For her passing to make the front page of HN when she has no presence in the tech world really speaks to her impact. I imagine very few people would reach that level. Wonderful actress, she was the best character in Downton.
Maggie Smith has died
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Re: Maggie Smith has died
#22Maggie Smith and Michelle Dockery were brilliant in Downton Abbey. Their characters always seemed two to three steps ahead of everyone with their wit. And were hilarious to boot. Robert Crawley was nominally in charge of everything. But it was clear that Violet and Mary were pulling all the strings through their understanding of how the social contracts really worked. And it was fitting that in the finale Violet hand…
In Downton Abbey, Maggie Smith is playing a toned-down version of the character she played in Gosford Park.
Well maybe I'll have to watch that now.
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#23She was an absolutely wonderful actress. The Washington Post also has an article announcing her death [0]. It goes into a lot of depth about her work and who she was.
[0]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/09/27/maggie-...
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#24For her passing to make the front page of HN when she has no presence in the tech world really speaks to her impact. I imagine very few people would reach that level. Wonderful actress, she was the best character in Downton.
This is a really good point. Unless there is some tech angle these things don't usually make HN.
I wonder how much of it has to do with the overlap between tech nerds and Harry Potter nerds.
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#25For her passing to make the front page of HN when she has no presence in the tech world really speaks to her impact. I imagine very few people would reach that level. Wonderful actress, she was the best character in Downton.
Don’t forget The First Wives Club! RIP
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#26I don't think you can understand the 1960s without seeing her glorious movie, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie It captures the tension of social norms and rebellion and, if one pays attention, the natural consequences of unbridled enthusiasm. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXA0N55c3iw
Showing my age a bit here, but when I think of her this film is always what I'm reminded of. That phrase "I am Miss Jean Brodie... and I am in my prime" in her frightfully posh Scottish accent rattles around my head quite a bit for some reason.
I've always thought of her as being well-known, but apparently it was Downton Abbey that really made her properly famous, which she didn't really like: https://x.com/lewispringle/status/1839680373774581849
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#27Big boots to fill if they go ahead with the Harry Potter TV series.
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
I didn't know Diana Riggs died :( She really brought the Queen of Thorns to life.
Yeah she was a big loss, a 60s bond girl and all-round sex symbol who went on to completely transcend that label and developed into a serious thespian and RSC/Old Vic stalwart. She absolutely holds her own as the Wife of Olivier's Lear. I'm delighted she got to work with Edgar Wright before her death and put in a great turn in Last Night in Soho; I'd a big fear she'd peter out with a few Dr.Who episodes in a fairly u…
One of her last roles was in the fantastic BBC comedy "Detectorists" where she played the mother of Rachael Stirling, her daughter in real life.
There was definitely a big hole when series 2 came out without her.
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#29Maggie Smith and Michelle Dockery were brilliant in Downton Abbey. Their characters always seemed two to three steps ahead of everyone with their wit. And were hilarious to boot. Robert Crawley was nominally in charge of everything. But it was clear that Violet and Mary were pulling all the strings through their understanding of how the social contracts really worked. And it was fitting that in the finale Violet hand…
In Downton Abbey, Maggie Smith is playing a toned-down version of the character she played in Gosford Park.
Written by the same person, so kind of expected.
Re: Maggie Smith has died
#30I don't think you can understand the 1960s without seeing her glorious movie, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie It captures the tension of social norms and rebellion and, if one pays attention, the natural consequences of unbridled enthusiasm. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXA0N55c3iw
But the book and movie are set in the 1930s, though I guess 1930s through a 1960s sensibility.