Until recently, filmmaking was largely confined to the studios, but now the process has opened up.Downton Abbey: A New Era · 2022 — Chapter 2 of 18 · 1'49" · C1
Jack Barber Pitches Filming at Downton, Explained: take a dim view
A film producer offers to rent Downton for a month of location shooting, and the family splits over it. Some fear the house will be overrun; others point to the money. "The county takes a dim view of everything," one says, brushing aside the worry.
What happens
A film man, Jack Barber, comes to Downton with a proposal: let his company shoot a picture on location for about a month, for a fee he names on his card. He explains how location filming has opened up since Abel Gance's Napoléon. The family is divided, weighing money and a new roof against the disruption and local disapproval.
Listen for
take a dim viewspin out of controlon locationfinish someone off
00:00 / 01:49Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
take a dim view
不赞成；不看好
主人们讨论剧组进驻唐顿，担心乡里人看不惯，于是用上这个说法。
The board takes a dim view of any unplanned spending.
Also in this scene
- spin out of control
迅速失控；一发不可收拾
- on location
实地拍摄；在外景地
- finish someone off
把某人累垮；要了某人的命；彻底压垮
Everything marked in this scene
26 notes across 33 lines
Until recently, filmmaking was largely confined to the studios, but now the process has opened up.passive voice
Until recently, filmmaking was largely confined to the studios, but now the process has opened up.Abel Gance's Napoléon last year showed what a camera can do on location, filming in real houses, real landscapes.What sort of film is it?The Gambleris set in 1875.Uh, an earl's daughter, Lady Anne Erskine, falls in love with a man who turns out to be a gambler, to her family's horror. I can imagine.Uh, an earl's daughter, Lady Anne Erskine, falls in love with a man who turns out to be a gambler, to her family's horror. I can imagine.relative clause with who
Uh, an earl's daughter, Lady Anne Erskine, falls in love with a man who turns out to be a gambler, to her family's horror. I can imagine.liaison
Uh, an earl's daughter, Lady Anne Erskine, falls in love with a man who turns out to be a gambler, to her family's horror. I can imagine.They meet at a house party in the country, and things soon spin out of control.liaison
They meet at a house party in the country, and things soon spin out of control.That would finish Granny off.We must have time to think. Of course.Mm-hmm. Ring me if you have any questions at all.I suppose there are two questions that we would need the answer to before we can really have the discussion.relative clause with that
I suppose there are two questions that we would need the answer to before we can really have the discussion.And that's the starting point?elision
Actresses plastered in makeup and actors just plastered, scrambling over our things.Actresses plastered in makeup and actors just plastered, scrambling over our things.The locals might take a dim view.Well, you mustn't let that stop you.causative let
Well, you mustn't let that stop you.You could have a new roof, for a start.You could soon be looking at real flooding, and then what?Mama, where do you stand?Jack Barber Pitches Filming at Downton, explained
What's really going on
On the surface this is a business talk: how long, how much, what gets moved. Underneath it is a collision between old money and the new mass culture that has just learned to shoot on location, and every objection is really about status. The house that represents centuries of order would be handed over to a trade the family considers vulgar, and one speaker makes the disgust plain: "Actresses plastered in makeup and actors just plastered, scrambling over our things." The defense is not taste but upkeep: a roof, flooding, the cost of staying grand. And the worry about reputation is waved away with the film's dry humor, since "The county takes a dim view of everything." Downton is being asked to pay for its future by renting out its dignity, and no one can quite say no to the price.
Theme
MoneyThe family weighs a film fee it needs against the pride it costs, with a new roof as the practical argument.
ClassOld aristocracy meets the film trade, and objections turn on vulgar newcomers trespassing on the estate.
What you'll learn
- 'plastered' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'take a dim view' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
Listen for
- turns out to be — liaison
- spin out of control — liaison
- plastered in makeup — elision
Until recently, filmmaking was largely confined to the studios, but now the process has opened up.The pitch: movies used to be trapped indoors, but new location shooting lets a production film in real houses, which is why Downton itself is now a candidate.
Actresses plastered in makeup and actors just plastered, scrambling over our things.The objection to the film crew: painted-up actresses and drunk actors trampling the family's belongings, a picture of a vulgar invasion.
The county takes a dim view of everything.A dry reassurance that local opinion is always disapproving, so the fear of gossip should not decide anything.
Well, you mustn't let that stop you.The reply that brushes off the worry about local disapproval and pushes the deal forward.
Questions about this scene
Why does the family consider renting Downton to a film crew?
They need money for repairs, including a new roof, and the fee is a quick way to get it without selling anything.
Why does someone call the film idea horrible?
Because a film crew would fill the house with actors and equipment, disturb the family's belongings, and invite local gossip.
What is Jack Barber actually offering?
About a month of shooting on location at Downton, with a fee written on his card that he says is negotiable.
Why does Cora's answer matter?
A younger family member asks where she stands, because her support could settle whether Downton accepts the film offer.
Downton Abbey: A New Era · 18 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 3wouldn't hear of itHollywood Comes to Downton
Chapter 1who are we to argueViolet Gives Sybbie a French Villa
Watching · Chapter 2take a dim viewJack Barber Pitches Filming at Downton
Chapter 3wouldn't hear of itHollywood Comes to Downton
Chapter 4frighten the horsesThe Family Dines with Myrna Dalgleish
Chapter 5eye someone upDinner at the Villa of the Doves
Chapter 6in a wayTom and Lucy Inherit the Villa
Chapter 7perform miraclesMary Saves the Talkie
Chapter 8On an impulseMolesley Pitches His Own Ending
Chapter 9trouble in paradiseMary Talks About Her Marriages
Chapter 10more than capableRobert Learns Cora Is Ill
Chapter 11in your handsMyrna Walks Off the Set
Chapter 12washed upThe Maids Talk Myrna Down
Chapter 13had in mindViolet Says Goodbye to Tom
Chapter 14await developmentsGuy Offers Barrow a Hollywood Job
Chapter 15an object of desireBarber Asks to Kiss Mary
Chapter 16a fool for loveViolet Tells Mary the Truth
Chapter 17what the blazesMolesley Proposes to Baxter
Chapter 18last the courseViolet's Deathbed GoodbyesChapter 2 of 18 · about 34 min to go