Wednesday, May 22, 2019

From Louise Brooks to Downton Abbey to The Chaperone to Downton Abbey and back to Louise Brooks

The new trailer for the forthcoming Downton Abbey movie has just been released, and guess what, Lady Mary Crawley (played by charming actress Michelle Dockery) has a keen Louise Brooks hairstyle. It's so smashing, in fact, that yesterday InStyle magazine penned a story titled "Michelle Dockery Has the Most Covetable Baby Bangs in the Downton Abbey Movie."

It has been three years since the acclaimed television series went off the air. And the InStyle story notes a couple of the changes that have taken place since last we saw the show's much beloved characters: "Another prominent shift between the beloved PBS drama and its upcoming theatrical reboot? Michelle Dockery’s hair! Dockery (aka Lady Mary Crawley) has elevated her flapper-esque bob in the years since the series’s finale — she now has that coveted micro-fringe blanketing the top of her forehead. Though a retro style, the daring look has found a modern audience among stars like Emma Roberts and Charlize Theron."

Lady Mary Crawley has worn her hair short in the past, but this new look with bangs is something a little different. As W magazine put it, "it’s 1927, and the Crawleys are more modern than ever. Lady Mary wears a vest! She also sports a very cute Louise Brooks bob."


Though sometimes obscure, there are many connections between Downtown Abbey and Louise Brooks. The show's creator and writer, Julian Fellowes, is enamored with the story of Louise Brooks. In the past, he has noted how much he appreciated Barry Paris' 1989 biography of the actress, and has also noted that his mother wore bobbed hair and was said to resembled the silent film star. Besides penning the TV show, Fellowes also penned the script for The Chaperone, the new film from PBS Masterpiece which tells the story of Louise Brooks 1922 trip to New York City.

The Chaperone came about when Downton Abbey star Elizabeth McGovern was hired to read the audio book version of Laura Moriarty's novel of The Chaperone. (The Louise Brooks Society provided the image of Louise Brooks which adorns the cover of both the book and the audio version.) McGovern liked Moriarty's book so much she bought the film rights and went on to produce The Chaperone film. Besides recruiting Fellowes to write its script, McGovern also brought Downton Abbey series director Micheal Engler on board to direct the film.



The one other Louise Brooks connection to Downton Abbey is actress Shirley MacLaine. Like Fellowes, she is an admitted devotee of Louise Brooks, having once hoped to play the silent film star in old age. In Downton Abbey, she plays the mother of Elizabeth McGovern's character, who is the mother of Michelle Dockery's character.

The Downton Abbey movie opens in theaters on September 20.


1 comment:

Nana said...

Books about Louise are fascinating. I heard many fellow Rochesterians speak about her living downtown. Thank goodness for the George Eastman House for helping to keep her films intact.

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