It follows its titular protagonist, Maurice Hall-“a mediocre member of a mediocre school”-as he discovers his desires for other men.
Maurice, his most autobiographical book, was written in 1914. Forster, born on New Year’s Day, 1879, documented the emergence of modern England through the foibles and failures of those that lived (like Forster himself) on the outskirts of the upper-class. The most obvious point of reference for Barrow’s character can be found in E. A rejection of the past was so fundamental to this period that we still refer to the artistic flourishing of this moment as “Modernism,” despite it now being 100 years ago. World War I was still “the war to end all wars,” the Roaring Twenties were ratcheting up to the Great Depression, and the last vestiges of Victorianism were being thrown out the Overton window.
The post-Edwardian moment- Downton Abbey opens in 1912, with news of the sinking of the Titanic the movie takes the story all the way up to 1927-was an era of tremendous upheaval in Western culture. It’s an exciting tale set in an exciting period. In the film, audiences will see Barrow in the context of a wider gay world for the first time: visiting a secret gay bar, dodging police harassment, and possibly even finding love. “I think what we've done with Thomas in the story is tried to reflect how scary it was,” says Alastair Bruce, who worked as the historical advisor to the show, and is reprising that role with the new Downton movie, in theaters September 20.
Barrow has all the coiled menace of a spiteful child, a weak sort of strength that only kicks when you’re down. And regardless of their own true identities, nearly every celebrity was the occasion for a bustling gossip and newspaper industry, whose intimations of sexual deviance were equal parts titillating and informative to readers who might otherwise never had access to the bedrooms of Hollywood and London.Īlthough the queer storyline in A New Era is small, it is one of the most historically illuminating that the franchise has produced to date.įifty-seven minutes in to the first episode of Downton Abbey, the fastidious, sharp-featured footman Thomas Barrow makes his move, confronting his erstwhile summer lover-the impoverished (but entitled) Duke of Crowborough-with epistolary evidence of their affair. Others lived public “bachelor” or “spinster” lives, traveling from one metropolitan center to another, connecting queer communities and spreading their ideas. Some took queer or gender-bending roles, including in such early silent films as The Amazons (1917) or What Is the World Coming To? (1926). (For a further examination of Barrow’s historical accuracy, read the article below.) The new film can’t erase this history, but it does offer a glimmer of an alternative, by showing how celebrity culture brought queer ideas to even the most traditional estates in England.ĭating back at least into the 19 th century, queer performers were integral to the spread of sexual information in several ways. As everyone else becomes, Barrow merely is. In the original television series, Barrow’s character seemed preternaturally modern and self-knowing, denying viewers the exciting chance to see how our ideas about queer identity developed and spread in the early 20 th Century. But is there more to his offer? And even if there is, will Thomas be willing to give up everything he’s achieved at Downton for it? While Lady Mary unexpectedly takes on a role in the film, Thomas finds himself offered a new role all his own, when Guy pursues him to leave Downton and become his manservant. Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier)-former footman, would-be blackmailer, and early modern homosexual everyman-is now head butler on staff, giving him ample opportunity to interact with the visiting stars, and in particular, with the debonair Guy Dexter (Dominic West). As half the family hares off to the French Riviera to unravel a mysterious inheritance, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) stays behind to shepherd the production of a silent film at Downton.
In the latest addition to the Downton Abbey franchise ( Downton Abbey: A New Era ) one thing remains constant: change.