Downton Abbey standee at the at Cineplex Saint John.
Julian Fellowes’ (Gosford Park) historical period drama Downton Abbey (2010-2015) took the world by storm and became the definitive British obsession in the 2010s.
Fans gobbled up the melodrama, from the inheritance of the estate to the death of Mr. Pamuk, and were ecstatic when a film continuation, directed by Michael Engler, (Party of Five, The Big C), was announced in fall 2018.
The film takes place in 1927, two years after the series’ conclusion, with the announcement of a visit from King George V and Queen to Downton Abbey sending the Crawley family and their household into a tizzy.
The aristocratic social politics upstairs, led by the formidable, unforgettable Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, (Maggie Smith), and clashes between the Downton servants and royal household lead to rising tension in all areas of the house, but come rain, shine or the apocalypse, Downton Abbey will maintain a stiff upper lip.
Like that of Friends, Cheers and The Avengers, Downton Abbey’s ensemble has a lighting-in-a-bottle familiarity and chemistry that captured the hearts and minds of countless fans around the world – or in Downton’s case, to sit down and have high tea and biscuits with.
Downton Abbey opens in theatres on Friday.
