Masterpiece: Downton Abbey Original UK Version Season 2 "Downton Abbey, A House in History"
Price : $24.99
Product Description
The history of Highclere Castle
- Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael
- Runtime: 10 minutes
- Original air date: December 16, 2011
- Network: PBS
Consumer Critiques
Having tremendously enjoyed Season 1 of Downton Abbey, I was seeking forward to Season 2, and I found it as captivating and engaging as Season 1. In Season 2, the time frame is from the Battle of the Somme in 1916 to the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1919. For those unfamiliar with the series, I would advise watching Season 1 first as it supplies a lot of background information and facts on many of the characters, as well as continuity.
Change is a big theme this season - the Amazing War has wrought lots of modifications to the residents of Downton Abbey. The Granthams, i.e. the Earl of Grantham (played by Hugh Bonneville) his wife, the American heiress, Cora, Countess Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) their three adult daughters, attractive Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), bitter Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), and idealistic Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay) and of course, The Dowager Countess Grantham, the Earl's mother played by the incomparable Dame Maggie Smith.
The usually robust and confident Earl (I like Hugh Bonneville's portrayal of the benevolent Earl) feels somewhat out of spot this season as he yearns to be of use to his country, however all he gets is an honorary rank in the military, and is not deemed for active duty due to his age. Mary is melancholic more than her failed romance, Edith desires to master driving so that she can take over in case the family's chauffeur is named up to fight, and lovely Lady Sybil goes off to nursing school.
The staff of Downton undergo modifications of their personal, and experience both ups and downs. Brendan Coyle who plays the Earl's faithful valet, John Bates, experiences some serious challenges when his estranged wife, Vera (Maria Kennedy) turns up. Tom Barrow (Rob James Collier), the footman, is away at war, but finds the knowledge unnerving to the point that he resorts to drastic measures to make his way house.
There is superior balance among scenes at the warfront and scenes at household. The battle scenes are credibly accomplished, evoking all the fear and horror of the war. But I admit I was more interested in the machinations back property at Downton, and watching familiar and new characters resort to manipulation, scheming, and intrigues. There is a brief, 10-minute segment prior to episode 1 which shows the setting for Downton Abbey, i.e. Highclere Castle in Hampshire, and includes interviews with the present owner as properly as the director, producer, and cast members of the show. The streaming by way of Amazon Instant Video is of high top quality, with clear, crisp images and no interruptions.
Series two of Downton Abbey is as very good as the 1st. It picks up in Nov of 1916 where series 1 ended. The complete series concludes in Dec of 1919--and already there is production for series three, a continuation but in the 1920s. There are a lot of cast members back so it is advisable to watch the very first prior to the second, but not mandatory for entertainment. You will be as enthralled as the true series of comparison, the wonderful dramatization of Brideshead Revisited. Both are period perfection, a appear at British life in the war years, some intense suspense and mystery mixed with bits of serenity and romance. It is the WWI years with all the fantastic and the bad, but the acting and writing make it all appear fine somehow, at least from an entertainment point of view.
I'd strongly advocate the full series, even the past series a single, and of course I'll be acquiring Series 3 as soon as it is obtainable.
Related Product
Product Details
- Episode 0, "Downton Abbey, A House in History [HD]"
- Synopsis: The history of Highclere Castle
- Original air date: December 16, 2011
- Runtime: 10 minutes
- ASIN: B006MW3VC4
- Masterpiece: Downton Abbey Original UK Version Season 2 [HD]
- Synopsis: Downton Abbey -- a sprawling, lavish Edwardian mansion nestled in the Yorkshire landscape -- needs an heir. Dame Maggy Smith stars as Violet, the stubborn Dowager Countess of Grantham matriarch of Downton. Hugh Bonneville stars as her son, the stoic, unflapple Lord Crawley. Elizabeth McGovern is his far-sighted American wife, Cora. From Academy Award-winner Julian Fellowes. This is the original un-edited UK version of the program.
- Season year: 2012
- Network: PBS
- ASIN: B006MW3UZW
- Rights ; Requirements
- Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
- Compatible with: Mac and Windows PC online viewing, compatible instant streaming devices, TiVo DVRs. System requirements
- Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)
- Also available on DVD
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