I have a certain weakness for British literature and films, particularly 19th and 20th century pieces. I spent my teen years reading British authors like Agatha Christie and one of my mom's favorite authors, Catherine Cookson. I'm an unabashed Jane Austen fan. Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel and this movie version tops my list. All this to say, I was pleasantly surprised last winter to discover the PBS series, Downton Abbey. I looked forward to watching each new episode on Sunday nights. Have any of you seen it? What did you think?
Written by Julian Fellowes, who won an Oscar for his Gosford Park, Downton Abbey follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family, and those of their servants, during the Edwardian period. Beginning with the sinking of the Titanic, season one concluded with the outbreak of World War I. I think the character development is particularly well done. Throw in a compelling plot with plenty of twists, intrigue, romance and gorgeous set design and costuming and you have a very fun series. So, if you didn't catch it the first time, starting on December 18th, PBS is going to re-air season one. Season two is scheduled to premiere on January 8 on PBS. I'm so excited! You can check out more here.
My one precaution is that Downton Abbey contains s few grittier scenes than what you'd see with, say a Jane Austen movie, but seemingly less than Gosford Park or other big screen productions.
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