The British aristocrats and their servants have handled many situations, including a visit from the Royal family, but now Downton Abbey is about to be invaded by a Hollywood film company. The studio plans to shoot a movie at Downton as the film industry makes the transition from the silent era to sound in the second Downton Abbey feature film, Downton Abbey: A New Era.
The film begins with Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) inheriting a villa in the south of France from an old acquaintance whose relatives invite the Grahams to visit. Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Tom (Allen Leech), Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), and Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton) travel to France to visit the villa and to try and figure out why it was left to Violet.
Meanwhile, back at Downton Abbey, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and the servants are busy catering to a film crew that’s making a silent film at Downton. While the family believes the Hollywood visitors to be tacky and a bit vile, the servants are starstruck and anxious to meet them.
Unfortunately for the production, the Hollywood studio calls the crew at Downton and instructs them to shut down because they’re switching to making talking pictures. Lady Mary suggests to the film’s director, Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy), that instead of shutting down they should turn the film into a talky. However, there’s just one problem – leading lady Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock), although beautiful, has a thick cockney accent that doesn’t fit her character in the film.
Desperate to save the movie, the director asks Mary to provide the voice of the female lead in voice-over recordings. Mary, since it was her suggestion, reluctantly agrees. As the two work closely together to save the film, Mary and the director begin to have feelings for one another.
Charming, witty, and elegant, Downton Abbey: A New Era is a fitting addition to the PBS series with beautiful locales, quick-witted and droll dialogue, and a cast who knows exactly how to play the characters they originated on the small screen. It’s a bit bigger in scope and production but the movie still plays out and feels like a PBS mini-series presented on the big screen.
Maggie Smith steals every scene she’s in (as always) as Violet, the matriarch of the family who has one last secret yet to be discovered. The only downside is there isn’t enough of Smith in the film and when she’s off the screen her absence is greatly felt.
Michelle Dockery is the other cast member who truly shines in this second big-screen outing. The chemistry between her and Dancy as the director is subtle yet strong. It’s a quiet simmer of sexual tension and longing.
The production of the film is outstanding, with the sets, costumes, and vehicles all bringing back to life an era long gone, destroyed by WWII.
With its lavish production, breathtaking scenery, and an extremely talented cast, Downton Abbey: A New Era is sure to entertain fans of the PBS series as well as those looking for a bit of British soapy elegance and dry humor.
GRADE: B
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements, some suggestive references, and language
Release Date: May 20, 2022
Running Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Directed By: Simon Curtis
Studio: Focus Features
