The anti-snobbery of “Downton Abbey”
Julian Fellowes, the creator and writer of “Downton Abbey,” doesn’t take long to say what he thinks is the message of his smash television drama.
“I think the—well, not even the subtext, the supertext—of ‘Downton,’ ” he says not five minutes after we sit down for coffee Monday morning at the Savoy Hotel in central London, “is that it is possible for us all to get on, that we don’t have to be ranged in class warfare permanently—that for the general public, the fact that people are leading different lives with different economic realities and different expectations is perfectly cope-able with.
“If you can’t deal with that,” he continues, “then your life would be unlivable. And I think politicians try to encourage us to think in a hostile sense [of] people who have a different circumstance to our own. Which I find very unproductive and uncreative.”
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For the longest time I thought it was called Downtown Abbey. Never seen it. Is it worth my time?
Mark1971 on February 2, 2013 at 10:13 PM
Definitely. Both my wife and I like it, and that takes something. Mostly, it is very well written and acted, but the story makes you think without offending.
Count to 10 on February 2, 2013 at 10:21 PM
it’s definitely a soap opera, but it looks beautiful and the actors are good
commodore on February 2, 2013 at 10:29 PM
It’s basically a soap opera for people who find normal soap operas tedious and dull. The actors are generally very good (lots of them are veterans of the British tv circuit) and the script is reasonably well written, and the sets and costumes are wonderful.
Actually what’s funny about this interview is that the show has been criticized by people who think class warfare is everything for showing the characters of all the different social strata more or less getting along well together because it doesn’t agree with their narrative.
/Squee, new episode tomorrow. :3
DangerHighVoltage on February 2, 2013 at 10:29 PM
OK. Netflix has is. I’ll get the first DVD and check it out.
Mark1971 on February 2, 2013 at 10:31 PM
They are also not squeamish about killing off characters.
Count to 10 on February 2, 2013 at 10:36 PM
“I think America has dealt with—I mean, this is simplistic and of course I don’t live in America—but the impression I get is that there is not a kind of obligation to dislike those who are better off or be frightened of those who are worse off . . . The Americans, I think, are better at seeing themselves as a kind of community—that the important thing is to be American.”
I’d like to think it was true….
ChrisL on February 2, 2013 at 10:38 PM
great show…
dangitt on February 2, 2013 at 10:51 PM
I think it is a matter of relative extent. It’s so prevalent in Europe that a level sufficient to, say, get Obama elected, barely even registers to Europeans.
Count to 10 on February 2, 2013 at 10:54 PM
Yeppers. I watched this season’s last episode today (got it early).
Resist We Much on February 2, 2013 at 11:21 PM
Very good show. My wife and I love it.
Weight of Glory on February 2, 2013 at 11:22 PM
My jaw dropped last week. Complete shock.
Weight of Glory on February 2, 2013 at 11:25 PM
That’s why I love it.
Gelsomina on February 2, 2013 at 11:55 PM
I rarely watch movies. Don’t watch a lot of TV. Almost never watch dramas (except when they’re disguised as sci-fi).
I love this show! (And love Suchet’s Poirot, too. Also, Sherlock…I guess what I’m trying to say is that Masterpiece and MMysteries are pretty awesome. BBC sucks at news, but they have better writing and acting than any American network.
Me, too! (Actually teared up a little during the key scene. Then was laughing at myself for an hour after the show ended.) Horrific scene.
RedCrow on February 2, 2013 at 11:55 PM
Forgot “Zen”. That was also very, very good.
And, “Wallander”. Excellent!
(Lol–see what I’m getting at?)
RedCrow on February 2, 2013 at 11:56 PM
Seasons 1 and 2 were very good.
I found season 3 to be wanting however. In the last episode of s3 there was an almost pathetic, predictable gimmick.
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 12:32 AM
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 12:32 AM
Feel like reminding me?
RedCrow on February 3, 2013 at 12:33 AM
Idk if you’re serious. But I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 12:35 AM
Oh, yeah! This is season three.
