Taking a story from a
television series to a movie can present hurdles for screenwriters and
directors, especially if they do not fully appreciate the qualitative
differences between a movie and a television series. To be sure, well-crafted
series such as Downton Abbey, The Crown, Game of Thrones, and House of Cards
had narrowed the difference in terms of quality. Even so, a narrative limited
to around two hours of play time is different than a narrative meant to be
on-going. The financial resources are also more concentrated in the making of a
film than an ongoing series (even if it ends after five or six years). I submit,
therefore, that Julian Fellowes, the producer and screenwriter of both the
Downton series and movie, erred in hiring a director of the series, Michael
Engler, to direct the movie. Just because he had directed (just) four episodes
of the series does not mean that he knew how to direct a movie. A seasoned
movie director would have been a better choice.
That Fellowes did not replace a television director with a movie director is especially glaring given the salience of replacing a less-experienced or "lower" person (or entire staff!) with a more seasoned or "higher" one in the film's narrative. Robert Crawley,
the Earl of Grantham, replaces Thomas Barrow, who just a year or so earlier had
been promoted butler, with Mr. Carson, the retired seasoned butler, during the
royal visit. Moreover, the palace replaces Downton servants with royal servants
for the visit. Both moves make sense.
Firstly, a house’s own cook (or aristocrat) could poison the king. Because one assassination attempt is highlighted in the movie, I’m not sure why Fellowes did not write the rationale into the script. Given that he did not, I’m not sure why he (and the director) did not give Mrs. Patmore, the Downton cook, more of a fit as she confronts a royal cook taking over the Downton kitchen.
Secondly, as the Downton staff
is star-struck by the presence of the king and queen, and mistakes or gaffes
are more likely if nerves are fraught. Mr. Molesley, for instance, is so
nervous that he loses control of himself while serving the dinner table. The close
proximity of the king and queen makes that situation so different from the usual
that Molesley blurts out a secret and, when he realizes this, he curtsies to the royal couple.
Replacements, therefore, are
salient in the film. Why, then, didn’t Julian Fellowes replace a
television-series director (of Sex in the City, Six Feet Under, and 30 Rock)
with a director having experience directing movies? Fellowes may have been
impressed with Engler’s direction of four episodes of Downton Abbey, but being
a good television director does not translate into being a seasoned movie
director. To the extent that television is common and the movie genre as aristocratic (e.g., The Academy of Motion Pictures and its gold Oscar awards), Fellowes failed to grasp the upside in his replacement-motif in his screenplay.
Julian Fellowes had written
and acted in several films and television series. In fact, he received an Oscar
for screenwriting on Gosford Park (2005). As he was no doubt knowledgeable in
how writing for a series differs from screenwriting, I was surprised to find
the dialogue pattern less extended in the film. As noted above, Mrs. Patmore’s
rants are notably missing, especially
with her kitchen being taken over by a foreigner. So too is Thomas Barrow’s
scheming, which could be expected to make a brief return to protest the Earl of
Grantham bringing back Mr. Carson as butler during the visit (only for Mr.
Wilson of the palace to replace him!). Even given Carson’s penchant for
hierarchy, it is too easy for Wilson—also a servant!—to take Carson down.
Gone too is the sibling
rivalry between Lady Edith and Lady Mary—perhaps though because Mary respects her
younger sister now that she is of a higher aristocratic rank. Character
development and changed relationships since the series left off are good for
the overall narrative, including that of the movie. This does not apply,
however, to the truncated exchanges between the Dowager Countess (Violet
Crowley) and Isobel Merton (mother of Lady Mary’s first husband). Indeed, the
platitudes coming out of Violet’s mouth were fewer, less good, and even stilted.
One platitude was even about saying platitudes! Had the two reached a
meta-level? I expected better platitudes in the movie than in
the series. Moreover, Violet’s vitriol toward her cousin, who is refusing to
make the Earl of Grantham her heir, seems muted. Maggie Smith could have
shined. Also, Fellowes could have had the Earl of Grantham overhear his mother,
the Dowager Countess, telling Lady Mary of the bad medical news, especially given
that Violet tells her granddaughter that the fate of Downton Abbey is in her hands,
rather than those of her father, Violet’s son, who presumably has done a
lackluster job. A similar scenario wherein Robert is astonished at his mother
is in the television series at several points.
In the movie, Robert Crowley,
the earl, as well as his wife Cora have noticeably few lines and nothing
dramatic. A good example is the truncated exchange in which Robert admits he is
excited about the royal visit even if saying as much sounds common. His wife
Cora, an American, replies that he can get away with making such a common
statement to an American. None of the tension between Robert and Cora regarding
her being an American exists, unlike in the series and yet nothing accounts for any resolution having occurred. The
dialogue between the two is so short it comes off as stilted. You say something, then it’s my turn,
rather than a conversation.
In short, the movie comes
across as less well made than the series. Fellowes’ decision to use a television
director and perhaps not enough work on the script itself were, I submit,
problematic especially given that a movie rather than a television series was
being made. It is as if someone took the air out of sails in the making of the
movie. I expected better writing, especially given that Julian Fellowes had
received an Oscar for screenwriting. I have sung in several choirs. I’ve been
amazed at how different the actual concerts are from even the dress rehearsals,
which are often better. The conductor, singers, and crew are typically so
nervous during the concerts that everything seems rushed, and thus must impact
the quality of the singing. I know I’ve taken fewer risks during concerts, and
my air-flow is more restricted. I don’t “belt it out,” and am consequently less
satisfied after a concert. The Downton crew, including the producer, director,
screenwriter, and actors, must surely have been excited to make Downton into a
movie, even though the screenwriter and many of the actors had worked in movies
rather than merely television. In this case, the movie-making was compromised
even relative to the television series.
