This is completely distinct from Parkinson’s disease. I think.
When I watched the last few seasons of Downton Abbey, all I could focus on was the philtrum on each character’s face during close-up shots. The philtrum, of course, is the shallow, shadowy groove that runs from the nostrils to the center of the upper lip. Plural: philtra. It appeared to stand out especially on the servants’ faces, whose lighting always seemed off to one side, casting one half of their face, plus the philtrum, in shadow.
The philtra started to look like incipient Hitler mustaches to me. I wondered if the show’s make up artists smudged a little eye shadow in the groove to highlight the depression.
The example of Mr. Bates (above) is the best of the Downton Abbey philtra I could find online. Here are some more:
What does Wikipedia say about the philtrum? Let’s find out:
The philtrum (Latin: philtrum, Greek: φίλτρον philtron), or medial cleft, is a vertical groove in the middle area of the upper lip, common to many mammals, extending from the nose to the upper lip. Together with a glandular rhinarium and slit-like nostrils, it is believed to constitute the primitive condition for mammals in general.
Isn’t this what Downton Abbey is really all about? The primitive condition of mammals in general?
