Down on Abby: Tales from Bottomley Manor is a 2014 pornographic comedy film that parodies the British television series Downton Abbey. The film is the first porn parody produced by British studio Harmony Films and directed by Gazzman. The film includes an all-British cast, including Ben Dover and Lexi Lowe as the title character "Abby", and was filmed in a castle near Birmingham. Gazzman states that the local town council tried to get the shoot closed down when villagers realized what was going on at their castle, but the production wrapped successfully.[1]
| Down on Abby | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gazzman |
| Produced by | Harmony Films |
| Starring | Lexi Lowe Ben Dover |
Production company | Harmony Films |
Release date |
|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editDown on Abby is set at the beautiful Bottomley Manor, home to the eccentric and debauched Lord and Lady Grabhem and their stepdaughters Abby and Fanny. The film follows the upper-class family upstairs and members of the working-class staff downstairs, including characters with names such as Master Bates, as they prepare for a dinner party quite unlike any other.[2]
Cast
edit- Lexi Lowe as Abby
- Ben Dover as Lord Grabhem
- Jasmine Jae as Lady Grabhem
- Jasmine James as Fanny
- Ryan Ryder as Lord Stiffie
- Jess West as Lady Stiffie
- Ava Dalush as Missy
- Cathy Heaven as Lucy
- Emma Leigh as Betty
- Clarke Kent as Master Bates
- Tony De Sergio as Smallcock
- Dimitris XXX as James
- Big Bad Dave as Smithers
Release
editThe film was released on region-free DVD on 1 April 2014. A softcore version is also available to buy from Amazon.com[3]
Television X announced that they had acquired the film's exclusive television rights and would be airing one episode a week from 5 April 2014.[4]
Press
editDown on Abby garnered attention from international mainstream press as well as adult industry-related media since the announcement of its production with mentions from Jimmy Fallon on the Jimmy Fallon Show, Cosmopolitan,[5] Time,[6] The Sun-Herald[7] and the London Metro[8] among others.
Stars of the main Downton Abbey show have expressed dismissive opinions on the porn parody. Michelle Dockery spoke of her "porn doppelgänger" Jasmine Jae, pointing to Jae on the cover and saying "That's me, is it? The one with the extremely large breasts?" during an interview with Conan O'Brien on Conan.[9]
Hugh Bonneville was also asked about his opinion of Down on Abby by Brad Blanks on the red carpet of The Monuments Men première in New York City. When told the title, Bonnevile stated "that's hilarious" before jokingly asking Bob Balaban if he had directed it. Balaban replied that he had been the assistant director. Bonnevile stated that he "can't wait to watch it" and that he would get the Downton Abbey crew around to watch it for a Saturday night event.[10]
Reception
editThe parody has had a mixed reception. Mainstream press appear to give generally negative reviews of the parody. A New York magazine writer commented that although the parody of the Downton Abbey was humorous, it was "rife with historical inaccuracies" and "not recommended for those who get distracted by historically inaccurate details like squared-off French tips and thongs."[11] A writer for Cosmopolitan magazine wrote: "What I witnessed were things that were both horrifying and factually incorrect: This nonsense would never have happened at Downton Abbey or any respectable 1920's British country estate."[12]
In contrast, adult industry reviewers give a generally more positive review. A reviewer for the porn review website Die Screaming wrote: "After watching Down on Abby, I can say with absolute certainty that the movie more than lived up to all the hype surrounding it." and "Down on Abby delivers a solid hardcore porn film wrapped in the luxurious look and feel of British aristocratic wealth, which is exactly what you’d want from a Downton Abbey porn parody." He added "I also need to take a moment to stand up and applaud Lexi Lowe. Her scene with Tony DeSergio and Clarke Kent was arguably the highlight of the movie, with Ms. Lowe delivering a performance that will make your jaw drop." and ended the review with 5/5 stars.[13]
Another review from adult DVD review site XCritic noted: "I was surprised at how good I thought the movie was. A porn parody of Downton Abby was inevitable, but it found a way to get beautiful and sexy stars to parody the costume drama and mix in hot, depraved sex. I loved the puns with the names (Smallcock, Lord Stiffie, Lady Stiffie, etc.) and thought it was very funny overall. This parody is highly recommended."[14]
Awards
edit- Best Adult Film 2014 – Paul Raymond Awards (Pending)
References
edit- ^ "Down on Abby gets perfect release date". AVN. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "Down on Abby". Down on Abby official website. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "Downton Abbey porn parody gets soft "18* cut". Digital Spy. 31 March 2014. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ Ratcliffe, Chris (April 2014). "UK's Television X to air Down on Abby". XBIZ.
- ^ Sophie Hines (31 March 2014). "Downton Abbey porn parody entitled "Down on Abby" is released". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ Locker, Melissa (22 January 2014). "Hold on to your bloomers". Time.
- ^ Idato, Michael (23 January 2014). "Downton Abbey to get Adult film treatment". Sunday Herald Australia.
- ^ "Downton Abbey gets porn version, ingeniously titled 'Down On Abby'". Metro. 22 January 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ Dockery, Michelle. "Michelle Dockery talks Down on Abby on Conan". Conan O'Brien – via YouTube.
- ^ Bonneville, Hugh. "Hugh Bonneville talks Downton Abbey Porn Parody". Brad Blanks Interview – via YouTube.
- ^ Stoefell, Kat (27 January 2014). "Downton Abbey porn parody rife with historical inaccuracies". New York Magazine.
- ^ Rees, Alex (2 April 2014). "Everything you need to know about that insane Downton Abbey porn parody". Cosmopolitan.
- ^ Cheek, Dan. "Lexi Lowe shines in Down on Abby porn parody". Die Screaming. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
- ^ "Down on Abby XCritic Review". XCritic. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.