Femme_Mal at 2013-08-01 18:01:49:

Huh. This ought to be interesting. In my opinion, the standard against which I'd measure this new release is Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version. Video clip here. I hope director Carlo Carlei proves a theory for me. Gosford Park (2001), directed by Robert Altman with screenplay by Julian Fellowes, is a truly lovely period film. Fellowes won the only Oscar the film took that year, though it received seven nominations. I expected BBC’s TV series Downton Abbey, also written by Fellowes, to be quite good because a similar concept and themes were tackled in Gosford Park. The first season was fairly good. Unfortunately, the next two seasons drifted, departing from drama and moving into melodrama. None of the seasons had the same feel that earned Gosford Park attention, even with Maggie Smith appearing in both movie and TV series. While the shift from drama to melodrama is on Fellowes as creator/writer/producer, the feel of Downton Abbey relies on direction. Gosford Park had numerous beautiful shots where Altman increased a sense of intimacy between and with the characters; this is missing in Downton, where most shots feel remote, at more than arm's length. While I don't think Downton Seasons 2 and 3 are Fellowes' best work, direction may not do any favors. I hope that in this newest version of Romeo and Juliet, director Carlei will supply the needed intimacy for Fellowes' work, which I submit Fellowes' writing requires to do it justice. Zeffirelli's version is going to be tough to beat, though. It was one of a small number of films I saw as a child that molded me into a cinephile.