There are only a handful of series which I’ve seen every episode. Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Friends, 30 Rock, The Mindy Project and… Downton Abbey. I loved Downton Abbey for what it was: a dumb soap opera with a castle and costume p0rn. I felt strongly about these characters too, and I still laugh at so many of the dumb jokes, like the doctor who was terrible at everything, Cousin Matthew feeling tingly, sudden deaths out of nowhere, Lady Mary being a C-U-Next-Tuesday constantly and Poor Edith never getting a break about anything. And of course Violet, the Dowager Countess, played brilliantly by Dame Maggie Smith.
With all of this talk about the WTF ending of Game of Thrones, I have to say that I always hold up Downton Abbey’s ending as one of the best-ever finales. They didn’t give every character what they wanted, but each of the remaining characters found some kind of happiness and joy. So I never thought it was necessary to make a full-length movie update. Turns out, I was wrong. The full-length trailer is out and I’m SO INTO IT.
The King and Queen are visiting! Thomas gets a gay love affair! It’s 1927 and everything is modern! Edith is visiting from her Scottish castle! Lady Mary is going to kill Carson from overwork! Mary’s wig looks terrible! Branson is still there! Mary wants to leave Downton! Violet has a direct line to God! LMAO, this is going to be so much dumb soapy fun.
Michelle Dockery should sue someone about that wig though.
Posters courtesy of Focus Features.
I need to start a petition. I don’t like the writing. This is a letdown. I have invested 6 years of my life to have an ending like this.
Yes, it looks great and can’t wait to see it on big screen. Feels like a finale we didn’t need, but are all here fo, because it looks grand. Respect for writers, who worked tirelessly, actors, producers to bring it to life once again.
YAYYY! I’m gonna watch the SHIT out of this movie!
Same! So excited!
ME TOO I AM SO EXCITED
All the actors back in their parts, it’s amazing and feels just like the show.
Soooo excited!
I will probably see it ten times. I loved DA. I went to the exhibit of the set pieces and costumes in NYC last year. The costumes are even more exquisite in real life.
I’m gonna see this Schiz nozzle ALONE with zero interruptions in the movie theatre, during the DAY.
I do not know this for a fact but because Julian Fellowes likes to base his Downton Abbey stories on real stuff, I have a hypothesis.
In 1912 George V and Queen Mary paid a visit while on a Royal Progress of northern England to the Wentworth Woodhouse Estate in south Yorkshire owned by the Earl Fitzwilliam. The last Earl Fitzwilliam had an affair and was in-love with with Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy but that is another story for another post.
This Royal visit is well documented in the book Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey. I know Downton Abbey is located in north central Yorkshire but I am willing to bet money that I do not have that Julian Fellowes based his story of a Royal visit to Downton Abbey in north central Yorkshire on the real Royal visit to the Wentworth Woodhouse estate in south Yorkshire.
I am way more excited for this than I should be. and I agree that the costumes were one of the best parts of the show.
Also, along with sudden deaths, remember the shocking, out-of-the-blue, highly bloody coughing fit at the dining room table? Good times.
And the dinner when people starting dropping from Spanish flu. Or the dinner when Branson got roofied and the Grantham gentlemen all charged to his defense. Some of the best drama happened between the soup and fish courses. Good times indeed.
Edith outranking and marrying up to me was one of the greatest, ‘Suck it’ moments of the entire series. From her parents (who thought that she would not only marry but be around to take car of them in their old age) to Mary (hey, she was happy. But she married a mechanic. One that looks like Matthew Goode, but a mechanic none the less).
and Lady Edith got to go live in Hogwarts castle!
I need this in my life right now. Something vacuous and fun to look forward too. Back to a time when the future looked bright.
It looked bright 2 years before the stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression!
And then WWII. Last century was such a mix of hope and brutal reality.
This show has such amazing clothes and everything. Looking forward to this movie!
CANNOT WAIT.
They all look great! Can’t wait!
ooh I never finished the series but this may motivate me to get it done over the summer.
Omg, just finished rewatching in anticipation. Such a delicious show. If course I’m the only one in my crew who’s excited as the men can’t handle it lol. Violet is, hands down, comedic gold.
Yes!! I’m so excited!
I saw the costumes a few years back when they were at an exhibit at Winterthur. So much fun to see them in person. Sybil’s Harem pants were magnificent.
jealous! i just saw the Crown costume exhibit at Winterthur!
Initial viewing I thought the series boringly slow. After a second view I thought the series worth the purchase. I do own Mad Men, not a fan. One of my series favorites is Boston Legal. Looking forward to the film and the cultural changes of the era.
