Downton Abbey

Without question, cinema is art. But being part of the world of art doesn’t mean cinema has to be severe or pounding a message down its audience’s throats. Lightheartedness and whimsy are just as important. Which is why I think it was odd to see so many critiques of Downton Abbey include the commentary that the film is fan service. The tone suggesting it wasn’t meant in a good way.

Usually, I would take a beat to run down some of the general particulars about the plot. In this case, I struggled to find what to say. The six seasons that precede the two-hour movie having a lot to do with that. I can’t imagine many people walking into the theater to watch Downton cold. Sure, there was probably a spouse here or there who was signed up for a night at the movies for solidarity’s sake rather than general interest. On the whole, though, I feel a general census of the audience would show a vast majority of fans of the show. But, just in case, I’ll do my best here to give a quick rundown just to keep with the formula.

Set in 1927, the writers waste no time and plunge the audience into a familiar montage. A missive finds its way from the post office to the great house where the family is taking their breakfast. Enter drama stage left. The Crawley family and staff must rise to the occasion to make sure everything is shipshape and Bristol fashion. And, of course, they have their fair share of bumps on the road.

The amount of talent involved in the show was top-notch. With that comes the added difficulty of arranging production around a lot of jam-packed schedules. And they managed it down to the kiddo who played Sibbie. The story arc did end up excluding some fan favorites. Lady Rose and her husband are not featured in the revisit of Downton. Nor is the staff at the Dower House, nor is Mr. Mason. A particularly sad trombone plays for me on that last character.

Downton Abbey does not overextend itself with the luxury of being filmed as a full-length feature. At two hours, the movie only runs about thirty minutes over the traditional runtime of the Christmas episodes aired during each season. Unlike the year-end episodes, the writers don’t have the option to wrench our hearts out of our chests, drown our faces in tears and then leave us on a lurching cliffhanger. This went double since it was meant to be a one-off movie endeavor. Downton gets a wrap up that covers up some of the regrets the final episode left hanging in the air.

After having watched the film, those articles stating the movie was “all fan service” weren’t wrong exactly. It was a film targeted at a pre-existing fan base and pulled out all the glitz and glamour it could manage. And I enjoyed every stinking minute of the opulent fan service I got to watch.

Could I sit down and pull things apart? Yeah, I could. Barrow stepping away from high drama seemed out of character for the King of Drama. Didn’t the casting director know it would be hard on a lot of the audience to sit there for two hours and watch Professor Umbridge not be Professor Umbridge? How insensitive.

But, I don’t know if this is the kind of film that needs the hard critical eye. And, if I were to turn it on this one, I’d still not be bashing this over the head with a mallet. Barrow’s storyline would be where that gaze would land. He’s had a hard time of it, to say the least over the series six seasons. Part of that was him not getting out of his own way. But, the other part was most certainly because of the time in which this story is set.

In this latest installment of the saga, he very much gets out of his own way. Sort of. Refusing to take part in the royal visit after being set aside in favor of Carson returning for one last hurrah, he escapes to York with the King’s relief valet. His evening off is the counterweight to much of the lightheartedness found in the film. This is also the point in the movie where I wanted to be back in the episodical format.

The treatment we see through Thomas’ story is horrific and, for some, unimaginable. And, in the spirit of the most unbelievable things, it’s also true. Downton does highlight the glitzy aspects of the era but make no mistake, this story doesn’t gloss over the ugliness or the repugnance to the attitudes of the day. Instead, we get the tragic reality. I’ll grant that the brutality of the situation is toned down, but the message doesn’t need the physical representation because of the show preceding it.

Yes, I said I enjoyed every minute of this movie, and Thomas’s struggles are a part of it. The writers managed to bring on to the big screen a powerful reminder. Their approach did not echo the brutality served to history’s victims. Instead, they take a subtle tack to underline the hush-hush attitudes of the era. For the modern audience, the portrait hangs uncomfortably. Knocking the message, we need not ever return to such intolerance, and we need to keep moving forward on that front, home.

So, fan service it might be, but that is hardly qualification to dismiss its worth out of hand. Downton Abbey, like the series, is a multifaceted treasure. If you’ve never seen it, binge the show first. If you’re a Downton diehard, what the hell are you waiting for? See it a fifth time!