catches the eye of the film’s dashing leading man (Dominic West).
Fellowes’ script has unshakeable faith in the holy trinity of the soap opera bible (births, deaths and marriages), Smith is gifted the lioness’ share of withering one-liners, drones capture more sweeping aerial photography of Highclere Castle bathed in amber sunlight, and almost every character – upstairs and down – justifies their presence on screen with skilfully interwoven albeit slender subplots.
From the first tinkle of composer John Lunn’s signature melody, Downton Abbey: A New Era pays service to the show’s loyal fanbase with mistyeyed nods to the past and a smattering of in-jokes.
Haddock and West gamely flesh out their silent movie stars, who fear the rise in popularity of the talkies.
It’s frothy, wholesome yet undeniably satisfying entertainment that lovingly spoon feeds the audience each elegantly articulated emotion.