Who's excited for the Downton film? (*MNHQ warning: may contain spoilers)

[QueenOfTheAndals]

I am completely and unashamedly looking forward to ! Just 2 weeks to go...

Wasn't Lady Edith a knockout in her silk lingerie and glamorous gowns? Mary looked rather severe in comparison!

The kleptomaniac maid was a nice touch as Queen Mary was famous for pocketing any ornaments that took her fancy at various stately homes that hosted her. And there have always been rumours that Princess Mary and her husband weren't happily married so that wasn't far off either.

It was good but I felt like it should of been a Xmas special instead!

I don't think this will be the last film. If it is well received then they're bound to do it again. They'd be silly not to.

I'm not sure if there will be another sequel. Given the ending (SPOILER)

They'd have to do it without Dame Maggie and a Dameless Downton would be a sorry sight.

Unless they decide to revive it in 20 years time and set it in WWII. Every chance that Robert could outlive George then.

@QueenOfTheAndals I've always thought there was scope for a "Downton - the next generation" set at the start or during WW2. The children will be about the right age then. The daughters and husbands will be middle-aged and Lord and Lady Grantham the elder statesmen. As well as the established offspring, there's also the interesting dynamic of young John Bates being brought up in the nursery with the household children - shades of Atonement there!

And if George is killed in WWII then the search for an heir will have to begin all over again!!Unless of course he's married with a child by then, which isn't impossible as he was born around 1920/21.

Yes, Julian Fellowes could certainly milk this story for the next fifteen years or so, if he wanted. Lots of long franchise possibilities.

Mind you, I think he's got other fish to fry at the moment - saw a trailer for "Belgravia" at the cinema and he's supposed to be writing something in the US about the Robber Barons.

And what happened to The Gilded Age, his drama about the American heiresses who married into the British nobility?

What I'd like to see is a one-off Downton prequel about the
Dowager Duchess' trip to Russia, where she met Prince Kuragin!

I thought The Gilded Age is the one about those super rich industrialists - the Astors, Vanderbilt's, Carnegie's etc. I read somewhere that it's still in pre-production stage without any definite date for filming. (I once visited some of the summer "Cottages" at Newport Rhode Island, built by these families, and they could give a few stately homes a run for their money)

The American heiresses reminds me of that series 'The Buccaneers' - wasn't Cora one of those who came to Europe to marry into class?

Yes, to the prequel idea - I would love to see the young Dowager Duchess in her prime.

Yes, Cora was. I remembere The Buccaneers, must've been about 20 years ago that I saw it.

I thought Barrow had shagged the bloke from the palace. Got the impression they had spent the night together.

Yes, I thought it was obvious - they came down together to the servants dining room one morning and one of them winked at each other, I think.

We saw it Friday night (in Nottingham as well!). Have to say I love costume movies and Downton generally but it just dragged. Stilted obvious dialogue, plot visible a mile off. The DCs film finished first and we left at the start of the ball scene. I think the actors were let down by the screenplay.

Sorry to be negative, but it could have been better IMO.

Re: Barrow, I thought he seemed surprised when the Palace valet kissed him before leaving. Perhaps I'm taking too innocent a view here, but when they both returned to Downton together, they talked about friendship (at least at first), and I'd have thought it a bit risky in those days to get up to any shenanigans in the servants quarters, especially with so many people staying.

I thought the same @Rhubarb01

Same I don’t think they’d spent the night. Too quick and he didn’t look like he saw that kiss coming.

I really liked the film and the whole cinema was laughing out loud at molesley during the dinner faux pas

It was lovely, cosy, comforting. Tom was lush. No complaints here. I felt like I was at the ball with them all!

@desperatehousewife21 I cringed for him, it was priceless

They will definitely milk it for another film or two 😂

Maggie might get a death bed scene in the opening of the next film. I think she may well have stated kill me off please in her contract- she’s the only one who has ever publicly said she doesn’t want to do it forever!

She is funny but I did feel they were just wheeling her out for one liners. He character originally had more depth than that.

I don't think Barrow got his end away. But I think his happiness came from finding someone who was just like him, and finding a world that he didn't know existed, albeit illegal. His face when he walked into the club! I nearly cried when the police came in though, I had been saying to myself, please just let him have fun.

My DM’s review: lovely set, costumes and Maggie Smith, but no plot.

but no plot

I completely agree.

Shake there wasn’t a plot. Lovely scenes of the castle, trees and gowns. But it all felt rushed and poorly written. Gosford Park was excellent, hoped for a similar feel. Really it could have been on the tv.

I saw it last night, and agree that the settings, costumes, music, wonderful flying shots over “Downton” were all lovely and gave a real sense of nostalgia.

But unfortunately I also agree that the characters have become caricatures of themselves, and there was no discernible substance of plot.

I keep catching myself off guard this morning! Like, “So where was Mr Bates?... Oh yes, I suppose he was in it for a minute or two...”

Overall, it felt verrrry much like part one of two, and I will be very shocked if there isn’t a sequel announcement next year.

Next time, they need to get a script supervisor and editor with no previous attachment to the show to come in and sort out the pacing for them. Someone who can go, “So why the fuck are we dedicating more than ten minutes of screen time to the marriage of Princess Mary, whom no member of the audience has met before, or cares about?”