根據大熱英劇《唐頓莊園》創作的電影版《唐頓莊園》終於在12月13日登陸中國院線。包括「毒舌奶奶」老夫人、瑪麗大小姐在內的20位唐頓「老面孔」悉數回歸，而新上線來訪的「英國王室」註定會在莊園內掀起一場不小的波瀾……
After six seasons that yielded the kind of ratings PBS seldom sees, "Downton" closed its run in 2016, with happy endings all around. So series creator Julian Fellowes had some work to do in order to devise the circumstances that would justify a return engagement, settling on a Royal visit, with all the pomp and circumstance that entails.
在六季都取得了美國公共廣播公司(PBS)難得一見的高分之後，電視劇《唐頓莊園》於2016年以大團圓結局歡喜收官。因此，為了讓作品合情合理地回歸到觀眾眼前，該系列作者朱利安·費羅斯需要費心謀劃電影版的情景 —— 一場王室到訪的盛況及其引發的一系列事件。
Picking up in 1927, two years after the events of the series concluded, Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) receives the news that the King and Queen of England are coming to visit Downton during their tour of the country. Although everyone is initially excited at the prospect, the royal staff presumes to relegate the Downton staff to doing next to nothing, much to their consternation. Meanwhile, a controversy is brewing upstairs with the return of Lord Grantham’s estranged cousin Maud Bagshaw (Imelda Staunton), who is threatening to give her inheritance to her servant, which upsets her aunt Lady Violet (Maggie Smith). Additionally, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is worried that her brother-in-law Tom (Allen Leech) will revert to his anti-imperialist ways when faced with the King and Queen.
電影設定在電視劇故事結束兩年後的1927年，格蘭瑟姆伯爵(休·博內威利飾)收到了英格蘭國王王后將在出巡時來訪唐頓莊園的消息。儘管大家一開始知道此事時都相當激動，但王室僕從強勢入駐接管了莊園大小事務，令唐頓的僕從們地位驟降，大跌眼鏡。與此同時，「樓上」貴族們之間的一場宅鬥也正在醞釀之中：與格蘭瑟姆伯爵鮮有來往的遠房親戚莫德·巴格肖(伊梅爾達·斯湯頓飾)回來了，還威脅稱要將其遺產贈予自己的僕人，令身為姨母的維奧萊特老夫人(瑪吉·史密斯飾)相當失望。此外，大小姐瑪麗(米歇爾·道克瑞飾)也十分擔心妹夫湯姆(艾倫·裡奇飾)在面對國王王后時會再度激起他反對王室的態度。
From the first distant glimpse of the estate, as John Lunn's lush score swells in accompaniment, it's clear that the movie will basically luxuriate in the show's elegant trappings, with everything slightly magnified from its TV incarnation.
從遠遠地瞥見莊園第一眼開始，伴隨著約翰·倫恩創作的配樂緩緩響起，電影很顯然延續了劇中滿眼華服的奢華風格，甚至比電視劇版還要略微浮華。
The film is also full of emotionally raw moments and heartbreaking plot turns that gave it the depth it needs: many a tear will be shed at the climax of the dowager countess' plotline. It didn’t just resolve all the conclusions we had been left unsure of and give us looks into the relationships we had hoped would thrive, but also served up moments that fans may not have expected. This is one of the qualities that has always made Julian Fellowes' writing special: he has never shied away from turning the entire story on its head – take Matthew’s Christmas car crash – and this is no different.
電影中也滿是動情時刻和令人心碎的劇情轉折，賦予了影片所需的深度：老夫人故事線的高潮部分相當催淚。它不光解釋了我們還不太確定的所有線索，審視了我們曾希望有所發展的人際關係，同時也給粉絲們奉上了許多意想不到的場景。這向來是朱利安·費羅斯劇本的特別之處：他常常顛覆整個故事 —— 比如「大表哥」馬修的那場聖誕節車禍 —— 這次也不例外。
And yet Fellowes keep the film feeling light, airy, and cozy. It’s not the series and it’s not really intended to be. Instead, Downton Abbey is more of a way to reconnect with characters you love in a setting you enjoy. And thanks to Michael Engler’s skilled direction and Ben Smithard’s lush cinematography, the movie feels like a movie rather than a two-hour episode they shoved into theaters.
但費羅斯將影片的氛圍把握得輕快而舒適。這並非是電視劇，也不打算將其打造成電視劇的形式。電影《唐頓莊園》更像是一種在大伙兒喜聞樂見的情境下重溫角色的方式，麥可·恩格勒出色的導演技巧以及本·斯密哈德豐富的電影攝影技術，讓這部電影更有電影的風格，而非強行在影院上線的兩小時劇版特別篇。
Like the fancy silver being polished for the royal family’s arrival, the movie provides an extra buffing to make everything sparkle.
就像為迎接王室到來而被仔細打磨的精美銀器一樣，電影的進一步打磨，令一切都閃閃發光。