Initially, the plan was to include my adventures at my first BFI London Film Festival as part of a wrap up of what turned out to be a rather eventful October. But I changed my mind. So, over this and the next few posts, I will lay out some of the hits (and misses) from the films that I saw.
First, let me share a summary of my general impressions of the festival overall.
Sitting here it has dawned upon me that I have not shared my thoughts about Downton Abbey, the motion picture. Perhaps inspired by a recent tweet I wholeheartedly co-signed, I decided to forge ahead and share my impressions.
It definitely has been at least a few weeks since its release and what needs to be said about it has already been, But here we go anyway!
If I am to be completely honest, I have to readily admit that Downton Abbey is not what many would consider to be an actual film. Besides some sweeping establishing drone shots, this could have been just as well viewed in the luxury and comfort of my living room. That said – I kind of expected this anyway. For Downton Abbey – like a few other small-to-big screen incarnations which presently escape my memory – is nothing more than an exercise in providing its devoted fans of the series (such as myself) a last hurrah. On that account it gets full marks.
And sure, some bits of dialogue left me scratching my head. The plot was largely implausible and never was an accurate or authentic account of the actual domestic situation experienced by the Edwardian landed gentry and their servants, but ultimately, that is not what I came here for. I came to watch some familiar faces and places and to watch Isobel and Violet exchange some biting yet entertaining his with one another. That they did.
At the end of the day, what is most apparent is that the people both in front of and behind the camera were having a blast and wanted to make sure that anyone who has laughed, cried and everything in between with the Crawleys for the greater part of this last decade did the same. Even if it does not suit everyone’s taste, it works well enough for me. And if you ever found yourself drawn to this story, you are well served by spending a couple of spare hours and catching up with the conclusion to the story.
If you have already seen it, let me know your thoughts below.
Watching It: Chapter Two proved to be a very interesting experience for me. Let me start at the end.
As the credits commenced, the first words uttered from my mouth were, “I preferred the first one.” My moviegoing partner simply nodded in agreement.
Nearly two weeks later, I stand by this assessment. Chief among them is that “Its” predecessor had a wonderful nostalgia assigned to it. The setting and the kids’ performances were unexpected and refreshing. That said, I do remember that at the time, while I was looking forward to the sequel, I did have some trepidation about the second half of the epic Stephen King adaptation.