The boring slowness was part of the charm, part of the dance. I only wish it had been 10 times as slow and gone on for more seasons. And I still REALLY want them to do a pre-quel (all luxurious and old-fashioned, instead of “modern”)
OMG the story of Violet Crawley!! That would be magnificent
Sign me up for that!
Also, if they were self-aware of their own cheesiness, they could do a Jeeves and Wooster crossover and it would be MAJESTIC.
This is would be awesome!
Years ago on some TV interview, Julian Fellowes talked of doing the prequel. The prequel would open in Gilded Age Newport, Rhode Island with a young Cora coming out at her first Newport “Season” then Martha Levinson taking Cora, age 20, to London to do a “Season” to find a husband because none of the US American young men and older men interested in her are good enough for her and her money in Martha’s opinion.
This prequel would also delve into the personalities and family background of Martha Levinson, daughter of a millionaire who married a multimillionaire and Violet Crawley, daughter of a Baronet who married an Earl.
FYI: a Baronet is at the bottom of the British Aristocracy pecking order.
I started to cry when Carson walked up to the house. I am also on my period, so I’m not entirely sure if it was legitimately moving or not.
See my comment below. It was not! 😉
But it was camp and delicious!
Oh yes it was because I teared up too and I am definitely NOT on any period!! My coworker thought something bad had happened! I know I will have to see this movie by myself but I don’t care. I will be the first one in line.
Ooooo! The BEST part of the trailer was the intense swelling orchestral music building to a crescendo as…. the old butler walks up the gravel pathway to his prior workplace. DRAMA! Ha hahahahaha! THE BEST! I love this show, and wish it had gone on and on like Coronation Street. Honestly, and I adore that the movie is just about some people coming for a one-day visit. Delicious!!!!!!!
“intense swelling orchestral music”
Definitely the MoFo best!
I watched the trailer and I thought “surely they are not making a dinner party”, but then again why not?
OMG I’m tearing up! The kids are so big.
Lady Merton and the Dowager Countess going at it at the end!
Who were they curtsying too? I need to know this!
I need more Matthew Goode running upstairs. I do.
When I first watched, I thought it was Isobel’s horrid daughter-in-law. But…but…that can’t be right can it?
The visiting Queen? Didn’t look like Edith 😊
I binged watched the entire series last summer. I checked out season 1 and kept watching. Not crazy about Mary’s hair. Why is the wig so ugly? Depending on the reviews and box office, I may splurge and watch it on the big screen.
@holly hobby, Just Go=For-It so you are better able to post and join the discussion at the Celebitchy after-party.
Isobel in a tiara was pretty hot, looks like she was willing to start playing that part a little.
Love Isobel in a tiara or as Harriet Jones, Prime Minster of the United Kingdom!
Any other “Who” fans out there?
So excited for this movie! I binged Downton Abbey for a few weeks during this last winter and I was in heaven. I could’ve watched that show forever. ❤️
My favorite (or least favorite?) running gag was how Sergeant Willis always seemed to be turning up — either to arrest someone named Bates, or to tell someone that he’d be coming back tomorrow to tell them something. After Anna gave birth in Lady Mary’s bedroom in the final episode, I half expected Willis to pop in and arrest Baby Bates for breaking and entering.
I know there’s been bad press about him (mainly him talking crap about old work) but I love Matthew Goode, he’s so yummy and what I imagine when I think attractive posh British man. Probably will watch when it hits steaming…I never got over Cybil dying and couldn’t get into it after that
I cannot WAIT!!!!
Once again CB comes thru w/tasty tasteful previews of good movies that will feed our lil souls!!!
I know, I am a lil too excited, THIS and Rocket man–I am so ready!
thx CB
And don’t forget “Yesterday”… the movie about a guy who wakes up, after an accident, to a world w/out The Beatles and all their music…and he’s the ONLY one in the entire world who remembers them! It looks fantastic, too!
I like the show, but I loathed Lady Mary and I couldn’t watch the last couple of seasons. She was not a sympathetic character to me; I found her to be quite cruel and selfish in a lot of turns. There are characters like that who I enjoy watching because they have the charisma to make their cruelty compelling (Thomas, on the exact same show, for instance). But Mary, who had so much in her life just handed to her, had very little justification for her behaviour.
This is what a 50 million dollar 2.25 hour episode of television looks like.
Will see this in a theater that serves wine!
DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS!
Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton battle it out for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar
+1 in the theater that serves wine!
I will buy the first round!
My favorite line from Lady Mary was “I’m going upstairs to change my hat.”