Masterpiece Downton Original Version Season
Season one of Downton Abbey set a very high bar. Despite others calling this a 'soap opera', I watched with an open mind and am glad I did. One of my partner's best friends lives in the UK and told us to check this out. I have to say that I was impressed almost instantly. The show is amazingly beautiful. The setting is perfect, the costumes accurate, and the acting superlative.
This is not 'The Tudors' or some crap like that (no offense if you enjoy that program, but you probably won't like this program if you enjoy that one). This is stately, slow moving, and interesting social drama from 1910s and 1920s Britain high society. There are some 'plots' among the characters, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The crew did hire a historian to make sure that things were not getting too squirrely.
What we see is the inner working of a large estate seen mainly from the servants' points of view. We do get to know the aristocratic family, mainly the eldest daughter and the Lord, but we also get a delightful amount of screen time from an amazing Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess.
There are a lot of British subtleties here, and the first series deals with inheritance laws and such, so those not too familiar might be a little lost at first... but after the first episode that becomes the story in the background and the characters' relationships (friendships most often... very rarely romantic entanglements ensue - which was the norm back then) take center stage. There are a couple of servants who wish to 'move up' the ranks and they hatch some devious plots to discredit some of the more respected servants. The daughters all seem to have their own agenda and the eldest and middle daughter do connive against each other quite a lot with some pretty disastrous results.
Season two continues the story, but we are focused less on the inheritance and more on the effects of World War One on the people living and working in Downton. The show delves deeper into individual character's backgrounds and we finally see Vera in this season, who does a good job of becoming an important antagonist.
However, there is a little more melodrama and a bit of whining that gets old (looking at you Daisy!). The daughters are all well portrayed and they all seem to have matured in their own way. The eldest daughter was getting on my nerves a little bit in the first half of the first season, but in this season, her character is a delight to watch.
There are more surprises in this season, more of those catchy TV series moments that big budget American studios like to throw in... but this doesn't really detract from the overall quality and wonderful acting in this season. Compared to season one it is not quite as good, but compared to dozens of other dramas on television, this is head and shoulders above the rest. And also, this is not BBC, this is Masterpiece Classics. Not BBC.
Also of note, the clarity, even on the regular DVD version, is much better in this season. Even my DVD copy looks nearly HD. If I had known that, I would have sprung for the Blu-Ray. Oh well..No
Amazon doesn't list some important specifications so I'm just posting it here. I got them from the PBS website.
BalasHapusLength : 544 minutes on 3 Discs
Subtitles : Yes
Number of Programs : 9
Includes the Downton Abbey Christmas Special
As for season 2, it's pretty much more Downton Abbey. More Matthew/Mary, Mr. Bates/Anna, and more dastardly Miss O'Brien and Thomas. It's very interesting to see things start to change in the WW1 setting as well and some characters go through some big changes. The Christmas Special in particular is beautifully shot and makes me very excited for season 3 which has already been announced.
I cannot review this set, as it has not yet been released. But I can tell others that it is well worth the wait. Here in the UK we are on the 5th episode of 8 and are promised a Chrsitmas special as well. I hope that will be included in the US version, hence the February release. The story is set during World War I and there are some spectacular twists to the story! Those you love and those you love to hate are all back, with some new characters as well. The scripts are very well written, Maggie Smith has some fabulous lines! The costumes and scenery are again lush. I am enjoying this series so much I have pre-ordered this set for my brother in the US. If you loved series 1 and got involved with the characters you will love series 2 which continues their stories. It is a huge hit here and they are already talking about series 3, to be set in the 1920's.
BalasHapusUpdate: the DVD set has come out in the UK. I cannot know what will be on the US version, but the UK version has a section of deleted scenes. Have a look at them, some bits of the story make more sense. The reveiws here are mixed, as many thought it got too "soap opera" and predictable, while others felt it was unbelievable.
BalasHapusIf you were anticipating another great season then you won't be disappointed. My only concern is when will season 3 be released. There is no possible way Fellowes can resolve all of these mysteries and twist in the 8 series of season 2... get ready for season 3. This definately deserves a 5 out of 5
BalasHapusI LOVE DOWNTON ABBEY! When I read that the American PBS version was edited and in doing so they have left out portions of the story that gave it more cohesiveness and background I was on the hunt for the UK version. Problem number 1 was the UK DVD version won't play in the US because we are in a different "region"...bummer but I kept reading and searching (I'm not a techie I'm a Granny)and discovered that if I could find a Blu-ray version AND I had a Blu-ray player I could eliminate the "non-US region" problem...yippee....found a Sony Blu-ray Disc/DVD player BDP-S185 for $79 that works great on Amazon...and two UK suppliers (one that had Downton Abbey Series 1 Blu-ray
BalasHapusand another that had Downton Abbey Series 2 Blu-ray in the original uncut British versions). I was a little freaked out that it might take forever for delivery to arrive but no problem with "Factory Distributor" (an Amazon UK supplier) I ordered it Jan 30 and received it Feb 3!!!! That's faster than I've gotten deliveries sent from the same state and cheaper as shipping was only $2.98.
