Return to the House at Eaton Place - Upstairs Downstairs, Season 1 - DVD

Content: For years now, the house at number 165 on Eaton Place has stood empty. After the Bellamy family sold the house, no buyer has been found for the stately home for a long time. But now, in 1936, the new owners are finally at the door: the diplomat Sir Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard) wants to start a family here with his wife Lady Agnes (Keeley Hawes, Ashes to Ashes). But several problems stand in the way of this plan. First of all there is Holland's resolute mother Lady Holland (Eileen Atkins), who unceremoniously takes up residence in the house with her faithful servant Mr. Amanjit (Art Malik). And Persie (Claire Foy), Lady Agnes' stubborn sister, also causes more trouble than harmony in the house. And then there's the problem of finding the right staff. This is where Rose Buck (Jean Marsh), the Bellamys' former maid, is supposed to help. But due to the low budget Sir Holland provides her with, it's hard to find top-notch employees. But even if the extremely nervous butler Mr. Pritchard (Adrian Scarborough), the notoriously grumbling cook Mrs. Thackeray (Anne Raid) or even the very close to the water maid Ivy (Ellie Kendrick) seem at first glance like a stopgap solution, they contribute significantly to bringing life back into the house at Eaton Place.

Between 1971 and 1975, a total of 68 episodes of the series The House at Eaton Place were staged, which was a huge success not only in England, but also in the U.S. and in Germany, and can claim a loyal fan base to this day. Despite this huge popularity, it took until 2010 before the green light was given for a sequel. The two creators of the series, actresses Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, are also actively involved in this remake, but primarily in front of the camera. Marsh reprises the role she played in the original series, and Atkins appeared in the first season as Lady Holland - one of the best roles in these first three new episodes.

The remake of the classic series is somewhat overshadowed by the similarly conceived Downton Abbey, a great series that probably wouldn't exist as it does without the original House at Eaton Place. Both series tell of life on the different social levels of a house: the wealthy gentry upstairs, the servants downstairs - hence the original title Upstairs Downstairs. Both series are set in a similar era and make use of historical elements as well as set pieces of the classic soap opera. These set pieces are clearly more pronounced in Return to the House at Eaton Place than in Downton Abbey. However, this impression may also be due to the fact that the first season consists of only three episodes and therefore has to tell different storylines in much less time than other series have at their disposal.

Although the scripts are very well crafted and the creators have taken enough time for character development, the stories told in the first season sometimes seem a bit rushed and therefore also a bit superficial. Nonetheless, it also becomes clear why the original series has been so successful: the concept just works, even four decades after the first episode aired. A great set, plenty of drama, some romance and always dry British humour make the return to the house at Eaton Place an extremely pleasant experience for all fans of solid British TV entertainment. Season 2 can't come soon enough! Absolutely recommended, and not just for fans of the original!

Picture + Sound: The three episodes of this very short first season present themselves in good picture and sound quality. Colouring, sharpness and contrast are all on a good TV level, as is the mixing of music and dialogue. It's not really spectacular, but it's very well done for a current television production.

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has just under 35 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage to offer. This talks about the references to the original series, why it took so long for the classic to get its remake/sequel, and how the three episodes of the first season were made. Worth watching!

Conclusion: Return to the House at Eaton Place pales a little in the just-as-imposing comparison to Downton Abbey. However, for 150 minutes here, the viewer is made to realise what once made The House at Eaton Place such a popular series and that this concept still works very well in a modernised form. It's a nicely fleshed out and well-acted soap that deals with more events in three episodes than many other series do in a 24-episode season. The entertaining production, the good technical realization and also the Making of worth seeing make the DVD of the first season on balance for all friends of dignified British entertainment absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp