It’s been a week since the final episode of Downton Abbey aired on Masterpiece Classic leaving us delighted over Matthew and Mary’s alliance, and anxious for Mr. Bates’ fate. *sigh*
Are you feeling those Downton Abbey withdrawals as keenly as I am? If so, you can watch all seven episodes of season 2 again online in streaming video until March 7th, 2012 at the PBS Video web site. Up next on Masterpiece Classic, Sunday April 1st, 2012 is the new adaptation of Charles Dickens Great Expectations, staring Gillian Anderson and newcomer Douglas Booth. I have had a peek at it already and the art direction and costumes are stunning.
If you are ready to explore and or revisit some late Victorian, Edwardian and WWI era drama, here are a few of my favorite movies and mini-series to tide you over until season three of Downton Abbey next January:
Upstairs Downtstairs (1971-1975)
Well…this series is a given, but I just had to sing its praises once again; it is 57 hours of pure bliss for any period drama lover. For those of you who have not yet had the pleasure: follow the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamy’s, who make up the upstairs family, and their loyal and lively servants downstairs. From 1903 to 1930 they share a fashionable London townhouse at 165 Eaton Place, surviving social change, scandals, and the horrors of the First World War. The most popular British drama series in TV history, Upstairs Downstairs won 7 Emmys®, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody. Seen on Masterpiece Theatre from 1971 to 1975 this is must see Edwardian and World War I drama at its finest. Downton Abbey tie-in? It is great view of the social classes in Britain as the lives of both upstairs and downstairs inhabitants of the household are closely observed.
The Buccaneers (1995)
Based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished novel of the same name, set in the 1890’s this adaptation was written and completed by Maggie Wadey (Mansfield Park 2007) and stars Carla Gugino, Mira Sorvino and Greg Wise. Four young, beautiful, and totally American heiress’ travel to London for the Season in hopes of marrying titled husbands. The great men they meet and fall in love with are not always what they appear to be. Downton Abbey tie-in? Cora, the current Countess of Grantham, was herself a buccaneer. In 1888, at the age of twenty, she and her mother arrived in London. By the end of her first Season she was betrothed to Robert, Viscount Downton, an heir to a great estate.
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Winston Churchill’s favorite film, we are rather fond of it too. Staring Vivian Leigh at her most vibrant and beautiful, it is indeed a tear jerker. Get your lace hankies at the ready. On the eve of World War II, a British officer Roy Cronin revisits Waterloo Bridge in London and recalls the young man he was at the beginning of World War I and the young ballerina Myra who he met just before he left for the front. They fell in love. He proposed before he departed and they were blissfully happy for about an instant. Later, she thinks he is killed and turns to street walking in hard times, only to have him return oblivious to what she has been doing to earn her bread. He introduces her to his family at their country estate. It all goes terribly wrong, but makes for great melodrama. Downton Abbey tie-in? Myra gives Roy a good luck charm before he departs for the war, just like Lady Mary gives her lucky stuffed plush toy to Matthew.
Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill (1974)
Here we go with another spirited, rich, and beautiful American crossing the pond and marrying an English peer. This time she hooks a big fish; Lord Randolph Churchill, third son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and gets to live at Blenheim Palace. This award winning mini-series stars Lee Remick as the luminous and captivating Jennie Churchill, the mother of statesman Sir Winston Churchill, all-around socialite and political advisor extraordinaire. Filmed on location in family homes including Blenheim Palace, the series also stars Warren Clarke as Winston, and Jeremy Brett as Count Kinsky, Lady Jennie’s great love. Even though Jennie is considered a generation before the American buccaneers hit British soil, she certainly opened the path for Cora and other Americans. Downton Abbey tie-in? Men behaving badly; women being witty and strong in beautiful country manor houses and London.
