Pfor the first time in the clear, arrives tonight on Canale 5 at 21.20, Downton Abbey, sequel film of the homonymous series, among the most famous, seen and awarded in history. Scripted and Produced by Julian Fellowes (also creator of the series and Oscar for the screenplay of Gosford Park), with a superb cast (two-time Academy Award winner Maggie Smith, Imelda Stauntonthe new Queen Elizabeth of The Crown 5, Jim Carter), this film, a box-office record when it was released in 2019, continues to narrate intrigues and plots that take place in the home of Downton Abbey, residence of the Crawley family, Earls of Grantham. The story and its realization that keep you glued to the screen are irresistible. Absolutely not to be missed.
Downton Abbey: the plot
We are in 1927, about a year after the events narrated in the Downton Abbey series. There Crawley family, receives a letter announcing the arrival of King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James), passing through during a holiday in Yorkshire. Everyone is in turmoil: the building needs to be fixed to best accommodate the exceptional guests. Cleaning the silverware, setting up the rooms, organizing meals. Everything to be done as quickly as possible. The lives of aristocrats and servants are intertwined as never before and misunderstandings, rivalries, intrigues and scandals break out.
The Earls Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern, Once upon a time in America by Sergio Leone) and Robert Crawley are in fibrillation. Their first daughter, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), supported by her brother-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech), is convinced that the current butler Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier) is unable to handle the situation. Then call the old retired butler, the Mr. Carson (Jim Carter, in reality Imelda Staunton’s husband), a true link between servants and nobles, almost more snobbish than the count. the servitude, feeling attached, launches a sort of “counter-offensive” which leads to a conflict between the “upper and lower floors” of the building.
In addition, the tension emerges Lady Violet (Maggie Smith), despotic mother of the count, grandmother more feared than loved by her granddaughters, stiffened by the arrival of the queen’s lady-in-waiting, Lady Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), her bitter rival.
The second movie. And maybe the third?
This film (as we said sequel to the series) has, in turn, a sequel, Downton Abbey II – A new era. Arrived at the cinema last April, it includes practically the entire cast of the first film. It starts from the story of Lady Violet who discovers that she owns a villa in the South of France, which creates doubts and envies in the family.
Then, after a thousand plots, comes the end of the legendary Lady Violet-Maggie Smith. But many are hoping the story will continue with a third party Downton Abbey. The Crawleys, with the marriage of Tom Branson with Lucy (Tuppence Middleton), welcome new people into the family. The hopes of yet another sequel are there even if for now they don’t seem to materialize.
The series of records
The epic saga of Downton Abbey comes from the homonymous series, spread over six seasons between 2010 and 2015. It tells an epic story that has made history, collected acclaim and countless records.
It is indeed in the Guinness Book of Records as an English-language series to have received the highest ratings from international critics. And the prizes and awards obtained are an avalanche: 46 awards, 156 nominations, and three Golden Globes and 15 Emmys. A triumph.
The series is available on Prime Video. The first film is instead on Netflix, the second on Now.
The Downton Abbey mansion really exists
The building where the series and movies were filmed is that of Highclere Castle. Here lived Henry Herbert, seventh Earl of Carnarvon, famous for having been Queen Elizabeth II’s horse expert from 1969 to 2001.
This iconic place has become so famous that it is also cult destination of tourists from all over the world (some even organize weddings here).
iO Woman © REPRODUCTION RESERVED