$9.00

$3.96 delivery: Nov 26 - Dec 2

Only 2 left in stock - order soon.

$$9.00 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

santa clara books

Sold by

santa clara books

Details

Ships from

santa clara books

Sold by

santa clara books

Return policy: Returnable until Jan 31, 2022

Other Sellers on Amazon

$8.25
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: Heaven Sent by revdwl

$13.00
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: brent0033

$11.19
+ $4.29 shipping

Sold by: Mister Martin Books

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available
To view this video download Flash Player

VIDEO

Downton Abbey Seasons 1 & 2 Set - Original UK Version

Limited Edition, Original U.K. Version

Box Set

Maggie Smith (Actor), Hugh Bonneville (Actor), Julian Fellowes (Director) Rated:

Format: DVD

2,920 ratings

IMDb8.7/10.0

Was:	$10.99 Details
Price:	$9.00
You Save:	$1.99 (18%)

Additional DVD options

Edition

Discs

Price

New from

Used from

DVD
October 2, 2012

"Please retry"

Limited Edition

$9.00

$8.25

$1.25

DVD

"Please retry"

—

$24.37

$20.00

DVD

"Please retry"

Limited Edition

—

$24.99

$9.93

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Downton Abbey
44,670
DVD
233 offers from $0.88
Hugh Bonneville
30,239
DVD
39 offers from $2.84
Hugh Bonneville
1,061
DVD
18 offers from $27.82
Maggie Smith
38,982
DVD
160 offers from $1.48
Hugh Bonneville
526
DVD
21 offers from $39.96
Downton Abbey
24,884
DVD
98 offers from $2.13

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Downton Abbey
44,670
DVD
233 offers from $0.88
Hugh Bonneville
24,349
DVD
13 offers from $13.79
Hugh Bonneville
30,239
DVD
39 offers from $2.84
Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Jim Carter
34,500
DVD
44 offers from $2.13
Hugh Bonneville
1,061
DVD
18 offers from $27.82
Maggie Smith
38,982
DVD
160 offers from $1.48

Special offers and product promotions

Create your FREE Amazon Business account to save up to 10% with Business-only prices and free shipping.

Editorial Reviews

The original and unedited UK version of Seasons 1 and 2 of the hit show Downton Abbey in one limited-edition boxed set.

Welcome to Downton Abbey, the splendid ancestral home of the Earl and Countess of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern) and their daughters, who live there under the watchful eye of the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith). The household is a complicated community, with the servants below stairs as fiercely jealous of their ranks as anyone above. From the sinking of the Titanic to the First World War, the secure and ordered world of Downton is rocked as the lives of the inhabitants are shaped by romance, ambition, and heartbreak.

Enjoy this collection of both seasons of the Golden Globe® and multi-Emmy Award®-winning, Guinness World RecordTM-holding (highest critical review rating for a TV show), most talked-about program in recent memory, including the special Christmas episode.

This DVD set features subtitles in English (SDH).

Product details

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.55 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches; 9.6 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Julian Fellowes
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, NTSC
Run time ‏ : ‎ 15 hours
Release date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2012
Actors ‏ : ‎ Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern
Studio ‏ : ‎ PBS
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008FYZIVY
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 6

Best Sellers Rank: #16,817 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #3,331 in Drama DVDs

Customer Reviews:
2,920 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		88%
4 star		6%
3 star		3%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Pammie

Uk vs. US versions

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2012

Verified Purchase

For those of you wondering about the difference between the UK version and US version, apparently the US version has had some scenes cut (hours worth of material). So the UK version is completely original and uncut

548 people found this helpful

Helpful

tcally

WONDERFUL period piece!

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2012

Verified Purchase

Perhaps one of the very few who never saw Upstairs, Downstairs, this series reminds me of what that series must have been about. I love period dramas that fold into the larger historical situation. This series is full of them, tying in seamlessly to the sinking of the Titanic, the coming of electricity and motorcars, early women's rights movement. and WWI (so far - looks like the Depression will make an appearance in series 3).

This is my favorite type of series because though it is mindful of the history its characters are living through, all of the main characters are fictional - so there's no specific history to get upset modern screenwriters fail to take into account. Here were some striking things to me...

1) As tragic as we still feel the sinking of the Titanic was, the series gives one a bit of a glimpse of how overwhelming it was to people of certain social classes at the time. Losing so many heirs, friends, other family members, people they grew up with - all at once like that.

2) the series takes on a very interesting period which is not covered very often (on the Royal level, Fall of Eagles is awesome telling the big story) where the world did in fact change. The whole of society was being uprooted as the 'modern world' emerged. Those who can't wait for the change interacting with those who want things to stay exactly the way they have always been - tons of opportunity for dramatic interactions.

3) One of the easy-to-miss side stories is of Cora and her money. There were tons of American heiresses who married titles in England during this time frame - Consuelo Vanderbilt and Jennie Jerome (both, incidentally, married into the same family - the one that produced Winston Churchill). Lots of these relationships were miserable. I was glad to see this one; while not perfect, it is happy over the long run.

