Review: Julian Fellowes Hosts ‘Doctor Thorne,’ a British Period Drama, on Amazon - The New York Times
For six seasons, Julian Fellowes's "Downton Abbey" was shown in the United States as part of PBS's "Masterpiece," which meant that its episodes were introduced by the American actress Laura Linney. Mr. Fellowes's new examination of British pride and impropriety, "Julian Fellowes Presents Doctor Thorne," will stream on Amazon Prime (the four episodes are available Friday), where it has a host who's more in the classic vein: Mr. Fellowes, doing his best Alistair Cooke impression.
Amazon clearly added the short introductions (they weren't part of the original ITV broadcasts in Britain) to capitalize on Americans' "Downton"-inspired fondness for Mr. Fellowes. But it turns out that he's a natural. Sitting on a book-lined set, wearing a pinstriped chocolate-brown suit and with a slightly unsettling gleam in his eye, explaining his Victorian-era mini-series to us Yanks, he's like a jovial uncle from the early stages of a Pinter play. If Ms. Linney moves on, her successor is in sight.
Mr. Fellowes adapted "Doctor Thorne" (which was directed by Niall MacCormick) from an 1858 novel by Anthony Trollope, the third in his Barchester series. Trollope remains largely unknown in America, which Mr. Fellowes notes regretfully. But "Doctor Thorne" will feel familiar to fans of Trollope's more famous near-contemporary, Jane Austen. It's about a smart, unmarriageable young woman and the various scenarios that could eventually render her marriageable.
The story begins with the accidental death of a man named Thorne in a drunken brawl in 1836, then jumps ahead 20 years. At first it's confusing to see a living Dr. Thorne, but Mr. Fellowes's lucid, nimble screenplay quickly acquaints us with the main figures and the social strata of the fictional town of Barchester. Dr. Thorne, played with circumspect grace by Tom Hollander ("The Night Manager"), is respected but subordinate, tending to both the medical and financial affairs of a local baronet (Ian McShane), who affectionately bullies him.
Dr. Thorne has a niece, Mary (Stefanie Martini), whose kindness and high spirits are outweighed, in the marriage market, by the shady and mysterious circumstances of her birth. This is the engine of the plot, as her chances with men of varying suitability rise and fall, and other young women in search of husbands keep a wary eye on her progress. Mr. Fellowes emphasizes Trollope's humor without shortchanging the melodrama, and the production has the feeling of a high-def tribute to an earlier era of British film and television (emphasized by the use of old-fashioned fonts for the credits) — it achieves a kind of rollicking serenity.
"Doctor Thorne" is a minor canvas, compared with "Downton Abbey," but Mr. Fellowes packs a lot of charm and amusement into its 160 minutes. "There's rather a lot going on, isn't there?" he says before one episode, giving himself a well-deserved pat on the back.
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