If live in the US and want to get the original versions here's one caveat. When you search Amazon it seems to take you to PBS versions even though you've specified British versions...look carefully at the pictures. The UK version does NOT say PBS on the cover and the DVD's jewel case is predominantly blue.
I've now seen the full Series/Season 2 of Downton Abbey, including the 2011 Christmas Special aired on Christmas Day in the UK, Downton Abbey continues to fascinate as the story lines mature and the characters evolve. It is, without a doubt, my favorite series in recent years and I would highly recommend watching Series/Season 2 on PBS beginning January 8 in the U.S. - and - purchasing the DVD for your collection. As Hugh Bonneville, who portrays Robert Crawley the Earl of Grantham, said in an interview - typically we know the outcome of a period drama but in the case of Downton Abbey it's Original writing which makes it even more compelling to watch - it's refreshed the entire period drama genre. I agree and I highly recommend Downton Abbey!
BalasHapusThis is a really good show. I enjoyed being introduced to the family in season 1 and am interested to see how they fare through WWI. You can watch season 2 for FREE on PBS.com. I highly recommend going there instead of paying for it on Amazon.
BalasHapusSeason one of Downton Abbey set a very high bar. Despite others calling this a 'soap opera', I watched with an open mind and am glad I did. One of my partner's best friends lives in the UK and told us to check this out. I have to say that I was impressed almost instantly. The show is amazingly beautiful. The setting is perfect, the costumes accurate, and the acting superlative.
BalasHapusThis is not 'The Tudors' or some crap like that (no offense if you enjoy that program, but you probably won't like this program if you enjoy that one). This is stately, slow moving, and interesting social drama from 1910s and 1920s Britain high society. There are some 'plots' among the characters, but nothing too out of the ordinary. The crew did hire a historian to make sure that things were not getting too squirrely.
What we see is the inner working of a large estate seen mainly from the servants' points of view. We do get to know the aristocratic family, mainly the eldest daughter and the Lord, but we also get a delightful amount of screen time from an amazing Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess.
There are a lot of British subtleties here, and the first series deals with inheritance laws and such, so those not too familiar might be a little lost at first... but after the first episode that becomes the story in the background and the characters' relationships (friendships most often... very rarely romantic entanglements ensue - which was the norm back then) take center stage. There are a couple of servants who wish to 'move up' the ranks and they hatch some devious plots to discredit some of the more respected servants. The daughters all seem to have their own agenda and the eldest and middle daughter do connive against each other quite a lot with some pretty disastrous results.
Season two continues the story, but we are focused less on the inheritance and more on the effects of World War One on the people living and working in Downton. The show delves deeper into individual character's backgrounds and we finally see Vera in this season, who does a good job of becoming an important antagonist.
However, there is a little more melodrama and a bit of whining that gets old (looking at you Daisy!). The daughters are all well portrayed and they all seem to have matured in their own way. The eldest daughter was getting on my nerves a little bit in the first half of the first season, but in this season, her character is a delight to watch.
There are more surprises in this season, more of those catchy TV series moments that big budget American studios like to throw in... but this doesn't really detract from the overall quality and wonderful acting in this season. Compared to season one it is not quite as good, but compared to dozens of other dramas on television, this is head and shoulders above the rest. And also, this is not BBC, this is Masterpiece Classics. Not BBC.
Also of note, the clarity, even on the regular DVD version, is much better in this season. Even my DVD copy looks nearly HD. If I had known that, I would have sprung for the Blu-Ray. Oh well..No
The greatly anticipated second series of Downton Abbey picks up two years on from the first series in 1916, in the middle of World War 1. Downton Abbey has been converted into a convalescent home for injured servicemen and the action covers the period from the Battle of the Somme up to the end of the war. As in the first series, topical events of the period, political, economic and military are covered.
BalasHapusThe wartime scenario and the convalescent home setting provide an excellent background for some interesting story lines. The combination of excellent plot lines, great acting and the superb setting display all that is best in TV period drama. This time round we have eight more episodes to add to the seven in the first series. As befits wartime, the costumes are not as flamboyant as in the first series but they are thoroughly researched and appropriate to the period.
There continue to be many superb individual performances but mention must be made of Maggie Smith. What a stroke of genius to cast her as Violet. She dominates every scene she appears in and often has some very funny lines.
This DVD includes the Downton Abbey 2 hour Christmas Special which is probably the single best episode of Downton Abbey to date. High drama here with a cliffhanging murder trial as well as the usual romance, drama, betrayal etc one would expect!
The UK has a long tradition of producing fine period dramas and this is the most successful since the early 1980s when Brideshead Revisited: 30th Anniversary Edition took the world by storm. Peak viewing figures in the UK are 11m which is an astounding number for that market. It is pleasing to learn that a third series is already planned and we now know that this will cover an 18 month period from 1920 to 1921. This one is likely to run and run and I would not be surprised to see Downton Abbey continuing up to the 1930s eventually.