4) LOVE Maggie Smith and her character. She seems to get all the curmudgeonly matron roles lately but this one is great. Tough and sarcastic on the outside, she has a heart of gold and is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.

5) Finally, love the English terms we Yanks haven't picked up - but we should because we really don't have our own jargon that quite fits. Example: The Earl tells Matthew (the heir) that he should dance with the formidable (and nasty) ladies maid Ms. O'Brien at the Servants Ball. His response "Crikey!." Loved it!

36 people found this helpful

Helpful

Dan Thompson

Wonderful British Period Drama

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2012

Verified Purchase

I started watching Downton Abbey on a whim, mainly because my mother-in-law and wife had become obsessed with it. Naturally, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Suffice to say I watched the entire first series in one sitting and was craving more.

The story focuses in the Downton Abbey, a lavish and beautiful estate owned by the Crawley family, its inhabitants, and their servants. I could write an entire raving review about the ensemble cast but that would take too much space and time so I'll say this instead; the cast is quite large but each member plays their part perfectly. I've seen a few British dramas but have never been enthralled with a show like this before, thanks mainly to the terrific job done by the actors.

There really isn't anything about this show that misses the mark; the acting (as mentioned), the sets, the cinematography, the historical references, the costumes...it's all there and it's all great. This set comes with the first and second series, as well as some very informative featurettes.

I haven't met anyone that's watched the show and didn't enjoy it. I've known quite a few people that were hesitant about watching it, mainly because they thought it would be boring or slow. Their minds were quickly changed upon giving it a chance. It's to those people that I would recommend this show; give Downton a shot a prepare to be amazed by how much you enjoy it.

Helpful

It Should Be Enjoyed for What It Is

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2013

Verified Purchase

The general consensus seems to be that the first series of Downtown Abbey is a marvelous British period drama but the second run dipped in quality and turned into a soap opera. While there is some truth in that view, it overlooks one key thing not just about Downtown Abbey but also British period dramas in general. Most of the beloved costume dramas from the UK have a strong streak of soap opera in them.

This is as true of programs based on books like Brideshead Revisted and Poldark as it is of the show that Downtown Abbey most resembles - the original Upstairs Downstairs. It's also just as true of the first series of Downtown Abbey meaning that, while there was a distinct dip in quality between the first and second series, it would be a mistake to attribute it to the show suddenly becoming a soap opera. The real culprit seemed to be a lack of focus on the part of the writer, weaving in so many plot threads that not only was it was sometimes unclear which ones we should care about some of those we clearly are meant to focus on felt rushed such as the problems encountered by Mr. Bates late in the series.

Despite that, you have to give credit to the actors for continuing to approach even the more preposterous plot lines with conviction. This is most apparent with Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates whose dignified performance is a stark contrast with the sensationalistic storyline he's been given. Coyle also starkly contrasts with Maggie Smith as the Countess, whose role has largely degenerated into throwing out pretentiously pithy comments every so often whether the story calls for it or not.

With the third series of Downtown Abbey premiering on PBS tonight, too long after its UK run for most American fans, the biggest question is not what will happen to Bates but rather whether it will be more like the first or the second. Whichever turns out to be the case, the new series is sure to have one thing in common with the previous ones, it will be the classiest soap opera on TV, and that's not a bad thing.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer

A great step back in time.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 9, 2017

Verified Purchase

Definitely worth the small amount of money I paid for series one and two of this excellent step back in time 100 years ago. The days of unsinkable ships are a precursor to the upcoming darkness of the first world war but that is not the focus here. Highclere Castle is the perfect setting for a peek inside the lives of Nobleman Lord Grantham and his family in their social follies and day to day activities. I am not sure how historically accurate all the tales are that we see unfold and no doubt certain dramas are played out for cinematic effect but I for one enjoyed glimpsing the cars and vehicles that we see in the series. Spoiler alert..................comedy gold when a phone is introduced to the household for the very first time.

Philip G. Brown

The Felloweship of the Bling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2013

Verified Purchase

Sunday night entertainment, made for the lower middle class, working class Tories and Americans to revel in, preferably when they have arrived home from church. Then, as they switch on their new fangled TV's they can worship again as they gaze upon the lives of those superior beings that owned the great houses during the reign of King George V, God rest his soul.

Here, we have entered the strange, pseudo-historical world of Torydom as seen through the eyes of true-blue Julian, where a gang of stalwart character actors do their best with trite lines and superficially realised stock characters, bringing to life a nostalgic world of hackneyed and repetitive plots set in a fantasy lime-green world. Even the First World War trenches are overlain with what, I'm sure, the dowager countess Maggie would call a painful vulgarity.

Upstairs, Mi'lord a beneficent and ideal employer loves every last brick of his Elizabethan manor house and treats all his underlings with the utmost respect and propriety while his lovely, supposedly American wife, looking for all the world like Wallace Simpson, nods dutifully. His three daughters engage in their girly squabbles while really wanting to show they are enterprising modern young things by doing good works and falling in love with old men and undesirable foreigners.

