"Downton Abbey" presents a sharp, radiant dramatization of class boundaries and family ties in pre-World War I England in which characters play traditional roles. The film traces the intrigue and uncertainty that accompanied social change in this era, when the power of the traditional English hierarchy began to crumble.
The miniseries was penned by acclaimed screenwriter Julian Fellowes, best known for his Academy Award-winning script for the 2001 film "Gosford Park." Although "Downton Abbey" is not quite as biting or decadently immoral as "Gosford Park," the series is characterized by similar candor and wit. Fellowes contributes his signature clever banter, with the actors amusing and engaging the audience in every scene. The miniseries begins with one fateful 1912 morning when news of the Titanic's sinking reaches England. When the distinguished Crawley family learns that the two principal heirs of their estate have died aboard the fatal ship, they are immediately stricken with grief, and plenty of scheming follows.
In contrast to the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), who wants to remain loyal to the entail after the death of his relatives, Grantham's mother (Maggie Smith, better known as Professor McGonagall), enlists the help of his American wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), to secure the estate for her granddaughter. However, because women have little power in this world, the inheritance passes to Grantham's third cousin, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), a progressive young man with modern ideas. Deceit, calculation and intrigue inevitably ensue.
One of the miniseries' strengths is that the camera spends as much time documenting the action downstairs in the servants' quarters as upstairs among the nobles and earls. Everyone has their say, and Fellowes gives the maids, valets, footmen and cooks considerable influence in the storyline. A footman gets involved in a romantic and ominous affair with a house guest, while a young maid hides a typewriter from view with the hope that she can become a secretary and leave service for an independent life. Everyone seems to have a secret at Downton, and each mystery unfolds at an expert pace.
The series is so affecting in part because it boasts expert performances from a collection of extraordinary British actors. Stevens is convincing as a middle-class outsider bewildered by the social norms of Downton, while Bonneville exudes generosity and strength as the Earl of Grantham (although it is a bit disappointing that his character never shows a darker side, as Bonneville has played some great villains in past roles).
However, the series really belongs to Smith, who steals every scene as the plotting and overbearing Dowager Countess. In one particularly delightful moment, Matthew mentions that he gets weekends off from work, prompting Violet to respond, her voice dripping with condescension, "What's a weekend?" Smith has played the role of the snobby society woman many times before (in "Gosford Park," for example). However, Smith's performance in "Downton Abbey," marked by impeccable timing and stern expressions, reveals new dimensions of her comic ability.
Mirroring his past success in "Gosford Park," Fellowes masterfully interweaves social satire, subtle profundity and genuine emotion through the complex storyline of "Downton Abbey."
Thanks to Fellowes' nuanced script, we don't just feel pity for the servants, whose livelihoods rely entirely on their privileged employers, but for the Crawleys themselves a family trapped at the top of a rigid social hierarchy. This dynamic is exemplified most powerfully in the plight of the eldest Crawley daughter, whose futile yearning for independence leaves her sorrowful and bitter. In the end, all women whether they reside upstairs or downstairs at the Crawley estate must face the sad realities of the time period.
Thus, Fellowes shows us that every character, no matter how uneducated or affluent, is caged by some internal or external force. The result is magnificently entertaining and thought-provoking television.
The last episode of the four-part miniseries "Downton Abbey" airs Sunday at 9 p.m. on PBS. The other three episodes are available for free viewing at the Masterpiece Classic website until Feb. 22.