Gosford Park (2001)
We might say that screenwriter Julian Fellowes got his feet wet with this Oscar winning screenplay of Gosford Park before he created Downton Abbey, but it is really a whole other kettle of fish. Set a little later in the 1930’s, it still an observant look at the British class system involving the upstairs and downstairs inhabitants and their guests during a weekend of pheasant shooting at a county manor house. This time it involves a murder, so you could say that it is Agatha Christy meets the Grantham’s if one was really stretching the comparison. Downton Abbey tie-in? Apart from the direct Fellowes connection, Dame Maggie Smith excels as the toffee-nosed Constance, Dowager Countess of Trentham. This role is only a warm up to Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, we suspect, whose biting wit is even more razor sharp and hilarious than her predecessor.
The Grand (1997-1998)
This mini-series never aired on Masterpiece Theatre, but it should have. Set in an opulent Manchester, England hotel at the end of WWI through the Roaring 1920′s, it is full of upstairs/downstairs dissipation and vice. This 15 hour drama has enough scandal, romance, and intrigue to keep even Downton’s evil lady’s maid O’Brien’s bangs curled for years. The story sags a bit in the middle, lacking the heart of characters in Downton, but three-time Emmy®-winner Susan Hampshire (The Pallisers & The Three Lives of Thomasina) is superb as the retired professional woman Esme Harkness, who really keeps this rocky ship from sinking. Downton Abbey tie-in? Of course the class comparisons to the upstairs and downstairs are plainly evident, but money and romance is the heart of both dramas.
What are your favorite films from this era? I would love to discover a few new chestnuts.
Cheers,
Laurel Ann
Downton Abbey image courtesy of © Carnival Film & Television Limited 2011 for MASTERPIECE
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Lovely, lovely site. Thank you. So happy I landed here.
Thanks for the recommendations–I’ve seen most of these, but haven’t heard of The Grand. Looks marvelous! I like Susan Hampshire–lovely actress. Most importantly, thanks for the info on the streaming video from PBS. I had to stop watching at episode 3 when Comcast and the dvr and the local PBS station conspired to prevent us from getting it, and even the following Thursday when it was rebroadcast was jinxed. I didn’t want to watch it out of sequence, so I’ve been waiting to resume the series.
You are welcome Jane. I hope you can catch up on Downton before March 7th.
I have Netflix and netflix loves to recommend movies to me based on my interests. Ah, yes, you see what’s coming, although they missed Jennie and Waterloo Bridge! thank you so much for the ideas.
My DA withdrawal is manageable. I lived through it last year, so I think I can do it again. (Though I’m so happy I can just grab an episode online as needed)
I also miss the Sunday night Twitter party!
I will be vacationing with my friends in March and we look forward to watching both seasons, all together, which will be a hoot. I think we’ll have to pause it… a lot, as we normally all watch alone. Group Therapy!
Susan Hampshire was also Molly in Monarch of the Glen, no?
She was indeed! I love her.
Great ideas! I’ve been watching the original Upstairs Downstairs with my mom and we are loving it! I am also a big fan of Gosford Park. I need to revisit The Buccaneers, haven’t seen that one in years!
I live in the UK right now so I guess I have an advance look at some of the Masterpiece shows coming your way. I see you’re going to get the latest Great Expectations in April. I’ve seen it around Christmas time. It’s part of this year’s Dickens tributes. Dickens is practically EVERYWHERE here and I’m loving it. I didn’t really like this version of “Expectations” though and there were a lot of criticisms about the actor who plays Pip as being too “pretty”. I think they might have done too much to “modernize” (or add a modern spin) on the story for me to enjoy it. Still this has always been the least favorite of Dickens books. If it does come your way, make sure you see “The Mystery of Edwin Drood”. It’s a cracking good version. I just finished watching it on DVR. Marvelous! Also, we’re seeing the NEW “Upstairs Downstairs” here and it’s fantastic. You all will love it! As for other sources, if you like “Waterloo Bridge” what about “Brief Encounter”? And another of my favorites: “Random Harvest”. I don’t know if it’s on DVD but I loved the series “House of Eliot”. Just a few off the top of my head. Glad you all liked the Downton end. We saw it at Christmas and I’ve had to be quiet and not spoil it for my American friends!
