Downton Abbey wasn’t just a movie release this time… It’s a fashion statement, it’s a life we long for, it’s an era long since forgotten that has captivated audiences all over the world like a new pop culture phenomenon. Well this latest movie for Downton Abbey – A New Era is no different.
There are 2 main plots to the story in this film. The first is the unexpected inheritance of Lady Violet Crawley (Dame Maggie Smith) when she informs her family that she has inherited a lavish villa in the south of France by a man that they’ve never met and that she hasn’t seen in over 50 years. Meanwhile Mary (Michelle Dockery) and her father, Robert (Hugh Bonneville), are informed that a film crew wants to shoot a movie and use their home at Downton Abbey as the location for a new silent motion picture. The family is swayed to accept the offer because they’ll be paid rather handsomely for their troubles and after all, Downton Abbey is in need of repairs (roof leaks and such).
The costumes, acting and location of the film is enough to leave you drooling. The twists and plot leave you wondering if Lady Violet Crawley had been unfaithful to her husband very long ago and even though the movie ends with a sense that she was still her wholesome self (and did not have an affair) there’s a small sense that she was dishonest to save her family name and had decided to take her secret to the grave. SPOILER ALERT: She dies in the movie sharing that she had no affair but still, leaving the viewer to wonder if she’d been honest with the family.
I’d highly recommend a bag of popcorn, drink and a comfortable seat in your closest theater because Downtown Abbey and all of it’s fame and glory isn’t going anywhere and you won’t want to miss A New Era!
Director: Simon Curtis
Writer: Julian Fellowes
Producers: Gareth Name, Liz Trubridge, Julian Fellowes
Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Harry Hadden-Paton, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, Penelope Wilton, Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye, Dominic West and Jonathan Zaccai
Running Time: 124 minutes
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG
Social Channels
- Facebook: @DowntonAbbey
- Twitter: @DowntonAbbey
- Instagram: @DowntonAbbey_Official
- Hashtag: #DowntonAbbey
Leave a Reply