《唐顿庄园》

“Downton Abbey” is a spinoff* from the PBS series of the same name, which picks up the saga* of the high-born British Crawley family and their mostly loyal servants in 1927 — about 15 years on from when the story started with the 1912 sinking of the Titanic.

The movie starts at an exciting moment. A letter arrives from Buckingham Palace announcing that King George V (Simon Jones) and Queen Mary (Geraldine James) will be coming to stay for a night on a tour of Yorkshire, before they visit their daughter Princess Mary (Kate Phillips) and her husband Lord Lascelles (Andrew Havill) at nearby Harewood House. There will also be a parade through the town and display of equestrian* skill at the village green.

The spreading of the news allows for an introductory montage* as each character is called by name and indirectly introduced so that new audiences can get a rough grip on who’s who.

As the silver gets polished and the carpets are beaten, several major subplots come up. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), a woman ahead of her time and true heir apparent, is co-running the household and estate in partnership with her widowed brother-in-law Tom Branson (Allen Leech), while Mary’s somewhat stupid parents Robert (Hugh Bonneville) and Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) smile from the sidelines. Seeing that Barrow the butler (Robert James-Collier) is struggling with the preparations, Mary makes a decision to bring back Carson (Jim Carter) from retirement,  to Barrow’s chagrin*.

However, the Downton staff have their own noses put out of joint* when an advance group of royal servants arrive and start issuing orders like they own the place. Worst of all, it appears that the royal staff will be the ones to serve the formal dinner when the King and Queen eat with the Crawleys. Even Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol), Downton’s cook, is knocked aside so that a French chef (Phillippe Spall) can take over the range.

Upstairs, there’s just as much trouble afoot.

Near the top of the social order, the dowager Countess Violet (Smith) has a bee in her bonnet* about the fact that distant relative Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), one of the queen’s ladies in waiting who will be visiting, has no obvious heir and therefore should be leaving her wealth to Violet’s son, Robert. But Maud seems to favor her own maid, Lucy (Tuppence Middleton), who strikes up a friendship with Tom Branson.

(SD-Agencies)