BBC/Warner | 2010 | 180 mins. | NR
BBC Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video have released the recent remake of the classic serial Upstairs Downstairs. The three-hour miniseries comes packaged as a two-disc set. Things start fresh, at 165 Eaton Place. It’s been six years since the Bellamy family left, and new owners Sir Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard, The Pianist, Brideshead Revisited), his wife Lady Agnes (Keeley Hawes, MI-5, Ashes to Ashes), and his mother, Lady Maud Holland (Eileen Atkins, Cranford, Gosford Park), have moved in. The couple hires a new staff, with the exception of housemaid Rose (played once again by original series creator, Jean Marsh).
The once elegant manse, was little more than a dump before patrician diplomat Hallam Holland and his wife, do it over Art Nouveau-style. In the process, they ask Rose to now running an employment agency, to recruit the proper staff — and, not quite credibly, join it.
Set in 1936, it’s a tumultuous period in Great Britain. Hitler’s persecution of Jews is touchingly reflected in the experiences of a German refugee hired as a maid. A chauffeur gets himself caught up in the English fascist movement. Agnes’ somewhat air-headed sister begins a dangerous friendship with a suave German diplomat.
The sets are lush and lavish; the costumes beautiful. While the acting is undoubtedly solid, the characters feel a bit underdeveloped. Only three episodes, this remake doesn’t have the luxury of time. Its 1970’s predecessor was given 68 episodes to develop the place, characters, and events. Here, while there are flashes of interesting melodrama, there’s too much sentimentality.
Since the Upstairs Downstairs has been granted a second series, it will be interesting to see what happens with it; particularly with the character development. While some characters are underdeveloped, in the case of spoiled Lady Agnes, they’re grating. The shining light here is Holland’s eccentric, monkey-toting mother, played with relish by Eileen Atkins (who dreamed up the original Upstairs, Downstairs with Marsh).
While the new Upstairs Downstairs is far from perfect, there’s enough of interest her to recommend it to fans of the original series, and those that enjoy British television. One would hope that the writers and producers will flesh out some of the characters and basic ideas before unveiling series two.
These 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers are lovely. Detail is strong, black levels are consistent, and color accuracy is well nuanced. These discs are free of compression artifacts. For standard DVD’s, these are as good as it gets.
These sound mixes capture the show very well. Dialogue is clear, music occupies a pleasant fidelity. There’s nothing to complain about here.
English SDH subtitles are included.
We get the following special features:
- Behind Closed Doors: (30:00) We are given a good idea of what the production team was going for, “You absolutely have to believe the inside and the outside are the same building.” Job well done.
