Goodbye, Maggie Smith (1934-2024)

by Cláudio Alves

DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA (2022) was one of Maggie Smith's last screen appearances.

We always knew the day would come, but it's still difficult to imagine life without the great Maggie Smith among us. Born to a secretary and a pathologist in the interim years between the Great World Wars, she became a respected star of the stage before a jump to cinema in the 1960s expanded her horizons. From temptress to bitter old lady, from romantic heroin to comic relief, dipsomaniac tragedienne, whodunit queen and deranged diva – she could do it all, despite what some might have said about her late-career range or lack thereof. To me, Dame Maggie Smith was a titan, one of my favorite screen presences, and a reliable workhorse who could elevate every project she was involved in, even those that didn't deserve her talents. The British star will be sorely missed and the arts are poorer without her. Nay, the world.

Over the years, multiple writers at The Film Experience have explored the career of the late great two-time Oscar winner. So, let's revisit those pieces and bask in the love for an actress of incomparable wit and unimpeachable craft…

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A Maggie Smith Top Ten

by Cláudio Alves

Have you seen The Miracle Club yet? Thaddeus O'Sullivan's comedy has been in theaters for a week, and it's bound to bewitch actressexuals, showcasing performances from a cadre of lovely thespians. There's Kathy Bates and Laura Linney in what Matt St Clair described as a work of "unwavering grace and sly tenacity." There's also Maggie Smith, one of my favorite living actresses, delivering another late-career turn to remind viewers they shouldn't take her for granted. Sure, her decade-spanning portrayal of Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey seemed like a congealment of the actress's greatest hits. However, that doesn't mean Smith is a one-trick pony, that her filmography is without risk or variety.

To commemorate, let's make the two-time Oscar winner our subject for list-mania. So, dear reader, will you join me down Maggie Smith's extensive repertoire, searching for the top ten highlights? It's a vast scope of roles, from scene-stealing supporting parts to titanic leads, from heartbreak to cutting pithiness…

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Review: A quartet of actresses grace "The Miracle Club"

by Matt St Clair

Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s The Miracle Club is the latest entry in the multiverse involving pictures where elderly, award-winning actress legends unite Avengers-style for an adventure. However, compared to previous entries in the unofficial multiverse like Book Club, 80 for Brady, and Poms, The Miracle Club is a more profound effort. There are moments of humor to be found in this story about friends coming together for a potentially “last” trip to fulfill an unrealized dream or goal but The Miracle Club leans heavily on the dramatic side.

Set in 1960s Ireland, Oscar winners Kathy Bates and Dame Maggie Smith play Eileen and Lily, two close-knit friends from the working-class village of Ballygar...

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Did you love 'Downton Abbey: A New Era'?

by Nathaniel R

If you are the target audience for Downton Abbey: A New Era, you probably hit the movie theater this weekend (or hope to soon). Chris reviewed it here for us from an early critics screening but he had a different perspective as a confessed Downton agnostic. It's a much different experience for Downton loyalists. It has so many shots panning across the entire teeming cast that it's not unlike Avengers Endgame in terms of the fan service optics. I went with the boyfriend and best friend and we all had a blast. Very happy to report that it's much better than the first Downton film. 

Over the weekend yours truly was a guest at Next Best Picture to discuss the film. Have a listen whether or not you've seen it -- though it was difficult we avoided spoilers for the full hour!

Film Review: Downton Abbey: A New Era

The sprawling cast of "Downton Abbey" goes to France and gets into the movie business in this new sequel.By Christopher James

Martin Scorsese described Marvel movies as theme park rides, not films. As derisive as that is, there’s some truth to it. What are theme park rides other than rushes and thrills, zooming through a theme or story with the sole purpose of making you react and cheer? If Marvel movies are a roller coaster, Downton Abbey: A New Era is an ornate, hundred year old Merry-Go-Round. It’s a theme park ride in that it exists solely to take fans through the hallowed halls of Downton, rather than to make a grand cinematic statement. That’s what makes this installment much better than the previous film. It cycles through the greatest hits with tremendous efficiency and spirit. The large ensemble is all smiles as they sip tea and gossip. Penelope Wilton and Maggie Smith land every sassy remark with a knowing grin. Girls just want to have fun, and my is Downton Abbey: A New Era low thrills fun!

Like a schoolyard dodgeball game, Downton Abbey: A New Era sets up two sides and divides its characters up between the two plots hastily. No sooner does the wedding between Tom (Allen Leech) and Lucy (Tuppence Middleton) end before Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) decides to upstage them with her own revelation.... 

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