It’s
no secret…the year 2012 for films I saw and books I read were unmemorable. For
more on my book reviews go to Goodreads. However I did find stories that were
intelligent on a medium that I have made a point to veer from… until now and that
is PBS and cable television. The writing and the casting of Downton Abbey http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/ is sharply
etched. It’s gorgeously shot with
beautiful art-direction and the fascination doesn’t stop there— its writing and
acting is brilliant.
Certain
tender scenes play in my head long after I turn off the set. Last Sunday in tears I watched another royal wedding. And I love weddings. But the character I adore most is the brazen matriarch
Maggie Smith who plays Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham. She is multifaceted and flawed— the strongest
and most outspoken of the bunch. Lady
Violet advise is far from politically current by today's standards and she is a bit rough around the edges. She says it like it is and doesn't let her age or
gender prevent her from getting things done. But the best part about her is her
wit and impeccable delivery of dialogue. It’s so good, I watch pen in hand
thinking to myself— I wish I would have written and said that!
Naturally
you would have had to have seen the show to understand its context. But for a
lesson in dialogue, here are some of her finest quotes.
1.
“No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else's house . . .
especially somebody they didn't even know."
2.
"One way or another, everyone goes down the aisle with half the story
hidden."
3.
Cora Crawley: "Are we to be friends then?"
Lady
Violet: "We are allies, which can be a good deal more effective."
4.
"Well, give him a date for when Mary's out of mourning. No one wants to
kiss a girl in black."
5.
Mrs. Crawley: "I'll take that as a compliment."
Lady
Violet: "Oh, I must have said it wrong."
6.
"Your quarrel is with my daughter, Rosamund, and not with me. So put that
in your pipe and smoke it."
7.
"I'm a woman, Mary. I can be as contrary as I choose."
8.
Cora Crawley: "I hate to go behind Robert's back."
Lady
Violet: "That is a scruple no successful wife can afford."
9.
"Don't be defeatist, dear. It's very middle class."
10.
“Oh really! It's like living in a second-rate hotel, where the guests keep
arriving and no one seems to leave."
Have you watched the show? What character do you like most?
