Nick Briggs
The actress who played Violet Crawley in the British series has died at the age of 89. She leaves, among other things, the memory of scathing tirades during the six seasons and the two films.
On the big screen, she was Professor Minerva McGonagall in the saga Harry PotterGrandma Wendy in Hookthe Mother Superior in Sister Act or Muriel Donnelly in Indian Palace. And during the six seasons and two feature films Downton Abbey, she lent her features to the piquant Lady Violet Crawley. Maggie Smith died at the age of 89 on September 27.
In the British series, she embodies the old world of English aristocracy which resists the emerging 20th century. One of the most popular characters whose scathing replies contributed to the success of fiction because for her “the truth has no importance, it’s appearances that count”.
“What’s a weekend?”
Episode 2, season 1. The Crawley family welcomes a distant cousin, heir to the estate. Matthew Crawley, played by Dan Stevens, knows nothing about castle life. He works, he is a lawyer. During a dinner where formal clothes are appropriate, he evokes a curious tradition, these two days of vacation appreciated by employees. It’s a culture shock for the Dowager Countess.
The class struggle
“Don’t be defeatist, my dear, that sounds very middle class”says Lady Violet Crawley. The servants on one side, the aristocrats on the other. The rules of decorum keep everyone in their place. Throughout the series, she will never stop defending these borders which fade over the years. The middle class gives him hives, but offers viewers the character’s best lines. “An aristocrat who defends a reform is like a turkey who defends Christmas”could have been his mantra.
Romanticism
Marriage is above all a transaction, such is the reality of aristocrats. And the romance in all this? “I know several couples who are perfectly happy without having spoken to each other for years”replies Lady Violet because “too much truth in a relationship is never good”. A true love coach.
English style
In the fifth season, morals have changed a lot since the first episodes. The year is 1924. Edith (Laura Carmichael) runs a newspaper and tries to take care of her daughter Marigold, born out of wedlock. While Mary (Michelle Dockery) is reluctant to get married after Matthew’s death. As a good Englishwoman and despite the vicissitudes of life, the outpouring of feelings is not acceptable for Lady Violet: “A lack of compassion can be as vulgar as an excess of tears”.
The legacy
In the second film released in 2022, the Dowager Countess almost offers her farewell. She passes the torch to her granddaughter Mary. “You are the future of Downton Abbey”she declares to her descendant whose weight of inheritance now rests on her shoulders. “You will pick up where I left off. You’ll be the scary old lady who makes everyone stand to attention.”she adds. One last punchline before leaving.
