Film Review: DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA (2022): Wonderful Performances in A Movie Where the Stakes Could be Higher

Downton Abbey: A New Era Review

Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Simon Curtis, written by Julian Fellowes and starring Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Hugh Dancy, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Elizabeth McGovern, Sue Johnston, Dominic West, Laura Haddock, Penelope Wilton, Jonathan Coy, Laura Carmichael, Samantha Bond, Allen Leech, Imelda Staunton, Tuppence Middleton and Fifi Hart.

Set in the late 1920’s as cinematic “talkies” were coming into the mainstream, Downton Abbey: A New Era has the perfect story line to attract anybody who loves the movies. What’s special about this new film is that it does not require that you have seen a single episode of the wildly popular British series on which it is based to absolutely enjoy it. I had a great time watching it, yet felt that some of the stakes weren’t high enough and that the movie ties everything the plot displays for its viewer up with a neat, tidy bow. The acting is all superb with Maggie Smith likely to have the audience laughing at many of her line deliveries. I enjoyed the movie but still think it could have been sharper and wittier than it actually is.

Maggie Smith stars in the picture as the aging Violet Grantham who inherits a French villa as the movie begins. It turns out she had a relationship with a man decades prior to the time in which the movie is primarily set. Violet’s son, Robert (Hugh Bonneville) eventually discovers that another man could have been his father rather than the one he has known of. There is tension developed in the plot because Violet has not seen the now departed man who left her the villa and other people would like to acquire it themselves. This is all very interesting but the “meat and potatoes” of the movie comes from its other plot line which involves a film crew who needs to use the central home showcased in the picture to shoot a silent movie. That section of the film is where the heart of the movie lies and the reason it’s such a good film.

Hugh Dancy portrays a silent film director named Jack Barber whose movie stars Guy Dexter (Dominic West) and Myrna Dalgleish (Laura Haddock). Jack shoots the picture within the home and befriends Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery). One would love to see a romance develop between Jack and the married Lady Mary but given the proper time setting and circumstances, it seems that one cannot happen. Yet, Dockery and Dancy set the screen on fire with remarkable chemistry that is absolutely delightful to watch.

Elizabeth McGovern plays Cora Grantham who seems to be ill and could have severe health problems. McGovern is also wonderful in her part, creating a layered and interesting woman who is portrayed accurately for the time period. McGovern’s interaction on screen with Bonneville is well rendered, believable and compelling.

There are a number of performers who adequately play the servants of the household. They all do a terrific job and these characters are fully fleshed out offering the viewer the chance to view the wealthy atmosphere the film conveys with a more down-to-earth eye. One of the butlers ends up having many conversations with actor Guy Dexter and these two characters learn they have more in common they would seem to have on the surface. Meanwhile, as silent movies start fading and talkies take over, actress Myrna Dalgleish’s talent also seems to fading as she is not adequately prepared to enter the new realm of films that dialogue creates. In steps Lady Mary under Jack Barber’s guidance to do voice over work and this section of the movie is absolutely phenomenal to behold with its charming nature which will appeal greatly to movie buffs.

Downton Abbey: A New Era is so entertaining to watch but it’s polite and doesn’t take many big risks. All the threads of the plot are sewn up to satisfy the audience’s craving for a happy ending rather than to satisfy other potential viewers’ craving for hypothetically more complicated material. Still, this film works and proves to be a movie that will satisfy those looking for more accessible entertainment that won’t require viewers to think too hard. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Maggie Smith steals every scene she’s in as the woman who has a past which is complicated but simple, simultaneously. Smith relishes in her role and plays the part with terrific zest. There’s not a scene in which she appears that is not absolutely perfect in terms of Smith’s comic timing and wonderful screen presence.

While the best parts of Downton Abbey: A New Era revolve around the making of the silent movie in the film’s central location, other scenes occasionally falter. That’s because there’s not enough consequences for the characters for their thoughts, dilemmas and dreams. There is a relationship in the film between two males which is nicely portrayed though that bond too ends up in a seemingly happily ever after though the dialogue hints there could be some trouble in the future.

That picture that Dancy’s character is shooting eventually becomes a talkie and this makes for some fun sequences as Dockery is more than up to the task of adding the requisite elegance to the movie being shot and this movie being viewed. Many of the actors in the film so proudly wear their sophistication on their sleeves and the movie is all the more enjoyable as a result.

The most disappointing scene in this new picture comes when Myrna becomes angry that her voice is being replaced by someone else. Myrna breaks a piece of furniture that could be a prop in the movie they’re filming  or something valuable belonging to the main household of the picture. We never find out what she breaks. We also never find out much about how the disappointments of some of the characters affect them as human beings.

Still, though, Downton Abbey: A New Era might create some new fans to this franchise and the movie will certainly appeal to loyal enthusiasts of the original series.

Rating: 7.5/10

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