Janet, you have mentioned some my favorite British movies. I loved House of Elliot when it aired many moons ago, and Flickers too. Must watch again soon.
["Apart from the direct Fellowes connection, Dame Maggie Smith excels as the toffee-nosed Constance, Dowager Countess of Trentham. This role is only a warm up to Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham, we suspect, whose biting wit is even more razor sharp and hilarious than her predecessor."]
I don’t think so. Smith’s Lady Trentham seems to have a more subtle style of wit.
I’m looking forward to the second season of the new “UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS”.
My PBS stations (two, from OKC) rerun the current Masterpiece several times during the week, so I was able to watch the DA finale FOUR times, which did much to “cure” my DA withdrawal. I do plan to buy the DVDs of Season 1 and 2 for viewing this summer and fall, for pure pleasure and to refresh my memory before Season 3 airs.
Thank you for a wonderful assortment of other period stories to watch in the interim. Alas, NetFlix is not an option for me, but the local public library system has an extensive DVD collection, so I’ll be checking to see how many you mention here are available for checkout.
In an article from the Mail Online Julian Fellowes says, “His great-aunt is the inspiration behind the Downton’s acid-tongued Dowager Duchess Violet, played by Maggie Smith. ‘She used to judge a house on whether they supplied homemade jams. If they ran out, it meant the mistress of the house was no good.” So this was the origin of the scene in “Gosford Park” and for the Dowager. To read the whole article:
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1322707/Downton-Abbey-creator-Julian-Fellowes-insists-hes-snob.html#ixzz1nbcBla8X
Don’t forget The Forsyte Saga and its sequel, To Let. Purists and fans of the 60s mini-series are meh about it, but I loved it and Damien Lewis is AMAZING as Soames Forsyte.
A MUST view!! I loved it!
Thanks for the recommendations. There are a few I haven’t seen. I tried to get into the original Upstairs, Downstairs a few years ago but couldn’t get into it. Maybe the black and white threw me off. I recommend A Room With a View. I quite liked the version that aired on PBS but the Helena Bonham Carter (Merchant Ivory) version has Maggie Smith. There’s a lovely version of Pollyanna set in England that aired on Masterpiece several years ago that’s good for the whole family. Don’t forget Wuthering Heights which takes place in Yorkshire though is set in the 19th century.
*slaps forehead* Yes, of course. A Room with a View (movie). Wonderful.
What a wonderful way to keep us entertained until next season!
p.s My Boy Jack starring Daniel Radcliff as Jack Kipling. It’s a moving WWI set drama.
“Berkeley Square” is one of my favorite costume dramas of all – and trust me, I’ve watched a lot of costume dramas – and I’m convinced that fans of “Downton Abbey” will enjoy this series. It takes place in 1902 London and follows three young women who work as nannies and get mixed up in the lives of their upper class employers. It stars a before-he-was-famous Jason O’Mara and a host of great British and Irish actors like Rosemary Leach, Rupert Frazer, Hermione Norris, Clare Wilkie and Victoria Smurfit. The costumes and locations are stunning, and many of the plotlines will be familiar to Downton fans, like a baby born of out wedlock, a romance below-stairs, a shooting party, and an American-born lady of the house. The only downside to “Berkeley Square” is that it only lasted for one season, so some of the storylines are left open-ended in the final episode, but it’s definitely worth checking out. (More info here: http://www.erasofelegance.com/entertainment/tv/berkeley/berkeley.html)
“The Shooting Party” starring James Mason and John Gielgud is also very Downton-ish and was one of the inspirations for “Gosford Park.” The movie and the book it’s based on follow the weekend shoot at an English estate in the months before the first world war.
Yes, yeas Berkley Square. Biggest disappointment in it though is the abrupt ending. It was obviously meant to continue on, but was canceled.
Just remembered a new series that I am hooked on, Garrow’s Law, but I don’t think it has aired here in the US yet. Just out on DVD. Wonderful too.