I just watched the latest episode tonight, online.
Give me a hint at the pathetic gimmick?
(Am I so stupid that I missed the gimmick?!?)
RedCrow on February 3, 2013 at 12:39 AM
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 12:35 AM
PS-Did you see Sherlock, Zen, or Wallander?
RedCrow on February 3, 2013 at 12:40 AM
SPOILER ALERT
A main character died at the end. I knew it as soon as things started to look up for everyone. For me it felt really gimmicky because I thought s3 was quite a bit slower and drawn-out than the previous seasons; as if they needed wake the audience back up.
And I am a fan of Sherlock, although I thought they did a poor job of portraying Moriarty, especially in the last episode. Moriarty (as written by Sir AC Doyle) is not suicidal, and not nearly so transparently psychotic. (I’m really liking CBS’s Elementary so far too)
Haven’t seen Zen or Wallander.
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 1:02 AM
That DA episode was #9, “A Journey to the Highlands” I believe.
Since it’s BBC, “the last episode” could be different depending on where you watch it.
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 1:06 AM
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 1:02 AM
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 1:06 AM
Ah! The horrific scene was your “gimmick”. Perhaps I shouldn’t dwell on the word, but–to me–it wasn’t in any way a gimmick. I was actually a bit shocked because up until that point, everything always worked out fine for assorted Crawley’s. All of a sudden, something very bad happens.
For me, Sherlock is a great show. I like that they’re not constrained to a strict adherence to Doyle. I.e. Moriarty might just be a suicidal psychopath, in today’s world. I love the sexual ambiguity of Sherlock, and the discomfort of Watson–quite funny.
Zen–You missed Rufus Sewell, who was great, and AMAZING cinematography around Rome.
Wallander–You missed Kenneth Branaugh, and AMAZING cinematography in Sweden(?)…Ah, well–Somewhere in Scandinavia.
Anyway, nice talking to ya.
RedCrow on February 3, 2013 at 1:20 AM
That was Sybil’s death, right? There’s more.
Resist We Much on February 3, 2013 at 1:30 AM
Heh. I tend to think of Sherlock (both in Doyle’s and BBC’s versions) as asexual, with one exception (that one woman).
Watson’s discomfort is timeless.
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 1:34 AM
Yeah. Quite a bit I believe.
Free Constitution on February 3, 2013 at 1:36 AM
It has a beautiful dog’s butt that begins each episode. That is all.
It’s pretty but silly. Fellowes’ Gosford Park was more accurate — hard work, mistreatment, and if you were female, rape by your employer.
Blake on February 3, 2013 at 1:41 AM
I’d agree–Sherlock is/was asexual. (Maybe–it’s not a puzzle, so it doesn’t matter/is irrelevant?)
I’ve liked Martin Freeman (Watson) in everything I’ve seen him in. He was the “Jim” role in Gervais’s The Office, and plays Bilbo in the upcoming The Hobbit.
RedCrow on February 3, 2013 at 1:47 AM
I liked Zen – I did not like Wallender.
Blake on February 3, 2013 at 2:11 AM
I liked Zen – I did not like Wallender.
Blake on February 3, 2013 at 2:11 AM
No on the Wallander? Why?
RedCrow on February 3, 2013 at 2:13 AM
I thought it was called Downtown Abbey. Whoops.
SoulGlo on February 3, 2013 at 3:13 AM
couldn’t get past the first episode. boring.
unseen on February 3, 2013 at 6:58 AM
LOVE Downton Abbey….its a chick thing
i’m a junkie for period pieces…
cmsinaz on February 3, 2013 at 7:34 AM
love Sherlock as well….heard it was coming back fall of 2013…
cmsinaz on February 3, 2013 at 7:35 AM
That last one was the *Christmas* episode over here in Downton-land. Lots of complaints. I mean, couldn’t they have waited until the start of the new season to lay a downer on us?
