While it is true that the characters of the past never age, you will still be able to relate to some of their stories. Although these are tales from another era, you’ll understand what everyone was like during an earlier time period.
This tale begins in 1898 with Lady Mary (played by Michael Caine) returning home after attending Oxford for four years. Upon seeing her family again after being away for so long, she finds mother acting very strange and distant.
It eventually turns out that this is because Lady Mary’s husband – Mr Blake — had a serious case of depression before he died; something that severely affected his wife. This movie explores how much stress a married life can put upon someone and the effects it can have upon not just the individual but those around them.
The next scene shows us Carson (Craig Kelly), the servants’ hall servant, telling one of the other staff members about Mr Blake having passed away. He then goes on to tell him to find comfort elsewhere as there is no longer a need for him in the household due to this.
He leaves when approached by Thomas (Jack Patten). The main character of the show, who works at the local pub near the estate where all the families live. By day he is the publican serving drinks to locals and making friends. By night he is the owner and manager of a gambling den where he maintains control over the tables and helps his friend play poker.
Tips for watching the movie
Even if you’re not familiar with all the parts of the plot, there are some things that can be emphasized in the movie to make it clearer what is going on at each stage. Although many people feel that paring down the story into a few lines or scenes is much harder than covering a lot of background information, this is only true if you have very little interest or experience in reading novels or books.
The way forward would be to cover some basic ideas before jumping into the film. This will help you understand everything as the narrative progresses.
A common mistake made by first-time viewers is thinking that the characters’ conversations within the text depend primarily on their own perspective; therefore, they may think that every conversation sounds interesting from the viewer’s point of view. Humor plays an important role in keeping the audience engaged, so making sure that there are no gaps in the humor level is very crucial.
Who were the main characters?
Although it was first aired in 2010, we recently (in April) saw the release of the much anticipated final movie installment for season 1 of “Downton Abbey”.
Even though this episode aired before Christmas, there are still several plot points that fans may not be aware of. So let’s talk about them!
We learn that Lady Mary is engaged to Mr. Michael Gregson, who owns a coffee shop. It was set up by his brother, Harold. Unfortunately, due to an illness, she does not marry Mr. Gregson. She then marries Sir Robert Luce later in the year.
Robert has great expectations for her as he knows how hard she works at improving the situation of the servants. While she is kind-hearted and compassionate, some of these qualities may have come from her upbringing. She grows more human throughout the series, becoming stronger both emotionally and spiritually. By the end of the series, she sets off to make her own way in the world, become successful in her career, and help others.
Main themes of the movie
Even though it is set in today’s time, the story still applies to us from more than 100 years ago.
Many are saying that this film portrays an attitude similar to how women lived then compared to how they live now.
For example, we can see the lack of independence among the female characters in the film, such as Lady Mary being forced to give up her studies for cooking and cleaning, Rose losing her chance at attending college because she chooses to have an abortion, and Anna becoming a nurse instead of a surgeon due to her gender.
We also see a return to traditional roles for men, such as Mr. Ross not wanting to marry until his children are old enough and Lord Gentry choosing a quiet life for himself.
There were also many historical events that happened before the movie was made; therefore, they are relevant to the plot. For instance, the right to vote existed for white women, which means that these women could be given equal rights with men.
Also, since the early 20th century, there has been progression toward having stronger female roles in movies. For example, several horror films include women who take the lead in saving their comrades and find ways to defeat the male villains.
Finally, the independent streak that women have had for generations continues to increase. More women are starting businesses, publishing books, and getting involved in politics.
These characteristics show that attitudes towards women have changed over time. In addition
What can we learn from the movie?
The talented folks at PBS have been airing episodes of Downton Abbey since season 1, so I’ve become quite acquainted with this period of history. Originally, I was rather bored by it; however, each time I’d watch an episode there would be something that caught my attention. After catching up on the show, I realized that there are lessons we can learn from these characters. Here are some examples
Characters aside, the show is also very entertaining. There’s plenty of drama, intrigue, and romance. This era was defined by social norms, which meant that everyone had their place in the society. Individuals were expected to follow traditional roles and be responsible for their own care while their families worked together.
This era wasn’t easy for women, but they still learned how to take charge and go after what they wanted. Women today can look to these influential men as role models and see that they too could achieve their dreams if they work hard enough.
The more open our culture becomes, the more exposure people will have to different ideas, values, and beliefs. We can use this openness to empower others by showing them that they can pursue any dream no matter how big or small.
What is the overall feel of the movie?
The movie feels very period-focused, especially since many scenes were filmed at Osterley. In fact, there’s so much attention to detail that it felt as if I was watching a British historical drama or costume piece. There are quite a few plot points from the show, including Mr. Blake (Simon Nmann), Lord Gillingham (Matthew Graham) and Mrs. Hughes (Rosa Pulido).
It starts off with a lady’s arrival in the drawing room accompanied by her mother and two sisters. She comes flying down the stairs while leaning onto her stick and looking slightly scared. When she sees her father sitting in his study, she runs over to give him a hug.
Then we see the family dynamic between Mary (Michelle Pfeiffer), Matthew (Dan Frye), Carson (Jim Carter), Lady Edith (Penelope Ann Miller), Mama (Barbara Allen), Papa (Gerald McRaney), and Julia (Victoria Hamilton). Throughout the beginning, you get the sense that this family is stuck inside a rut and never leave their house/estate except to go to work every day.
But eventually they make some changes and begin to enjoy life outside of the confines of Downton.
Rating of the movie
It’s been reported that one of the main characters, Lady Mary, may die in the next episode they film. I really didn’t want to know this until I watched the filming, but thanks to Global News Twitter, I found out while watching the filming (I kept checking throughout the shooting).
So you can imagine my surprise when, about 20 minutes into the shoot, their were whispers around the set that someone had suffered an injury! Luckily for all involved, it was just a small accident so he/she was back soon enough.
It seems that somebody slipped and fell as there was some talk afterwards that they held onto a railing too tightly. He definitely injured his wrist pretty badly which is why he/she wasn’t able to do certain shots previously.
After seeing how seriously they took the fall, I think it would be very hard for him/her to continue acting if he/she already suffers from depression or anxiety.
Hopefully these rumors will stop because figuring out who did it seemed impossible.
Upcoming movies based on this year’s blockbuster
This week, millions of people are settling in to watch season three of Downton Abbey. What could be more fitting for such an iconic show than to have its legacy live-streamed on movie screens across the world? And what better way is there to enjoy one of the best period dramas ever created than by watching it from the comfort of your own home?
Not only that, but this year we also got two other major films set in the early 20th century; both being Mary Queen Of Scots and Suffragette. Both are highly anticipated as not only are these two projects set in acclaimed time periods, but they feature women at their peak – Moriarty and McBride respectively.
There’ll be plenty of plots involving political maneuvering, deceit, seduction or revenge. There’ll be drama, romance and intrigue – everything you need to propel a classic melodrama forward.
