My personal love for Downton Abbey had died a quiet death alongside Matthew Crawley after season 3’s Christmas Special. I finished the series, of course, but it was never quite the same without him. I had to see the movie, especially after the trailer showed the plot was based around a royal visit by King George V and Queen Mary.
The movie picks up in 1927 – about a year and a half after the end of the series. Lady Mary, who was pregnant at the end of the series, has given birth to a daughter named Caroline. There is much excitement both upstairs and downstairs when a letter comes from Buckingham Palace, informing them that the King and Queen are coming to stay. Naturally, the servants rebel against being replaced by the royal servants who arrive well in advance. It’s an amusing storyline which cumulates in Mr Molesley making a fool of himself when he accidentally addresses the King. The better storyline is, of course, that of the King and Queen’s daughter Princess Mary who is having marital trouble. Though there may be some truth in the storyline (after all, doesn’t every marriage have trouble at some point?), Mary’s marriage was considered to be a love match. I especially liked the actress (Kate Phillips) who portrayed Mary.
Though the movie has quite a few storylines (Queen Mary’s servant is a kleptomaniac, Barrow arrested in a gar bar etc.), all seemed to be solved rather quickly, and it felt a little weak. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the trip back into time, and it was lovely seeing all my favourite characters again.
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