S. Weasel on February 3, 2013 at 7:59 AM
heard about it…was quite surprised about the death…dang it..
cmsinaz on February 3, 2013 at 8:06 AM
I got hooked on it fairly recently. Watched Season One on Netflix. Then I just HAD to see Season Two, so I bought it on iTunes ( right before they re-aired it on PBS). I’m enjoying Season Three, but those 1920′s clothes really are not flattering on anyone.
There is so little on TV that is worth watching, Downton Abbey is a standout.
Naturally Curly on February 3, 2013 at 8:09 AM
You might want to check out this article on how to be a man while watching it, though…
lyons8804 on February 3, 2013 at 8:13 AM
yepper…
cmsinaz on February 3, 2013 at 8:15 AM
My wife likes the show, so I tried to watch the first episode. It was okay- sort of a Victorian soap opera, but they lost me when a male butler started to make out with a male house guest. Pass.
Scott P on February 3, 2013 at 9:01 AM
I’ve just recently become a Downton Abbey addict. When Season 3 started I tried to watch it but couldn’t really figure out what was going on. Went on a Season 1 marathon via Netflix and when I finished was dismayed to learn that they did not have season 2 just as I was prepared to watch it late one evening. OMG, the withdrawal
Went out and bought the CD for season 2 (the only DVD I have ever purchased) and I’m halfway through. It it is like a soap opera (and I typically loathe soap operas) but it’s like reading a great book that you don’t want to end. Superb ensemble cast, riveting plot, beautiful scenery, history- just love it. My only complaint is I can’t stand Elizabeth McGovern’s accent.
Recently Fox did a segment on it they talked about how it is really a very “conservative” show. Certainly very different from clichéd melodramas like Titanic, where the rich are demonized and the poor are candidates for sainthood. The Earl of Grantham could not be a more sympathetic, attractive figure, and the upper echelon servants are all noble characters.
Buy Danish on February 3, 2013 at 9:40 AM
‘Downton’ is exceptionally well done. From the acting to the writing to the cinematography, it’s really just a welcome reprieve from all the inane codswallop (sorry, but that’s the only accurate word I can come up with) that inhabits most of our reality-laden cable channels these days. Every few months a well done show has its run and our house becomes the gathering place for all our friends that night. Right now it’s ‘Downton,’ in a few months it will be ‘Game of Thrones’ and then not long after that the second half of the final season of ‘Breaking Bad’ (which if you haven’t seen it you are missing a phenomenol show.) ‘The Walking Dead’ has its moments and I enjoy it but I wouldn’t rate it quite as high as the others.
‘Sherlock’ is in a category all its own, in my opinion. I was hooked ten minutes into ‘A Study in Pink.’ Because Season Three won’t air here in the States until 2014 a few friends and I have decided to plan a trip to London as soon as the 2013 UK air date is announced. We simply cannot wait for the American air date. Of course we plan on doing a lot of day trips (esp. up to Oxford to pay our respects at the final resting place of Professor Tolkien and his wife) but if the air dates are timed right we’re hoping to see at least two episodes.
Some might see that as a flippant reason to plan a trip, but my husband has his annual mountain-climbing trip and at least my trip includes a hot shower, room service, and lots of local pubs nearby.
Niere on February 3, 2013 at 9:44 AM
ugh–”phenomenal”
Niere on February 3, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Oops, I should I should’ve said that with the exception of the horrid ladies maid, the upper-echelon of the hierarchy of servants are sympathetic characters. One thing which distinguishes Downton Abbey from so much of the crap that’s on American television is the distinct sense of good and evil/right and wrong. No moral relativism to be found anywhere here. And no Real Housewives of {_________} imagining that they represent the “upper class”.
Buy Danish on February 3, 2013 at 10:13 AM
One of the few tv shows I watch. Good writing, good acting, good production. I especially appreciate Fellowes’ premise that style and grace is not dependent on wealth.
itsacookbook on February 3, 2013 at 10:23 AM