I actually prefer Upstairs Downstairs to Downton Abbey. Also love Poldark, the Pallisers, Barchester Chronicles, Anna Karenina starring Nicola Paget and Mapp and Lucia although this is set in the ‘thirties I think. Would love to see Berkely Square so that is next on my list.
I had forgotten about The Buccaneers, though it came to mind in the first season of DA. I thought that Elizabeth McGovern was in that but I was confusing her with Carla Gugino. I have only seen a tiny bit of it so it would be like watching for the first time. Gosford Park I loved/hated. I loved the story and would probably now enjoy it all the more. I guess it was just the first time I had seen the under stairs servants so poorly treated (I seem to remember a rape downstairs at one point) and the upper rich people acting so badly. One fact I do remember is that guests had to pay a tip to those who serviced them and this sometimes made a difference as to whether they travelled to stay in others’ homes. If they didn’t have the money for the tips that ensued, they either didn’t travel or they did so and left miserly tips, to the chagrin of the staff who had to work harder when there were guests present.
Spring Break will be here in about 6 weeks so I’ll say goodbye to my little students and go home and read and watch some movies!
A wonderful film with a Downton-type setting is “The Go-Between,” starring Alan Bates and Julie Christie.
I also recommend a British series that can be found on YouTube, “Lilies.” It begins in 1918 and covers some of the same elements Downton does (3 sisters, the legacy of the Great War, Irish conflict, etc.) but from the point of view of a working-class family in Liverpool. Sadly, only 8 episodes were made.
There was an attempted rape, not a rape.
["In an article from the Mail Online Julian Fellowes says, “His great-aunt is the inspiration behind the Downton’s acid-tongued Dowager Duchess Violet, played by Maggie Smith. ‘She used to judge a house on whether they supplied homemade jams. If they ran out, it meant the mistress of the house was no good.”]
I thought Julian Fellowes came from a middle-class background.
Let me explain about British “middle class”. When Americans think of middle class we think of, perhaps, office workers, clerical jobs, some white collar, some blue collar but house in the suburbs, non-professional types. In Britain when one speaks of “middle class” especially in a bit of a sneering tone it’s what we might call “preppy”. They’re usually more the professional, white collar, maybe even what we might call “upper class” (but not aristocrats). For example, in Britain, there would be nowhere to put, say, the head of a company but the middle class. Of course there are grey areas and there’s a lot more homogenization than there used to be. But if you didn’t have a title or a Sir, or Esq. and you didn’t work in a factory or with your hands you were pretty much middle class. Now this is my understanding and experience and what I’ve observed as an American living in Britain. I may be wrong.
Oh, I just watched the new Downstairs, Upstairs and definitely recommend that to Downton fans as well.
That’s right Melanie. Go ahead and rub it in. UK audiences are watching the new Upstairs Downtstairs season 2 now. We Yanks must wait.
Anyone looking forward to Julian Fellowes Titanic on April 14/15 on ABC? Four hours of First Class/Steerage Downton style. And it has Mrs. Vera Bates!!
Jenny, I am totally looking forward to this series. Thanks for reminding me.
I have Gosford Park, but I’ll check out the others.
Another great series is Duchess of Duke Street. Aired on PBS originally, now available from Netflix..and some public libraries. Thanks for all of the great recommendations!
I agree June. The Duchess of Duke Street is another favorite.
["Let me explain about British “middle class”. When Americans think of middle class we think of, perhaps, office workers, clerical jobs, some white collar, some blue collar but house in the suburbs, non-professional types. In Britain when one speaks of “middle class” especially in a bit of a sneering tone it’s what we might call “preppy”. They’re usually more the professional, white collar, maybe even what we might call “upper class” (but not aristocrats)."]
I KNOW what the difference between American and British middle-class. In fact, I wrote an article about it, in regard to the Jane Austen novel, “Pride and Prejudidice.” And I also know that Fellowes not only did not come from an aristocratic background, I also know that he DID NOT come from the upper-class gentry.
While waiting for S3, we could also watch more Abbey parodies such as this:
or this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeDX7ut5ROI
Enjoy!