Downton Abbey

First Hit: This film attempted to be significant in scope and ended up small and lacked being an engaging story.

I never watched any of this series on television as every preview just looked trite and uninteresting. Although I cannot speak for the series, the film was mostly dull and certainly wasn’t worth my time. I guess there’s a real group of people who feel different because there were two women in front of me, purchasing tickets, dressed up in costume from the era.

Most of the film revolves around how the Downton Abbey house staff dislikes being replaced by the royal team when the King and Queen of England (Simon Jones and Geraldine James respectively) come to spend a night at the house. For the staff, it is about personal pride in themselves and their abilities to serve the royals. Without much background I found this trite.

Then there is the discussion around who will get Downton Abbey. Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) wants her grandchild to run the show after she’s gone. But unknown to her, her younger sister Maude (Imelda Staunton) had a child (Lucy Smith played by Tuppence Middleton) out of wedlock who is the rightful heir. That drama plays out in a couple of sarcastic and quippy conversations. My internal response to these scenes was that they were tired and “so what.”

The most exciting set of scenes were about how gay men had their own bawdy nightclub, and it was raided by the police. As being publicly gay in England was illegal at the time, it was interesting to see how the men handled it and how they were able to connect with each other given society’s norms.

Despite the grandeur of Downton Abbey in many of the long-range shots, I found the scenes and sets less engaging and somewhat drab. The whole story about a thieving seamstress had little value.

I don’t think any of the actors are worth a mention because the whole film felt flat, fell flat, and reaffirmed why I did not choose to watch the television series. Julian Fellowes wrote a tiresome screenplay that might interest a small segment of the population, but I couldn’t engage. I’m not sure even the fans of the television series would find this story of any interest. Michael Engler directed this tiresome story in a lackluster way.

Overall: Simply uninteresting.

The Chaperone

First Hit: In its own way, I really enjoyed the way societal subjects are addressed in this story.

The story takes place in and around the 1930s (and later) and begins in Wichita, Kansas goes to New York City and then back to Kansas.

Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern) is reluctantly attending a party set up to present Myra Brooks’ (Victoria Hill) daughter Louise (Haley Lu Richardson), in a modern dance recital.

There is tension in Norma between her and her husband Alan (Campbell Scott) along with a social awkwardness that Norma carries in the gathered groups.

During the recital, Norma overhears Myra tell someone that she is looking for a chaperone for her daughter’s upcoming trip to New York to take classes at the Denishawn School of Dance.

Although the audience finds out later, we’re not clear at that moment why Norma is drawn to and wants to take on this responsibility of becoming Louise’s Chaperone. At the first meeting of Norma and Louise, we are treated to the blossoming curiosity and know-it-all attitude of this young seventeen-year-old girl.

The trip to New York by train shows where this film will go; respect, disagreements, and friendship.

The story flows quite nicely and has fun moments, but what struck me was how it addressed, infidelity, gay relationships, adoption, parenting, family dynamics, sexual assault, fame, racism, and other societal issues that we are still addressing today. This is the treasure of this film.

McGovern was superlative in this role, and her face, when she meets her mother for the first time, is priceless. Watching the inward feelings change as the conversation progresses was subtle and powerful. Richardson was fantastic in the role of a dancer who was wise beyond her years. She carried the wisdom of her past and the challenge of youth, wonderfully. Hill, as Louise’s mother, was impressive. I liked that it made sense for her daughter to be the way she was because of how she was raised by Myra. Blythe Danner as Mary O’Dell was excellent. You could just feel how she wanted to both acknowledge her past but to keep it separate from her present. Scott was excellent as Norma’s troubled husband doing his best to live with his truth. Geza Rohrig as Joseph, the man who was the nun’s handyman was outstanding. His understanding and compassion were bright spots in the story. Andrew Burnap as Floyd, the fountain bar worker, was good. Julian Fellowes wrote a progressive screenplay that covered so many exciting topics. Michael Engler got fantastic performances from the cast and created an interesting and thoroughly enjoyable movie.

Overall: This film may not seem like much, but if you dig deeper, the audience is in for a real treat.