Downton Abbey II : Une nouvelle ère

When Julian Fellowes won an Oscar twenty years ago for his original screenplay for Gosford Park, he surely had no idea that a few years later he would create a similarly-themed series phenomenon with two film sequels. Downton Abbey has already become a cult-classic in the field of historical costume dramas, and it was really nice to revisit the old familiar place after three years and see my favourite characters in new vicissitudes of life. In rating the film with full stars, I am of course influenced by being a fan of the series, and I generally like films of a similar genre. At times it can feel cheesy, as if it were a story from the romance novel in which you can guess the direction the plot will take – yet again, for two hours I was transported back less than a century, to a time of lavish mansions, stilted speech and gorgeous costumes. I liked that the film focuses on two storylines, each with its own charm – while the sunny south of France felt exotic, history was being made (albeit exaggeratedly) at the estate in the form of the transition from silent movies to talkies. This time around, the film didn't even do much introspection (compared to the first), but instead revealed the past while also closing in on the future of some of the characters. The Countess Dowager again provided the biggest helping of entertainment, as well as Carson and Moseley. Along with the humorous and historical-artistic line, there are, of course, many touching moments, which will leave die-hard fans caught in the "onion snare" all the more – even though the makers push the envelope a bit too hard at the end, it was simply a "touching" moment. One of the most powerful scenes in for me was the conversation between Mrs. Hughes and Thomas about his plight in life. Although there are a few minor issues (especially at the end), I was satisfied in the cinema and was once again swept up in the stories of my favourite characters. A weak five stars! (03/05/2022)

I was truly apprehensive about this film, as the previous one was a severe disappointment. Fortunately, it turns out that not even its creators (or producers) were happy with it, so they took a slightly different approach this time. The sentimentality (though present) didn't squirt at me from every single line of the script as if I were sitting in the front row of a bukkake show. Instead, the film succeeded in returning to the original atmosphere of the series. I’m really into films and series set in the English countryside. I don't exactly know why that is, but I don’t even mind the naivety and countless clichés, and I’m not even trying to be objective. After all, there’s no such thing as being objective. Be that as it may, the Brits managed to get on my good side, so I'm going to pretend that the previous film was a momentary lapse resulting from the screenwriter’s unsuitable diet and general dehydration. Although the film featured some suspiciously favorable circumstances, I did enjoy the whole thing and was even moved by the passing of my favorite character. Me! Can you believe it? Unprecedented... / Lesson learned: If you're going to leave, do it with grace. (08/10/2022)

A Series of Happy Accidents. Thanks to the new location, the spectacle is even more optimistic, which may not surpass the first film in terms of scale, but somehow miraculously manages to piece together episodes of many, many characters into two separate, functional bittersweet storylines, bridging (viewer) generations, and in a more British spirit than the British themselves, most likely definitively concluding the fates of this now legendary clan. Despite the tears, I did not take my eyes off the screen, and the smile never faded from my face. (27/05/2022)

The Crawleys have a problem. Two, actually. Hollywood filmmakers want to shoot a movie in their home and move in for a month. At the same time, they discover that they've inherited a villa in the south of France, and that’s due to their grandmother and her half-century-old secret. The second Downton Abbey: A New Era brings back the old charcters and the old attitude. A non-conflicting series full of great costumes, good actors, but also plots and stories that are not too complicated and do not distract from admiring the atmosphere of interwar England. Fans of the series will be pleased, casual cinema goers will get through it painlessly. But one wonders why anyone who doesn't know the series and its characters should go to see it. (27/04/2022)

I never would have expected the second Downton Abbey film to be a reverse homage to Anna Ondráková when Blackmail was filmed. But it happened and it's practically perfect. While the first film obligingly reached a happy ending even between the last splinter and the door handle, the second film was finally free to breathe and find new stories in a new era. A great era full of fantastic ideas. The advent of sound film, the SLR camera, discovering holidays in France... and, of course, the search for secrets in the past. The individual costumes and period details are a treat. And finally, Barrow got justice. In a word, beautiful. (17/05/2022)