Downton Abbey: A New Era

 Downton Abbey transplanted Jullian Fellowes' ITV series onto the Big Screen to pretty good results. The Crawley family is ready for your acquaintance in their cinematic follow-up, Downton Abbey: A New Era. And they have a problem on two fronts:

Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith), has just been willed a French Villa by a former lover, Marquis de Montmirail. Violet is too ill to travel, so Lord Robert (Hugh Bonneville), former butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and a few others, head there in her place. The new Marquis (Jonathan Zaccai) drops a relative bombshell on the unsuspecting Lord Grantham. Meanwhile, Countess Cora (Elizabeth McGovern, whose husband Simon Curtis is the director) announces that she may not be long for this world either.

On the home front, the abbey is occupied by a film crew shooting their newest silent melodrama, The Gambler. The Upstairs welcome the handsome sum with which they can renovate the Abbey. The Downstairs crew is especially starstruck by leading lady Myrna Dalgeish (Laura Haddock), though not with her spoiled demeanor. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and former footman Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) come to the rescue when The Gambler needs emergency talkie surgery. Leading man Guy Baxter (Dominic West) offers butler Thomas (Robert James-Collier) a compelling proposition. Director Jack Barber (Hugh Dancy) offers Lady Mary one of his own.

Needless to say, there's a lot going on in this 125-minute film. Surprisingly, the easiest bits to follow are call-backs to the show. We get Lady Mary, for instance, describing how her first husband (Dan Stevens in the first three seasons) died the day their son was born. It's a compelling scene even if you haven't caught up on your Downton. A few character threads from the first film were easy to remember. But Lady Cora's terminal subplot is lost in the shuffle and turns out to be a false alarm. Still, fan or not, you'll feel something when Violet finally expires - especially after her choice of last words.

The home front is essentially a British take on Singin' in the Rain. The revelation will hit you full force once you know where it's going. But you'll like where it's going. In particular, Myrna is a cockney deconstruction of the older film's Lina Lamont. She's a raging prima donna who is painfully aware that she's not "star material." But she doesn't see herself as anything else but a star. Lady Mary and the Downstairs crew eventually turn her life around with some support. It's a surprisingly strong characterization for this character type. All in all, The Gambler's troubled production is an entertaining affair.

Andrew Dunn's cinematography is the technical highlight of the film. Whether it's the colorful French Villa, the opening fisheye aerial shots, or Downton itself, his work is splendorous. Credit also goes to production designer Donal Woods for visualizing the appealing locales. Our first glimpse of Downton is made majestic when John Lunn's classic theme kicks in. There's some surprisingly good sound work when The Gambler's dubbing begins. The playback is just too clean.

Downton Abbey: A New Era is another fine showcase for its massive ensemble. It eases you into the show's lore pretty well. A few subplots - other than the one I mentioned - can get lost in the shuffle. Its new characters are welcome additions to the Downton world. There's enough to appeal to new fans and veterans alike. Who knows if this is the last we'll hear of the Crawleys. If it is, it's a good second sendoff for them. It's worth at least a watch; you'll have to decide when and where.