Meanwhile, below stairs amongst the forelock tuggers, innocent maids, jolly cooks and country bumpkins, lurks the heart of darkness. Yes, there's a footman named Thomas: he's a thief, a bully, a coward and all the slimy, horrid things a Tory would make a gay person to be. He steals the wine, rifles the pockets of the butler, he bullies wee Willie the good Christian kid and even tries to take away the girl he's sweet on. Perhaps worst of all are his attempts to do down the Saintly Bates Mi'lords war-wounded valet. Master Bates has had a tragic life, marrying a shrew of a wife who might even have been a socialist! Oh, the calumny! The only other character who comes close to Thomas's evil is his sidekick, O'Brien, the Mrs. Danvers of Downton. She actually causes Mrs. Simpson to abort her baby boy by means, appropriately, of a bar of soap. Mi'lord is tearful but soon regains his stiff upper lip.

Three stars for this tosh? Well, there are three ways to view this: with open-mouth incredulity; admiration for a post-modern comedy; or to believe . . . .

One person found this helpful

Good telly but...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2012

Verified Purchase

Downton Abbey has been phenomenally successful, which is why we decided to purchase this boxed-set. Yes, it's well made, slick, very easy viewing. Alas however, it doesn't really hold a candle to previous, other highly successful series, going back to the Forsyte Saga, Brideshead Revisited etc. This has to do with the absence of a sound literary base to it, a novel written by someone like Evelyn Waugh, who knew what he was doing. Julian Fellowes and Gareth Neame are no Galsworthys or Paul Scotts. The major gripe is that, so like banal soap operas such as the Archers or Coronation Street, the story line is merely based on events, rather than on both events and character development linked with them. The characters are often wooden, flat and uninspiring. The Bates couple is an excellent example, as is the Matthew - Mary couple and Lord Grantham. However, buying the DVDs rather than watching Downton Abbey when broadcast on television has a major advantage, which of course is that no episodes are cut by adverts. The televised version is ruined by 5-minute commercial breaks every quarter of an hour, which is absurd. After all, there is a limit to the number of cups of tea you can get up to make or trips to the loo to be taken in the space of an hour. In France, French television is not very good, but at least it respects films and other works by not having them cut by adverts.

As an historical saga it has some interest; the episodes dealing with World War I are interesting, as is the evolution of the female condition and issues such as women dying in childbirth. However, these serious issues are too often dealt with in a superficial or OTT manner. Did Sybil really have to run off with an Irish revolutionary-cum-chauffeur? She gets her comeuppance though, big time. Suspension of disbelief is the order of the day here. There are also occasional linguistic anachronisms with dialogue slipping dangerously towards early twenty-first century idioms.

The one saving grace of this series is of course the inimitable Maggie Smith, doing a brilliant job of playing ... the inimitable Maggie Smith. Alas her character is getting on in years and one lives in constant fear of her being written out, especially with the fairly high death rate amongst some of the younger members of the cast. She really makes this series, and without her I'm sure it wouldn't be anything like as popular. Long may she continue to rescue this series from tedium.

I. Joubert

The best TV series !!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2012

Verified Purchase

I have recently ordered and received from Amazon Series 1&2 as well as the stand alone Christmas edition.The Series one had started in South Africa recently and is televised on Sunday nights.We were bugeyed slaves of the series from episode one!!!!The decor and costumes is so authentic period ,the cast is absolutely brilliant,the story line the best I have ever experienced.Although we do not have the British first hand experience we were soon in teary eyed empathy with the various characters and their intricate trials and tribulations.After the third episode we decided that it was more than what mere flesh and blood could endure to wait a whole week for the next episode to show and promptly ordered the whole set as well as the Christmas DVD and paid for super fast delivery.Our package arrived within 5 days after ordering (WHAT SERVICE!!)Our experience was that the Blu-ray edition was even better viewing than the televised edition for picture clarity.My wife and daughter went through both series like hot knives through butter in a week's time.We are absolutely delighted with our purchase and Amazon rose enven higher in our esteem for promptness and selling quality products.a Truely wonderful experince.I have deliberately not said a word about the story line, suffice to say it remains spellbinding to the last scene!!!Five stars at least for both the product and Amazon!

Sean

Very engaging period drama, exploring the changing lives of the working, middle and upper classes in Britain

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

Bought this as a present for my mum who is a fan of Downton Abbey and was surprised to find myself enjoying the series as well. Engaging period drama, good performances overall by the cast and an interesting insight into people's lives during that time. Throughout the series, contrast and statements are made on the way of life for the working, middle and upper class divisions, as well as some often moving personal dramas between various characters.

See all reviews

Other Sellers on Amazon

Downton Abbey Seasons 1 & 2 Set - Original UK Version

Limited Edition, Original U.K. Version

Box Set

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Special offers and product promotions

Editorial Reviews

Product details

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries